Avenue House School
Here are some examples of the work we do in Maple
Maple class attempted to make models of an ancient Egyptian invention called a 'shaduf'. It was used to draw water up from the river Nile and into irrigation channels which were used to water the dry fields. They are still used in Egypt today though some farmers use electric pumps now. The children were given art straws, card, blu-tac, sticky tape and string from which they had to try to recreate these mechanisms. They all did a great job!
After the success of last year’s trip we were all looking forward to going again. 3 days just wasn’t enough and we were lucky enough to go for four days this time but this also meant an extra night; something some of the children were a little apprehensive about. As always once we got there all worries were forgotten as the children were so busy enjoying themselves.
The journey was quick and we arrived by 2.30pm on Tuesday 28th September. As always everyone was keen to settle in and make the dorms their own; agreeing who sleeps where is the most important decision! After the safety talk by Rosie and Paul who run Middlebarn Farm it was free time to run around and burn off some of those travel munchies the children had devoured.
That evening we were entertained by Mr Gurney, sometimes known as Mr Gunky, who explained about farming. It was funny but we also learned a lot. The children impressed with their knowledge and vocabulary. After hot chocolate it was time for bed. The first night is always the hardest but all the children coped well and were up and ready bright and early on Wednesday.
On Wednesday we were up early to go to Carisbrooke Castle where many of the children were able to dress up in costume. After a tour of the site they had to plan how they would rescue King Charles who had been kept captive there. They then presented their talks to each other. We also were able to meet one of the donkeys who would turn a wheel which was used to raise water from the castle well. In the afternoon we went to Osbourne House. Some of the children had visited before so it was a flying visit to the Swiss Cottage and a walk through the grounds. Before this however we ate our packed lunch and had a play in the adventure playground. By the end of the afternoon the boys were rather tired from our stroll and were ready to enjoy the coach journey back to the Farm. Free time was followed by another lovely meal. That evening we had an energetic evening of song, games and magic. We still can’t figure out how the bottomless jug worked! It was a great way to unwind after a thoroughly educational day.
The children had been looking forward to Thursday as it was their chance to attempt archery. Paul demonstrated and then everyone had a go. There was a normal target but as an extra challenge there were balloons attached to the target which had to be popped for bonus points. Next we walked down the lane to Amazon World. We ate our lunch outside whilst we watched an owl display. The children all laid on the ground with their eyes closed and had to listen carefully to see if they could hear the wings of the owl as it flew over them. The owl was so close that they felt the air move but didn’t hear a thing. Once inside we saw all kinds of creatures from sloths to anteaters, Meer cats to piranhas, even penguins and of course the bats! It was very humid, as it would be in the Amazon, so we eventually headed outside to meet two animals in more detail. A man talked to use about a 3 banded armadillo and a cane toad. We learned about how they were treated and how we can protect animals and the habitats they live in but also how the animals in turn can affect our environment.
In the evening it was our talent competition. We had some varied entries with dancing, singing and comedy. Miss Casey especially liked the pink wig!
Friday came too soon and it was time to leave. We said goodbye and thank you to Rosie, Paul and Oakley (the dog) and then one last trip on the ferry. We had a stop off at Portsmouth for a tour of HMS Warrior. We also carried out some scientific experiments into water power and propellers. After lunch we had a trip to the gift shop and then it was time to come home. Yet again we all felt we could have stayed just one more day.
View fantastic photographs from the IOW 2009 trip
Year 4 have been learning about electricity. Here they are trying to make a bulb light up as they build their own electrical circuits. |  |
 | Maple and Oak walked to Waitrose to find out more about where their food comes from and about how a big supermarket is run. On our arrival we took a tour of the different areas within the supermarket. We started on the shop floor and headed straight to the fruit. The children were surprised at how far some fo the fruit had travelled - from South Africa and New Zealand. Some fruits we recognised but there were a few we did not. We also visited the fish counter, cheese counter, deli and of course the cake stand! |
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Next we went behind the scenes to see where the food was prepared and stored. There were huge shelves filled with stock and we saw the lifting platform used to load and unload the goods from the delivery lorries. We were pleased to see that Waitrose had recycling machines to help dispose of their unwanted packaging |  |
In another section these were the bread ovens and best of all a walk in freezer. We all took a turn at standing inside. |  |
Our guide talked to use about how things were run and we met the store manager. When we had finished we sat outside and enjoyed an ice-lolly each before walking back to school with our goody bags of fruit.
Back at school we had a fruit tasting so that we could test our knowledge. We had to shut our eyes and guess the fruit just from the taste. Most of them were nice and afterwards we finished off the samples!"
