Over the last couple of weeks, Year 5 have been to Beach School led by Mr O’Neon. They have shown a good understanding, awareness and appreciation of the local beauty that Folkstone has to offer. The sessions each began with a grounding exercise, whereby the children stood still and took in their surroundings. It highlighted how lucky we all are to have such amazing nature right on our doorstep.
In the first week, the children headed down to The Mermaid Beach. Here, they were able to create some pieces of art using materials on the beach. Mr O‘Neon also introduced 'a carpet of curiosity' where the children were able to place anything that made them curious on. The findings were very interesting! They found all sorts, from shells and sea glass to seaweed and beautiful pebbles. The children listened well and worked well within their small groups.
In the second week, Year 5 spent a beautiful morning at Sunny Sands. The children were able to take part in rockpooling and use buckets, spades and microscopes to examine anything they found. They were lucky enough to find crabs, barnacles and small shrimps! Of course the children had to finish the session off with a paddle in the sea.
Overall, Year 5 have gained a lot from beach school and they are already looking forward to sessions in the future.
