As part of our Geography topic, Prep V visited Chester Zoo on Wednesday to learn about the rainforest and the many animals and plants which make it their home. We had a smooth journey, excitement levels rising as we spotted the brown signs with the iconic elephant as we neared the zoo.
On our walk to the education building we enjoyed spotting elephants, vultures and rhinos, before heading inside to the Spirit of the Jaguar enclosure, where were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the prowling jaguar, as well as the sloths, who apparently come down to the ground once a week for a toilet visit! We also watched the silver piranhas gliding round in shimmering shoals – we envied them swimming in the cool water but no one fancied joining them…
Our next port of call was the Realm of the Red Ape, where the chimpanzees and orangutans did some excellent gymnastic routines for us. While we were there, we also caught a glimpse of the world’s longest snake, the reticulated python, which was ten metres long – she was hard to spot at first as she was successfully camouflaged, but Sam did some great detective work! Leaving the rainforest creatures, we couldn’t resist a visit to the penguins, who swum past with great speed and grace – and the beautifully coloured flamingos – some of us tried to copy their courtship poses!
When we arrived at our workshop, we recapped on our rainforest knowledge, before playing a lively rainforest layers game. We were very glad that the classroom was air-conditioned! Next, we quickly formed teams and investigated the plants, animals, insects and trees which are found in the different layers of the rainforest, solving clues and quizzes and examining skulls, skins and mini-beasts as well as sampling some of the forest smells which ranged from vanilla and coffee – Mrs. Sweeney’s favourite – to the rather less lovely rotten meat smell of the corpse flower.
Afterwards, we learnt about the alarming speed at which deforestation is destroying our rainforests, and found out about the main causes. Most importantly, we learnt that we can all save the rainforests by buying products in supermarkets that use palm oil grown responsibly by farmers who safeguard animals and their habitats. We were relieved to learn that Terry’s chocolate oranges, Maltesers and Galaxy chocolate (Robyn’s favourite!) all use sustainably farmed palm oil – phew!
We certainly had plenty of food for thought after our morning workshop, and talking of food, everyone was more than ready for a spot of lunch. We picnicked on the grass in the shade, watched by a hungry brood of goslings and their parents – luckily our sandwiches and penguin bars remained safe!
After refilling our water bottles, we set off for the Tropical Realm, where the colourful and highly poisonous frogs were popular – we also saw chameleons, geckos and lizards. Athena and Miss Gregory liked seeing the caimans, who eyed us suspiciously from their pool, and Dexter was the first to spot the critically endangered radiated tortoises who can live to be over a century old, and are described as “friendly and peaceful”.
We tried to see as many animals as we could before we left, and were able to spot giraffes, zebras, the magnificent eagle owls and meerkats – Max, Joe and Gabriel enjoyed investigating their burrow, and Max was tempted to stay and join the clan.
All too soon it was time to make our way back to the minibus, but no school trip would be complete without a visit to the gift shop, where many cuddly creatures were liberated as mementos of our day out. Our thanks to Miss Gregory, Mr. Rooney and Mr. Feather for their excellent driving, Mr. Pearce for all his invaluable help, the kitchen for our lunches and our parents for their continued support.
