On October 4, 2024, Abbey Fields welcomed a group of children from St. Mary & St. Benedict Catholic Primary School in Coventry. The 12 young students and their teachers, Mrs. MacDonald and Miss Enis, were greeted by a beautiful autumn day.
FOAF member Bart introduced the theme of the day: “Why are trees so important?” The children suggested several answers, including their roles in providing food, shelter, homes, materials, and fuel for wildlife. Most importantly, trees convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, which is essential for us to breathe and live. Additionally, fallen leaves enrich the soil, creating a vital resource. Lastly, the children noted that trees are beautiful to admire!
The children worked in pairs to identify the various species of trees in Abbey Fields. We discussed the wildlife that inhabited the bark and branches, and explored the many habitats we uncovered, such as mole hills and cut logs. We noted that the sawdust from the logs provided shelter and food for insects. Additionally, examining a cut trunk allowed us to see the concentric rings, which help us determine the age of an old oak tree.
Hanniel offered the following top 10 highlights of the visit:
- We saw 7 squirrels
- We fed ducks called Mallards with proper bird feed not bread
- Spiders in log habitats. Some of the children screamed that there was a spider!
- We picked up spikey Sweet Chestnuts
- We all made cuckoo noises to get into the Abbey
- We shouted out “can we come in please”
- We saw Mr Bart’s secret den
- We had to say ‘A sheep noise’ to get in
- We played poo sticks and Kohen won the poo sticks
- Finally, we played in the playground