As a teacher, the best part of the job for me was taking students to learn out of the classroom. Whether this was a walk up to Carisbrooke Castle, a Duke of Edinburgh Gold practice expedition to Dartmoor or a GCSE Citizenship Studies visit to Parliament. Students always enjoyed the trips and so did I. Students learnt so much more than they could have done within the same time in the classroom, and I learnt from every trip that I ran and participated in too!
Now retired from teaching, I have more time to do the things I enjoy. And one of these things is accompanying our local Primary School pupils on trips!
Yesterday I visited Winchester Science Centre with Year 5. A visit to the centre includes:
A Discover Workshop - choose from six curriculum-linked themes (follow link).
A Planetarium Show - a presenter-led, live show featuring the stars and planets adapted to meet the needs of the age group.
Space Challenge - a guided mission through Explorer:Space, an interactive zone.
Exploring the exhibits - students will have an allocated time to enjoy the much-loved hands-on exhibition.
Our workshop was Discover: Destination Space. Our Year 5 pupils looked at the Webb Telescope and learnt how light is used in telescopes to explore the Universe beyond our reach. The workshop was extremely well-presented and all pupils were engaged in the activity. Likewise, the presenter of the Planetarium Show was also brilliant. For me, this was the highlight of the visit as I learnt so much!
There is a café on site and a lunch area for students to eat their packed lunch. The outside lunch/play area looked very inviting but a bit too cold in January!
Winchester Science Centre is the South of England's interactive science and technology centre with the largest standalone planetarium in the UK. Open 7 days a week, it provides exciting, hands-on science experiences to spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of great scientists! With two floors of fascinating, interactive science exhibits, stunning South Downs National Park surroundings and a vibrant events programme, the Science Centre makes for a brilliant action-packed school visit whatever the weather!Â
