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Year 4 Residential Trip to Devon
Mon 12 May, 2008
Our Year 4 residential trip to the Stone Farm Study Centre (6 - 9 May) was a great success this year, thanks in part to the glorious spring sunshine. We arrived in Plymouth on Tuesday in time for a picnic lunch on the Hoe. In the afternoon we climbed to the top of the lighthouse, enjoying spectacular views out to sea, including Drake’s Island. Later on we completed our journey to Stone Farm and met all the animals. It wasn’t long before everyone was assigned jobs. These included grooming Daisy May and Thunder, the resident donkey and pony, feeding the rabbits, guinea pigs, geese, and cleaning out the pot belly pigs, alpacas and goats. The children also got to meet some of the birds of prey and were able to handle a surprisingly friendly African eagle owl. Wednesday began with more jobs around the farm after breakfast. We then headed for the National Marine Aquarium, where we had an excellent guide to talk about all the sea creatures we could see, from the tiny crustaceans to enormous sharks. This was also an opportunity for some art work. We have brought back some lovely drawings of sea horses, starfish and many of the colourful and exotic fish. In the afternoon we had a tour of Buckland Abbey. The guide also told us all about Francis Drake and the events of the failed Spanish Armada. Thursday’s packed itinerary began with more jobs around the farm, followed by a visit to the Tamar Otter Sanctuary, where we also saw Muntjac deer, wallabies and owls. In the afternoon we spent some time at Widemouth Bay, exploring the rock pools, followed by a fun swim at Bude Leisure Centre. To round off the day we were treated to a falconry display back at Stone Farm and we aw two incredibly cute baby owls. The accommodation and food at the study centre was excellent and contributed to our enjoyment of the whole trip.
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