On Fridays we try to get outside to learn and play. This week our Fun Friday was in our woodlands! Some children like to play and run about, some like to work on a special quiet project, but we all have a great time!
We cycled around the loch to look at some animals and plants living in the area. Some of us cycled, stopping along the way to look closer at what we found and others walked.
We used fungus and bird identification guides to find out about the different species we could see. Â We learned how the loch was formed by a huge glacier and some stories about the loch from the past. We looked at different types of lichen and discussed what it meant to find certain types of lichen around the loch because some like pollution and some don’t. We observed loads of different birds… We even saw a heron!
P5M found a terrapin that had been left there and discussed why it would be bad for the terrapin and the loch for him to stay. The SSPCA came to rescue him! P5M also found a pike jaw!
Some of us took a closer look at the loch by going pond dipping and looking closer with magnifying glasses.
‘Cycling was fun because I gained confidence on my bike.’ – Tom
‘I was scared that I would fall in the loch.’ – Kaya
‘We looked at fungus.’- Ellie
‘I loved when we learned new things around the loch.’ – Owen
‘I got mud on me and my bike.’
‘We found a turtle on our cycle.’
‘I got mud in my ear.’ – Emily
‘I enjoyed the view of Linlothgow Palace and we found pike fish jaws. I learned that car’s petrol is pollution and makes fungus grow.’ – Joseph
‘I saw pollution lichen.’ – Olivia
‘I learned that cycling can be fast and I liked changing to different gears.’ – Amina
‘I fell off my bike two times.’ – Nicola
‘We stopped every so often to learn.’ – Elle
‘Rebecca and Nia found a terrapin.’ – Rebecca
‘I had a great walk with Mrs Dwane.’ – Chloe
‘I learned that the Ice Age was in Linlithgow.’ – Katie
‘We saw some geese, swans, ducks and many other creatures that like to live in the loch! We found a pike fish jaw in the woods.’ – Lucy H
‘It was quiet and peaceful.’
‘I got mud in my mouth.’ – Amy
‘Going fast was not a good idea because there was sharp turns!’
‘I loved the cycling because our friends were there and keeping us cheerful. The loch was beautiful, the view was amazing and the animals and birds were beautiful.’ – Molly
We had a great time!
Primary 5 went wild for a whole day while we were at Low Port. We were walking, exploring, climbing, building shelters, singing, hiding, lighting fires, listening, cooking marshmallows and hot chocolate, playing and learning in the woods.
Some of us got to stamp around in a big frozen puddle! We made an ice sculpture with the pieces. We decided to make John Muir! We saw a HUGE flock of geese fly by!
We stopped by a stream to listen and be still for a while.
On our walk we looked at different things living in the forest like different trees, witches broom and bracket fungi, different trees and animal poo! Some of us even drank rain water from moss. We learned it was clean because of the iodine in it which could also be used to treat cuts!
We found the cave William Wallace hid in from the English and explored around it.
We built shelters and played in them.
We really learned why fire building is important when we were almost too cold to hold onto our sandwiches at lunch time! We learned how to collect kindling and fuel, light and stay safe around our fire. Once we made our fire we felt so much better! We sang around the fire, toasted marshmallows and made hot chocolate!
Nicholas and Lleyton found a beautiful violet beetle in a rotten log.
Billie collected a huge amount of birch bark for the fire and Chloe was a candy witch with a big broom and bendy wand!
Katie and Amina filled their boots by accident in the river!
We had an amazing day. Here is what we thought!
‘I learned how to light a fire. I liked when we played hide and seek.’ – Owen
‘We left the woods to go to the William Wallace cave.’
‘I liked the forest because we sang songs and toasted marshmallows.’- Tom
‘I got to the top of the tree. We made sushi from leaves and bark in our den.’ – Nicola
‘I paddled my feet in the river. I loved collecting all the wood for our den and fire. I made a big log sofa.’- Niamh
‘My group won hide and seek.’ – Richelle
‘We had hot chocolate by the fire.’
‘I loved being round my friends because my friends are awesome.’ – Molly
‘We made big dens. I played hide and seek. It was exciting.’ – Faheema
‘In the forest we made a fire at our base.’ – Ethan
‘I climbed a tree to sit in it. I needed a bit of help but I managed.’ – Olivia
‘I liked it because we had girl chat in our den.’ – Amy
‘I made a seesaw and a swing.’ – Nia
‘Me, Elle and Amy made a good den with lots of leaves and green stuff.’ – Amina
‘I learned that use use fuel (sticks) to light a fire.’ – Katie
‘I enjoyed building a den called ‘Dan Woody’ made by me, Logan and Charlie.’ – Joseph
‘We made a den all together.’
