Y6 Natural History Museum Trip

Year 6 had a very successful and enjoyable day out at the Natural History museum.  This coincided with the children’s science topic: classification and evolution.  We arrived at the stunning Natural History Museum building and the children made their way to the Hintze hall admiring the images of nature all around the walls and ceiling. Armed with a clipboard the children split into groups and worked their way around the creepy-crawly zone, studying the different physiological structures that biologists use to classify arthropods. The Year 6’s started off confident with their definitions and soon realised how complex it can get, particularly when faced with a pseudo-scorpion! They were particularly shocked to learn that their eyelashes made a wonderful home for mites. The children also took a brief respite from the constant feeling of having an insect crawling on their skin in the insect house to sketch the dodo, while discussing what modern day birds it reminded us of. Next stop was the investigate centre, the children studied various specimens using their measuring and observational skills, along with scientific literature, to identify what they had found. The afternoon was spent studying how cetaceans have evolved to dive in the oceans from their colouring, nostril position, ability to communicate and muscle development. They’ll be pleased to know that on their return to school they will be reflecting on their learning to structure an essay on the physiology of a cetacean.