Cranedale 2015 Day 3

Cranedale 2015 

Day 3 

Breakfast - cereals, toast, cooked breakfast, croissant, fruit, yogurt and juice. 

Most of the day was spent at a local farm.  The children were given a guided tour of the farm by Ruth the farmer.  Ruth's family have farmed in the area for many years.  The farm is a mixed farm.  They grow mostly barley and wheat.  They also rear cattle.  The cattle are English long horns.  They are very popular with top quality chefs who pay extra for their matured beef.  The children were fascinated with the cows and had many questions for Ruth who answered them all - very honestly.  The children now know the difference between a bull, steer, heifer and cow.  The should also be able to instantly tell by looking where Ruth instructed them to. 

After the tour, the children looked closely at the insect population at the farm.  Louis rocked some funky dance moves in an attempt to charm some worms.  Ellie and Abbie were very good at finding a whole range of creepy-crawlies but were not so keen on capturing them.  All the results were carefully logged and were used later to compare habitats. 

We had the first appearance of rain at lunchtime.  Not a bad record for Cranedale.  Hopefully, that is the last we shall see of the wet stuff.  The forecast is promising and we should remain dry for the rest of the week.   

Lunch was a variety of sandwiches, hula hoops, fruit, biscuits, yogurt and chocolate sponge.  No prizes for guessing which was the most popular.  Harry declared it the best cake ever and no one disagreed. 

The afternoon was spent back at the centre.  The insect population was observed in the field next to the centre.  Louis' worm dance was far more successful.  Hari was soon making some shapes and over thirty worms foolishly popped their heads above the surface. 

After all the dancing, the children needed a rest.  Not really an option at Cranedale.  They were sorted into five groups and began creating some environmental art.  Louis and Hari created a triceratop exo-beetle.  Ellie and Gaya made a transforming bug called a GayEE.  All of the creations were judged equal and it was soon time to make our way back to the centre. 

Miss V was not convinced about the bathing habits of the group.  There was certainly an aroma at the farm and I'm not convinced that it was just the cows.  All the group were sent off to the showers and the aroma disappeared.   

Evening meal  

Starter - Vegetable soup 

Main - Jacket potato, curry, cheese, beans, sausage and salad 

Dessert - Apple pie and ice cream 

This evening will be spent dissecting owl pellets.  "I've found some brain tissue" - Benjamin,  "I've found a jaw!" - Harmoni. 

We are then going to set off outside to set some traps.  We are hoping to capture some moths and small mammals.  We will return to them in the morning and see what we have got. 

Cranedale 2015 Day 2

Cranedale 2015  

Day 2 

Breakfast - Each day the children are given the option of four main breakfast.  1.  Beans on toast, 2. Toasted teacake, 3.  Bacon/sausage sandwich or 4.  The full monty (sausage, egg, bacon, beans and hash brown).  Most choose option 4 but then regret it after they realise they can also eat cereal, fruit, yoghurt, toast and croissant.  It takes a very hearty appetite to eat all that.  Hari informed me that he was not a breakfast person.  Harmoni tried to agree although it was hard to tell what she was saying with a sausage in her mouth. 

Last night, everyone was asleep by 9.30pm!  This is very unusual for a first night away.  This sensible approach to sleep did mean that the children were up and ready to go.  It also meant that they were able to take a full and active part in all the activities without feeling tired. 

Most of today has been spent at the beach.  Flamborough Head is a superb location to study coastal erosion.  There are wonderful examples of caves, arches, stacks and stumps.  There is also a large wave cut platform which provides a perfect location to hunt for sealife in the rock pools.  Louis became attached to a lage piece of wrinkly kelp which he decided must mean it is old and needed looking after.  The children had written their own song to help them remember the different types of erosion and performed it on the beach.  It was very popular and even drew the attention of some GCSE pupils who were also on the beach. 

The weather was sunny all morning and sun tan cream was applied liberally.  Even so, there were one or two pink face especially the staff who had forget to bring something important with them! 

Lunch was eaten in the only available shade we could find.  Benjamin finally took off his coat and Gaya managed to eat all her lunch including the three bananas she had somehow managed to bring with her.  

After lunch the children went for a walk along the coast and found a mythical creature.  FlamboroughSaurus is a sleeping dinosaur that has been shaped by the sea over many years.  It is a great location to sketch the landscape and a carefully drawn field sketch was produced by all.  Ellie, our resident artist, produced a piece of work that Constable would have been proud of.  Others were a little more abstract but will be a reminder of a very enjoyable day. 

Just up the road from Flamborough is Bempton Cliffs.  It is a RSPB managed nature reserve and a popular nesting place for many of our countries seabirds.  Josh, Joe and Harry were invaluable to the group.  Their knowledge and uncanny ability to spot a puffin was very much appreciated by everyone there.  A lady from Bath who was so impressed with the children's birdwatching skills that she promised to send photos of the puffins to the school office. 

Evening meal 

Starter - leek and potato soup 

Main - Chicken pasta, salad and garlic bread 

Dessert - Fruit crumble and custard. 

Cheese and biscuits 

The children are using ipads this evening to make their own stop motion movies.  The movies are going to show an example of a food chain.  Miss Venables has the popcorn ready and we will soon be able to reveal the next Steven Spielberg. 

