Animal Magic ends spring term
On Thursday, 30 March St Peter's pupils were visited by a number of special guests as part of our Cross-curricular day. The aim of the day was to encourage children to become more aware of the different types of animals around them, their needs and habitats. With something for each age group in the school, there was a full timetable of events throughout the day.
‘It
was a fabulous day’, explained Sian Close, Science teacher at St Peter’s and organiser of the event. ‘We have run a number of these Cross
Curricular Days now and they are hugely popular with the children. This year we chose animals as the focus –coming
face to face with species they might not normally have contact with is hugely beneficial
and allows them to learn about habitats and lifecycles outside the more traditional confines of
textbooks and timetables’.
In
addition to the many varied animals and minibeasts on display there was
a number of visiting organisations such as Exmoor Zoo and Devon Traditional Breeds who gave short talks
about their work with endangered species. Linda Salmon, from Wolfgar Vetenary Practise, spoke about the role and tasks of a vet, with Kenniford Farm piglets and small animals from Crealy Park
also forming part of the event.
To
round off the day, Sian invited staff and
pupils to bring along their pet dogs for a St Peter’s Crufts 2006. Judging Cutest Puppy, Best Oldest Dog and Obedience,
Look-alike and Agility Classes was Mrs
Louise Pring who had the unenviable task among a huge turnout of close to 60 entires. ‘It was a fabulous
end to a fabulous day, the children
really entered into the spirit of it.
The combination and variety of breeds
was quite a site and the Agility Class had everyone in stitches’.
However,
last week’s Cross Curricular Day was more than just a fun day at school –money
raised through a non-uniform day helped swell funds for the SW Multiple
Sclerosis Centre in Exeter. Sian and colleague,
Chris Ball, are running the London Marathon later this month to raise funds for
SWMSC. Sian’s
father, Vic Gibbins, the Manager of the SW Multiple Sclerosis Centre was
himself diagnosed with MS when he was just 40.
The Centre has to raise £70,000 every year in order to be able to
provide therapies, support, advice and information to the MS community in Devon.
If you wish to sponsor Sian or Chris
please contact the Centre Manager, Vic Gibbins, Tel: 01392 447411 or 079 664 576 52 info@southwestmscentre.co.uk
or www.southwestmscentre.co.uk