YEAR 8 TRIP TO THE LIVING RAINFOREST AT HAMPSTEAD NORRIES, BERKSHIRE…
Written by Lydia Flynn and Tilly Sutton in Year 8
On Wednesday 8th October we went on a trip to the Living Rainforest. It is a small zoo-like place that has recreated the equatorial rainforest biome. We were split into groups of 15 and a tour guide took us around the glasshouses. We learnt so many interesting facts about animal adaptations, for example we now know that a sloth can live between 20 and 30 years. As we went around, it was very humid, exactly like the rainforest climate. The different areas were amazing and colourful with different shades of green. There were many hydrophobic/water resistant plants such the taro plant, as well as animals roaming and in enclosures. One of the roaming animals was a Yellow-knobbed curassow which eat a varied diet of dried fruit, seeds and insects.
Our tour guide shared lots of fantastic information about the wildlife with us. We learnt about the toucan that has no teeth and a large beak to reach all the fruits and berries around it. The armadillo, a solitary creature that has a hard shell to protect themselves from predators and the tambaqui fish, a fish with nut crushing teeth! After this we were able to visit the souvenir shop and completed our work booklets which will support us in our studies of world biomes!
Lastly, the staff at the rainforest comments on how polite, engaged and inquisitive the Ridgeway students were, one of the best schools to visit the venue. It was an enjoyable day and thank you to all the staff that made the trip possible.
FSM SPORTS REWARD IN THE SPORTS HALL…
On Friday 17th October 15 students were rewarded for having 100% attendance, outstanding behaviour and over 35 house points in Term 1. All students were allowed access to the sports hall to play badminton, football and basketball!
Mr Wakefield
