17th June 22
Girls in Year 5 enjoyed a fantastic stay at Juniper Hall near Dorking, at the foot of one of the hills that make up Box Hill.
The weather was mixed on the first two days but did not dampen spirits and on the first day the girls enthusiastically took part in orienteering and making their own maps to hide treasure. The second day was spent at the River Tillingbourne learning about meanders, measuring the width, depth and flow of the river, and making rafts. The girls also collected some samples of invertebrates that they brought back to look at more closely under microscopes. Day three was spent building shelters in the woods where the girls demonstrated excellent collaborative skills and some fun design ideas too. They learnt about waterproofing and their skills were tested when the ‘storm’ arrived! They discovered how to send messages using flags and set up some humane mammal traps. The campfire and marshmallows were a big success for the final evening along with some fun awards for the girls.
On the last day it was lovely and sunny. First on the agenda was locating their traps to see if they had caught any mammals. Sadly, none had, but another school’s group had caught a bank vole that everyone got to look at. Next, the girls learnt how to use a compass and set off on a compass led walk that took them up the hill to the folly and then back to Juniper Hall for lunch before boarding the coach and heading back to school.
The aim for this trip was to provide an opportunity for the girls to develop their independence, to carry out field work and to learn some new geographical skills. All of these were achieved and the girls had lots of fun while in the process.
