Our science group had a wonderful field trip to Stony Range Botanic Gardens. The weather forecast had said 35 C and I had a fair few people wondering if it was a good idea to go on a field trip in such heat. But the trees provide plenty of shade and I think I’m correct in saying that everyone who turned up had a great time.

The kids ran around and looked at the plants, the adults had wide-ranging discussions encompassing science, teaching, parenting and discovering your purpose in life, and only one person left their water bottle behind. (It was an orange one. I thought I’d picked it up but I can’t find it in our house, sorry.)

I deliberately designed this field trip to be very relaxed. I knew that the Stony Range volunteers provide wonderful leaflets and so I only prepared a few questions for adults to talk about with their children as we went round, if they wanted to. The main aim was to experience the Botanic Gardens and see all these wonderful native plants in a natural setting.

We met up for snacks, then went round the gardens again. One family made masks out of the tree bark. And the adults spent so long chatting that the last people left a good three hours after everyone had arrived.

In this week’s class, the children who came to the fieldtrip can narrate to the others what happened, we can reflect on what they have learned and then extend it a little more.