More tomorrow.  Please tell everyone about the blog and share it with friends.

Cranedale 2015 Day 1

Cranedale 2015

Monday

We have safely arrived at the centre and unpacked our things.  The journey was stress free and we made it here in very good time.

The children have been given a tour of the centre and shown where there bedrooms are.  The centre is in the village of Kirkby Grindalythe.  It is a very small village with one road and a payphone!  The quiet takes a bit of getting used to.

Everyday lunch is provided.  It is a packed lunch which is always in a brown paper bag.  The children are given the choice of a variety of different sandwiches which they select the day before.  These are handwritten on the bag by the children and collected each morning before setting off for the day.

After lunch, the children spent the afternoon on the low ropes course.  This is basically tightrope walking - 12 inches off the floor.  It is a lot harder than it sounds.  Harry and Benjamin found out very quickly that balance and not speed was the key to success.  Gaya marched across, as sure footed as a mountain goat - with a little support from Harmony.  All the children successfully completed the course and there was much laughter from all.

The second part of the afternoon was spent working on map skills.  Each child had to know eight points of a compass and direct themselves to various areas of the centre’s tennis court.  Joe and Hari came joint first in a competition although Louis surely deserved a prize for his ostrich impression.  

Evening meal was a three course affair.  Starter was minestrone soup.  Main course of meat and potato pie, chips, sweetcorn, broccoli and gravy.  The dessert was the highlight for some.  Abbie, Harry and Ellie all had multiple servings of banoffee pie.  There was also the option of cheese and biscuits but no one had any room left.

We heaved ourselves out of the dining room and made our way to the evening activity.  An orienteering competition.  Using their expert map reading skills, the children located various check points and raced around looking for as many as possible.  At the end of the session there was a clear winner.  Gaya and Joe had found the most and were declared the winners.

The last action of the evening took place at the tuck shop.  Joshua and Benjamin attempted to buy their own weight in fruit pastilles but were only allowed one packet.  Abbie couldn’t resist the rabbit keyring and Louis went off to bed hugging his new “cuddly” hedgehog.

We are off to the beach tomorrow.  I will attempt to put an update on before 10.00pm each evening.

Monday 8th June

June 2015
Mon 8th
	Prizegiving Rehearsals Years3456 4-5pm
Tue 9th
	ISA Regional Athletics for Years 4 5 and 6
Wed 10th
	Golf @ Oakmere
	Y5/6 Incredible Cricket v The Elms
	Primary girls cricket @ Calverton CC
Thu 11th
Fri 12th
	Year 6 class photo
	Year 2 Southwell Minster Pilgrimage
Sat 13th
	Open Day Did you spot Nessie at school on Friday?  The year one class enjoyed hunting the Loch Ness Monster who made a surprise appearance in the woods.

Welcome Back

June 2015
Mon 1st
	back to school
	Year 4 Assembly
	Prizegiving Rehearsals Years3456 4-5pm
Tue 2nd
	Maths Challenge- Year 5 team
Wed 3rd
	Under 11 Rounders Tournament organised by Nottingham Girls high School
Thu 4th
Fri 5th
	Gedling Pop Lacrosse Qualifier for Notts School Games Y1 Scottish Day

Monday 18th May

May 2015
Mon 18th
	ISA Under 11 Kwik Cricket
	Year 3 Assembly
	Prizegiving Rehearsals Years3456 4-5pm
Tue 19th
	Gedling Years 5 and 6 Tag Rugby Tournament
Wed 20th
	Year 6 visit to the journey
Thu 21st
	break up for half term
	Y5 & 6 Netball Christ the King

A busy week before half term.  Three different sports and an important trip for our Year Six pupils.

Exam Week

May 2015
Mon 11th
	Gedling under 9 mini tennis tournament
	Year 1 Assembly
	Prizegiving Rehearsals Years3456 4-5pm
Tue 12th
Wed 13th
Thu 14th
Fri 15th
	Pre prep to Patchings Farm
	ISA Kwik Cricket

Exam Week Advice

Make a plan

Suss out how much work you have to cover and how much time you have before the exams then draw up a realistic timetable. Switch between subjects to avoid becoming bored of a single topic. The most effective way to revise is to concentrate on understanding rather than memorizing.

Know your stuff

It's much easier to remember stuff once you understand it so if you're struggling, look for fresh sources of info other than class notes. Revise with a friend and see if you can figure it out together (be careful you don't just distract each other!). Or ask your teacher for help - they might even be running some revision classes.

Staying focused

Find a quiet place at home where you won't be distracted by your family, TV or Twitter. Take short breaks every hour or so to give yourself a rest. Drink water and eat healthy snacks to keep your brain ticking over.

Set yourself up with a reward after every revision session. Nothing extravagant - just a little treat to help you get back to your books.

The night before

Avoid revision the night before. You'll just stress yourself out trying to cram it all in at the last minute. Complete your revision plan early, relax for the rest of the day, read over your notes and try to get an early night.

On the day

On the day of the exam, don't try testing yourself on specific questions - this will just make you panic about what you think you don't know, rather than focusing on what you do know.  If you've kept to your revision plan, and you're calm, the answers will come naturally. Good luck!

From BBC Radio 1