Year 3, along with the rest of the school, visited Hartham Common in Hertford. The common has a long recorded history with written records dating back over 1000 years. It is also by the sight of a confluence where four rivers meet.
The first activity that was completed by the class was a habitat walk. The class explored the wide variety of habitats that were around the wooded areas of the common. There were woodlands where children spotted squirrels and a variety of different birds. There was a river where the children saw fish, water insects and birds such as coots, swans and ducks. There were a number of grazing fields around the common including some wetlands and grass lands. As well as natural habitats the class discussed the human habitats seen and explored why settlements often occurred near rivers. They discussed permanent dwellings along the canal as well as what it would be like to live in one of the many canal boats seen. One of the highlights of the walk was spotting the lock and hearing about how they worked.
After a brief lunch break the children found a spot near the canal to complete a field sketch of the river. This formed part of their field work unit in Geography. The children could identify and label the meander of the river as well as explain what a confluence was. The children completed the sketch and annotated them with key things they observed whilst completing their field sketch.
