On Wednesday 6th March, 10 children from each school in the OWN trust schools returned to Ferry Meadows to continue the Schools in Residence project in association with Nene Park Trust.  One of the aims of the project is to encourage members of the wider community to access the park.

Again, the day began with a coach ride starting from Woodston Primary School, collecting from Nene Valley and Orton Wistow on the way.  It was rewarding to see the children greeting each other and the adults as they joined the coach, new friendships continuing to grow.  This time, the children had created a school plaque/sign for their own raised bed at the nursery.

After a quick introduction in the Discovery Den, they moved back to the secluded Nursery Gardens. 

Seeds, seeds and more seeds were the activities for the morning.  Identification, planting and nurture the themes of the different activities.  Did you know flowered plants generally have a split seed?  The children had to estimate how deep to plant their seeds, 0.5cms, 1.0cms. Who knew different seeds needed planting at different depths?

Just before lunch, the word of the day - Hibernaculum – which was important for the afternoon activity.  Not easy to say, let alone spell!

After lunch, the children worked in mixed teams from each school, and so they continued to make new friends.  There was also a competitive element to see which team could build the best Hibernaculum.  This was the opportunity to use a spade, a fork and a rake safely.  All the Hibernacula (Plural doesn’t just add an s!) looked toastie and warm – go and have a look if you can make it down to Ferry Meadows.

At the end of the day, the sun had shone, the children had learnt some new language, used some tools and had to think mathematically - just like school, but better! Thanks again to Tom and Alex for delivering the content effectively and in a very fun way. We look forward to the next trip on the 8^th May and the start of activities in schools.