On Tuesday, Primary 1 visited the Almondell and Calderwood Country Park.

We went there because we had previously spotted this area on a map of our local area, and we wondered if it would be a suitable place for Bobby Bear to live.

We were very excited to be travelling altogether on a big coach. Our behaviour on the coach was very good indeed, so it was an excellent start to our day out. We soon arrived and met the Rangers who  were going to be working with us for the rest of the day.

First of all, we thought about the things that a bear would need in order to survive, and because we have been learning about Living Things in the classroom,  we decided that he would definitely need food and water, air to breathe and shelter. We walked on the path alongside the river, and as we walked, we could see  that  food and water   would certainly be available for animals living in the wood. Air was all around us too- it was blowing the leaves off the trees!

Next, we walked deeper into the wood  looking for somewhere that would provide materials to build a shelter. Soon we found a great place, and  in small groups we set off to find the things we would need. There was some fantastic teamwork, as everyone worked together to gather enough sticks  to begin building. Here are some photographs of us hard at work –

After lunch we set off to look for evidence of more Living Things in the woods. We discovered lots!

First, with the help of some little toy clues that were hiding all around us, the Ranger introduced us to different kinds of animals and birds and she told us a little bit about each one.   The boys and girls listened carefully and asked some very good questions.

Then we explored some of the trees and plants round about. We discovered seeds, and we even acted out growing from a tiny seed into a great big, tall tree. We especially enjoyed hearing about the helicopter seeds and  the conkers, and were very keen to find some of our own.

Finally, we created a little reminder of our day.

We had a few minutes to look at all the beautiful colours of Autumn. Then we took a piece of sticky card and tried to find as many different colours as we could to stick to it. We gathered lots of little things, and soon we had made lovely patterns and pictures using the nature that was all around us.

We had a fantastic day, and we think that a wood would be a very good place for Bobby Bear to live!

We would like to say a special Thank You to all the Parent Helpers who came along to support our learning, and who did such a great job throughout the day.  We hope you come and join us again soon!