Page 6 - Abberley Adventures - July 2021

ABBERLEY ADVENTURES 6 ABBERLEY ADVENTURES Outdoor Ed
As ever Outdoor Education is a a a a a a key part of of what we offer and it has been wonderful to see our our children enjoying all that we can do in in our our beautiful 90 acres The Pre-Prep have enjoyed Forest School as a a a a a a part of their timetabled week and the the Prep school have enjoyed camping foraging cooking shelter-making fire-lighting story-telling biking growing and and dye extraction fishing sailing pony-riding and and gardening Miss Cook and Mrs Symmons have launched a a a a a new activity in outdoor ed colour extraction for making natural dyes There has been a a a a a a a real hustle and and bustle about these groups as dandelions have been collected dried and simmered to extract colour for making natural art! Both children and grownups have loved it The last of the the courgette seedlings were planted early on in in the the term while Years 1 and 2 weeded regularly in in the garden between foraging for for nettles and wild garlic We have high hopes for for our Autumn squash and and pumpkins The mange tout broad beans and and potatoes have all been harvested while there are big plans for seed collection from our heritage open-pollinated varieties with some drying and storing apparatus being worked on on over the summer We have been reading up on on perennial vegetables permaculture and the forest garden with a a a a a a view to really establishing a a a a a focus on on sustainability and sensitivity within these sessions Mountain biking is really gaining momentum on Saturday mornings The Year Year 5 and and 6 bubble have had so much fun while Year Year 7
and and 8 dropped into some of the School’s steepest secret trails to to show a a a a visiting film crew what we get up to to We can’t wait to to see the final edit!
A serious tent audit was followed by the purchase of some brilliant new tents and roll mats Four camp-outs followed with the final Year 7
affair including pizzas cooked on a a a a a a new wood-fired oven Years 3 and 4 spent the the last couple of of weeks of of term perfecting their fire-lighting skills These guys are super capable and managed a a a a a a a a breakthrough with the the fire steels and to then warm up some fresh elderflower cordial Year 8 spent two days hiking in in in in the Black Mountains camping and canoeing down the River Wye The Abberley Awards have have gone well and and they have have been revised and and enhanced for the coming academic year We are taking delivery of some new school chickens during the summer and we look forward to to teaching the the the children how to to care for them in in the the the Autumn and of course to harvesting delicious fresh eggs