Trips day 5 of the year saw the whole of Year 7 embark upon the journey to the school sports field for their Animal Workshop day, organised by the Science department.

Each form rotated around three activity stalls designed to expand their experiences outside of the normal classroom curriculum. Students were introduced to a range of animals such as a tree frog, tarantula, king snake, skunk and bearded dragon. They were able to handle many of them and participated in a workshop discussing their various adaptations that enable them to each survive successfully in their habitats.

A second workshop explored the modern system of classification. Students played a variety of games to investigate the different anatomical and physiological features used to place all of the organisms of the natural world into their taxonomic groups.

In collaboration with the art department, the third activity on the rotation enabled students to use living creatures as a subject for their creations. A tortoise, stick insect, leopard gecko and a hedgehog called Truffle were studied by the students, who then used charcoal to render them onto large sheets of parchment paper. Examples of these fine works of art can be seen around the Science areas of the school.

Whilst the weather was not quite as pleasant as we might have hoped, we were able to enjoy many activities on the field, mostly under gazebos to avoid the occasional showers. A few of the more cold-blooded animals had to remain sheltered indoors, but it was great to allow the students to meet and handle such a wide range of animals and combine the fun with a great learning experience.