Ysgol Bro Dinefwr year 6 transition week in nature

Using outdoor learning as a pedagogy to support primary/secondary transition, cluster primary school Year 6 pupils and staff were welcomed to Natur, Dinefwr’s outdoor learning area, for a week in January 2024.

Mrs Wendy Thomas-Davies (Assistant Headteacher and Outdoor Learning Co-ordinator) and Mr Andrew James (Outdoor Learning Technician) organised an activity packed, fun-filled day.

A day of collaboration saw external providers on site, offering a wide range of hands on outdoor learning activities.

West Wales Willows supplied willow for Mrs Thomas-Davies to teach pupils how to get crafty and create beautiful willow hearts, in time for Dydd Santes Dwynwen.

Chef Jen Goss from ‘Our Two Acres’ (funded by Cook 24) demonstrated how to make pizzas in the food room. Pupils learnt about the importance of the healthier, grow your own options, compared to shop bought, processed pizza. Jen kindly supplied her homegrown peppers and mushrooms to top their pizzas. Yum!

Gardener Alex Nicholas from the Carmarthenshire Food Network demonstrated how to make biodegradable plant pots, using them to plant garlic cloves and broad beans – a perfect winter planting activity for learners. Best of all, pupils got the pleasure of taking these home to benefit from the principle of growing your own, when their crop is ready to harvest later in the year.

The Year 10 Bronze Ambassador pupils, and Actif Sir Gar’s Lyn Broderick, led an hour outdoor PE session on the 4G pitch to help keep pupils healthy and active.

Pupils got their hands dirty in a challenging Science experiment, testing the pH levels of different types of soil, to find out which were acid, neutral and alkaline using universal indicator testing paper. Pupils learnt how different plants and flowers prefer certain soil types to grow successfully. Pupils loved the instant reactions on the ‘magic’ test strips!

Mr James led an investigatory session on the wildlife found in Natur and explained about their care.

To draw the day together, pupils completed a fun quiz about what they learnt from their day in Natur.

It was a very enjoyable and worthwhile day for everyone! Mrs Thomas-Davies and Mr James really hope the Year 6 pupils who visited appreciated taking part in the wide range of activities and look forward to seeing them again for the next transition event.