Paragon, Term 3 2012

Welcome back to the Paragon Outdoor learning blog. This year may well see quite a few changes to the outdoor learning programme, together with the staff learning about Forest School, from the Bridgewater training.




Wed 8th Feb, Class 4H:
Another cold day, so we made sure everyone was dressed well. The class topic is China so Mr Hinde and I took the class on an adventure. We saw the paddy fields, bamboo forests, mountains and found yeti tracks. Some of us had altitude sickness as we climbed the Himalayan mountains. We listened to the sounds, found a gold mine, which some loved digging into. We went back through the bamboo forest to our main base for a break. After this we made a bamboo fence, using drawknives, a hatchet and saws to cut stakes, sharpen them and bang into the ground. Using loppers we cut a few bamboo lengths too.
Meanwhile, some were climbing with the ropes up the slope; a great team effort, as others made the fence, kept the fire going and prepared marshmallows sticks. Lots of aspects of the journey to think about and look again at the books on the landscape in China...oh we saw the Great Wall too!

fence making

climbing the Himalaya

shave horse in action

shave horse

busy around the fire

about the fire

busy weaving

Wed 1st Feb, Class 3B:
Like last week, we had a good gallop around the Paragon grounds. It may have been freezing but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm for a great adventure. We scrambled up and down nearly all the inaccessible banks we could find, spinning a story of Romans and Celts. There were some who overcame their fears with the massive team effort and made the most difficult banks most easily. I could see confidence grow in these students.


We constructed Roman fortresses, had a fire, ate some popcorn (the second group) and consumed biscuits and marshmallows.


All good fun...and gives some impetus to learning about Romans in their City of Bath...imagine what it was like for the first Romans in this area...what was it like?

foundations of fort

completed fort...Roman building in Paragon grounds!

searching for material and Celts

Fri 27th Jan, Open morning:

Today we worked with a selection of Year 5 pupils who had been selected from the 2 Year 5 classes by random. I had set up a small bell tent with some of them the day before and today I heated it with a nice stove, together with a fire in the basket outside. The activities were to make a small bamboo woven fence and to decorate small branches.
The skills involved were: sawing, using the hatchet, using loppers, the mallet and imagination, to complete the tasks. Those who choose to use the tools showed dexterity. In 2 hours the task was completed by 2 groups of 8 eager students. In this time they kept the fire going, finding firewood, ate marshmallows and custard creams.
I hope that visiting families enjoyed what they saw and captured some of the essence of an education at the Paragon School: outdoors and in!

A wonderfully keen pupil with Rachel, making the decorative branch

How to use the hatchet

On the shave horse, preparing a fence post

Inside the tent chair and stove...cosy warm

Wed 25th Jan, Class 3G/H:
Today we set off with the idea we were roaming Romans, exploring this new land. It was most exciting as we climbed out of the school grounds onto the old railway line (no trains since 1966 or so). The land pressed us in and we thought that there may be some Celt / Boudicea led attack. We scrambled up a bank, through fencing, then down again sliding on leaves and mud, to go and collect some bamboo to make Roman forts. Everyone had a lot of fun, reenacting this historical event! Imaginations were very vivid and I hope that the students will study the Romans with even more passion in the classroom!

Some ingenious designs the Romans would have liked! Good teams and individuals too!



Wed 18th Jan, Class 2G/o'C:-


2G/o'C 's turn to explore up the Paragon valley to see what we could find. We talked of the heroes they'd been thinking about in class and set off through the gate! Everyone was rather excited and the imaginary clues started to be noticed; half nibbled hazelnuts (bat nuts), poisonous red berries along the ground, a crooked stick turned into a hook hand. The super sleuths felt the danger of the "evil explorer." Along the lane to the hidden valley, via a small archway. He had daubed the walls with his special language. A tumbled down wall, his power, more writing (graffiti)...a message to us. Along we went, feeling oppressed by the walls of the valley, like Jason and the Argonauts in the Dardanelles (I think). Louis was really excited about this. On we went and talked and talked; 2 robodogs approached us a few times.


After break we built a trap for the robodogs up in the beech lands, alongside our dens and a couple of small fires, to cook our marshmallows. Pascalle was pleased to eat custard creams too! We ran out of time to cook the popcorn, but we had a lot of fun!

trip wire cover-up

planning

Wed 11th Jan, class 2G:-
Today Year 2 went on a walk spinning a story of superheros, following a villain named "nobody knows his name!" We found that he had been into the railway arch and,"our powering up base," said Alex, drew pictures on the wall ,and left. We followed a trail, asked a dog walker if he had seen the villain. Everyone was engaged for awhile in the story; lots of evidence, footsteps, claw marks, broken perspex...part of a puzzle, then down the field with sheep in it. This bit, we practised twice, walking and silence. Break time, then out again to build superhero dens, so our search could start again tomorrow. Some good collaborative play, investigation, problem solving and fun was had by all. After popcorn and marshmallows it was time for lunch back at school.

Oliver, log rolling...

How do I get this over?

Superhero den!

Teacher art

Not quite finished

Everyone gave me a nice welcome and it was lovely to see my first snowdrops of the year at the Paragon exit...on the bank of the Western Wetlands.