Page 10 - Abingdon News

PREPARATORY SCHOOL
10 January 2014
Years 6 and 8 both enjoyed bushcraft camps with Year 6 learning to build shelters
and "res and putting their new skills to a successful overnight test. Year 8 returned to
Studland where they could also visit sites relevant to their history and geography studies
including Corfe Castle and Studland Bay. Perhaps the highlight of the trip was the record
haul of mackerel (261 and counting) which was hooked off Swanage. Friday evening’s
supper of battered mackerel and chips, followed by additional grilled mackerel, was a
memorable feast! Q
Bushcraft
Pre-prep
enrichment
Wednesday afternoon is one of the boys’
favourite times of the week in Years 1 and 2
as they explore topics not normally covered
in the curriculum. Running alongside the
recently introduced Forest School program,
on alternate weeks, the boys can try Touch
Typing, Construction and Movers and
Groovers. Touch Typing develops keyboard
con"dence, Construction uses a range of
material, from Lego and wooden blocks to
train sets, to encourage problem solving
and Movers and Groovers explores rhythm
and pace as well as experimenting with
musical instruments. Q
Year 5 have been learning about
Nelson’s navy and thoroughly enjoyed
seeing it come to life through HMS
Victory complete with a recreation of the
Battle of Trafalgar, gruesome details of
surgical procedures on the Orlop and
exploring the lives of midshipmen and
ships’ boys.
Year 6, sketchbooks in hand, headed off
to the Pitt Rivers Museum to study the
wonderful eclectic array of objects from
around the world. The boys explored
the different !oors of the museum
sketching objects, the most popular of
which were the weapons!
Year 6 also stepped back in time,
almost 2000 years, to experience
what life was like in Roman Britain by
visiting Chedworth Roman Villa. After
handling and sorting artefacts, ranging
from bones and shells to building
materials, the boys took a tour of the
remains. These included the bath
house, the impressive !oor decorations
in the dining room and perhaps
the most memorable, a tour of the
latrines. Ben Reed and Tom Anderson
were rewarded for bringing the most
‘Romanised’ packed lunch, choosing
two books on a Roman theme for the
school library. Q
Out and About
Persuasive
debating
In December the Middle and Senior
sections of the School held their inaugural
public speaking competition. The Middle
Section (Years 5 and 6) discussed what
they would do if they were Prime Minister.
Among the recommendations were a total
ban on smoking and more funding for
libraries but the winner was Freddie Stacey
from Year 6, who advocated a signi"cant
increase in cycle ways. The Senior
Section’s debate was on vegetarianism and
the competition winner was Rory Baker
for his persuasive delivery on the merits of
pursuing a vegetarian diet. Q