‘My groups den had a mascot called ‘Cookie Dough’.’
‘Charlie found a hole in a tree.’ – Kaya
‘In the forest we toasted marshmallows and made hot chocolate by the fire.’ – Elle
‘I was the first on in or group to get a mini fire!’ – Ellie
‘It was kind that Mrs Dwane came with us to camp. If she didn’t we wouldn’t have gone on the awesome forest day!’ – Billie
‘In the forest we played hide and seek like William Wallace did to hide from the English!’- Joshua
‘We had to pick up different sized sticks and snap them. If they snapped loudly they were dry and good for the fire!’ – Emily
‘We learned that if sticks are wet you can’t snap them but if they are dry you can snap them. The wet sticks can’t be burned by the fire.’
‘ I was the one who saw William Wallace’s cave.’ – Daniel
‘I loved the hot chocolate and marshmallows.’ – Ryan
In archery we had to get enough food for our group by shooting cardboard animals like squirrels, bunnies, deer and ducks. We had to get enough food and calories to survive. We used our hands to see what arrow to use and we practiced with floo floos. We did it because that is how people got food in the past and we learned that they used every bit of the animals, they caught what they needed and that it was hard to get enough food from hunting. We learned it was hard even while the animals were not moving! We talked about food waste and the impact intensive farming has on our environment. All the dinners we had were really good and we didn’t want to waste any of it because that is bad for the environment. It was hard but really fun!
‘It was my first time doing archery. My team had 500 Kcal left over!’ – Kaya
‘Some teams got more than one deer!’
‘I felt like a real archer!’
‘Amina shot an arrow right into the deer’s tummy. I felt sad but I learned how to poach like William Wallace.’
‘I got a deer which was the best score.’ – Ellie
‘I shot a deer and the foxes leg.’ – Richelle
‘Some groups didn’t get a duck or two but I got ten foxes and deer.’
‘I nearly killed a bird.’
‘It was easier than I thought. It was really fun.’ – Olivia
‘My group had a cool name.’
‘Me and my group felt like real hunters.’
‘We got into groups of 4, 3, 5 and took shots of shooting arrows at the animals. I learned how to use the arrows and bows.’ – Lucy H
‘Not all people got very much.’ – Katie
‘I nearly got a deer.’ – Kieran
‘I liked archery because I shot a fox’s tail.’ – Tom
‘Nicola nearly shot a goose.’
‘Me and my group got as much calories as we needed to get and we got more than we needed.’
‘I was excited before I started archery.’
‘I felt awesome because archery was so fun and easy for kids. Archery was fun because we learned how many calories we needed per day per person.’ – Molly
‘We shot arrows into the middle of the animals and Olivia shot two deer.’ – Imogen
‘It was so fun. I was amazing at it.’ – Billie
‘It was fun with the real arrows because it felt like I was really hunting.’ – Amy
‘I had to use it accurately, I felt really excited and I got a deer.’ – Faheema
‘I had lots of food.’
P5 went for a marvelous night walk at Low Port around the whole loch! The moon was luminous and bright. We went on our night walk to see nature in the dark, study the stars and light pollution. We lay on our backs beside the loch and looked quietly at the stars above us. Some of us saw the space station, a satellite and shooting stars. We even got to wave at Pete on the space station! We noticed different stars and combinations of stars. We saw bright, shiny planets, the big dipper, little dipper, Orion’s belt, his sword and the great bear. We learned the North star could help us find our way back home!
On our walk we noticed it was much quieter and we could hear noises from the swans, dogs, ducks, cars in the distance and little pigeons. Charlie heard a siren. P5S were lucky enough to see a super moon! Some of us felt sad and scared but most of us felt relaxed, calm, safe, peaceful, free and happy!
When we lay down close to town we couldn’t see as many stars because of all the light pollution. We felt shocked, annoyed, uncomfortable and exposed.
John Muir used to go on long walks in the daytime and nighttime when he camped in the wild. We think he would have heard more animals and less people noise.
The night walk was unforgettable because we had never done something like that before and it was insane.
By P5
We have begun our John Muir award adventure!
We decided to go on a frosty walk to explore some local wild places. We discussed how we can be independent and responsible outdoors, keeping ourselves and our friends safe. We were on the lookout for risks at ground, eye and tree level and went over some of the basics of keeping ourselves and our friends safe outside while enjoying the great outdoors.
While we were out we felt the frost on our faces and fingers, observed some wildlife that we spotted and listened to the music made by throwing stones onto the frozen reservoir.
What a great morning!
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