How Hill

 HOW HILL DAY 1

Upon our arrival at How Hill, the children unpacked their bags,made up their bedrooms and then headed down to the classroom to find out what activities lay ahead for the rest of the day. Lizzie, one of the How Hill leaders, explained that we were going to split into two groups and head off for a nature walk through the wet and dry woodland. 

The children really enjoyed the visit to the bird hide on Cromes Broad, identifying the bird life through binoculars and putting mud marks on their faces. After a quick snack and drink we went dyke dipping. The children loved working out which creatures they had captured in their nets.

After a hearty tea we enjoyed weaving before it was time to head to bed.

HOW HILL DAY 2

After a good night's sleep the children awoke to a beautiful frosty morning overlooking the river Ant. Having eaten a hearty breakfast we took a peaceful boat trip to Barton Broad, again trying to identify the wildlife, with help from our How Hill leaders. One group were even lucky enough to see a kingfisher fly across the river.

After our river trip we headed to the classroom to create a How Hill inspired clay tile.

In the afternoon we became environmental scientists and investigated the quality of the water in the dykes around How Hill, compared to the water in  nearby Barton Broad. This involved measuring the depth of the mud and water in the dykes, recording the vegetation found on the edges, in and under the water, working out the turbidity, and identifying vertebrates. We also had to collect a water sample to use back at the classroom to work out the acidity of the water.

We concluded that the water in the dykes was of a better quality than that of Barton Broad.

After another busy day we enjoyed a relaxing evening playing board games, cards and weaving before it was time to head to bed.