The Year 3 and 4 pupils at Hillside Community First School in Verwood have been learning about their town, it’s surroundings and its history.
Mrs Pam Reeks, of Verwood Historical Society and a previous teacher at the school, led groups of children around the town, pointing out buildings of interest and talking about their significance, as well as tales of the town’s history.
Practical sessions about Verwood potteries, it’s brickworks and rural life were led by volunteers in the Heathland Heritage Centre. Rangers from Moors Valley and the Urban Heathland Project took the children onto the heath behind the school and talked about the special vegetation and the creatures found there. They learnt to identify plants, trees and shrubs as well as using bug nets to catch and identify insects.
A day was spent at Moors Valley Country Park, orienteering around the park in small groups. A special map available from MVP showed all of the orienteering marks and the children chose their route to try and find these. An element of competition was introduced to see which group could gain evidence of the most markers found. A visit to the playground at the end of the day was a welcome treat.
