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Pygora class had a fantastic time on our residential, we have to first give a huge thank you to Mallydams Wood RSPCA for providing this trip for us as part of our prize from the 'Roots and Shoots award, we will be doing some fundraising for them throughout the year. 

On Thursday, after loading up our suitcases we set off to Hastings, we had a good journey although the weather was touch-and-go. When we arrived, we worked as a team to move the bags into the building, passing them along a line. The children then got settled into their rooms - we decided not to take any photos of that carnage! 

We learnt about the work the RSPCA does before having our packed lunches and hoping that the weather cleared up for the afternoon. Luckily, the weather held off so we could head off on a trail through some beautiful woodland. We were all glad for the wellies though as it was rather muddy. The children loved splashing in the puddles and they spotted lots of different fungi species. We arrived at a glade where we did some shelter building and fire lighting before toasting marshmallows to make s'mores. 

We headed back to base to have some chill time and games, then made some badger bolognese which we took on our night walk. We sat quietly in the woodland, watched the stars and listened out for any badgers eating the food. Unfortunately, we didn't see any badgers but when we checked in the morning, the food had all been eaten. 

We headed back for a delicious dinner cooked by Ms Adams followed by Miss Chapman's brownie. We all got into our PJs and settled down to watch a film and have some hot chocolate before heading to bed. Some of them definitely got more sleep than others! We are really proud of all of them for staying the night, especially as for some this was their first night away. 

Our second day started with breakfast, a variety of hot and cold, where some were introduced to eggy bread. Again, a big thank you to Ms Adams and Mrs Green doing all the hard work in the kitchen. 

After our food, we learnt about hedgehogs and the dangers they are facing, both natural and human, then headed off on a hedgehog trail where we learnt more about them. Once we arrived in the glade, we started searching for survival boxes but got interrupted by some thunder so we made our way back to base to finish learning about ways we can survive in the wild. We then spent some time investigating skulls which was very interesting, and even did some great observational drawings. 

Nearing the end of our time at Mallydams, we ate our lunch, got a chance to make some purchases at the shop and finished by loading up the school minibus. We piled onto the minibuses and had a much quieter journey home; all that fresh air had definitely tired them out! 

We all had a great time and hopefully all rested and caught up on sleep over the weekend.