Year 5 have had a fantastic first day at Margam Discovery Centre, in Wales. It is a state of the art, low carbon footprint building situated within Margam Park, an 850-acre country estate with approximately 600 deer, including the rare Pere David deer. It is also one of Wales’ richest bat locations nestling on the narrow coastal plain and southern slopes of Mynydd Margam. With the Heritage Coast is to the east and Brecon Beacons to the north to be, as well as the diverse and varied landscape of Margam Park where the centre is located, the surrounding area offers a range of ecosystems from freshwater ponds and streams to mixed woodland and grassland for groups to enjoy a wealth of practical, outdoor learning.

Today the children settled into their classroom and got to know their leader, Josh, before getting out into the fresh air to explore the grounds. They especially enjoyed spending some time on the park and low ropes course.

Later on the class walked 4.5 km to nearby Pulpit Viewpoint, where they learnt about the local landscape and ecosystems (including some invasive species in the area), before making field sketches of what they could see. It has been a lovely day there and the views were beautiful. 

After dinner the class went out to collect natural materials for making bug hotels with, and then worked together to design and build some. 

Well done Year 5, and thank you to Mr Hall, Mrs Chatterton and Mrs Andrews for taking the class on this wonderful experience.