Over the past 20 years, Coleg Gwent’s countryside experience week has enabled hundreds of primary school pupils to get a taste of country life. This year marks the College’s 21st countryside experience and nearly 1,000 local school pupils will be stepping out of the classroom and into the fresh air.
From Monday 4 April to Thursday 7 April Coleg Gwent’s Usk Campus landbased students will play host to the hundreds of primary school children visiting the college’s farm, woodland, pond and Small Animal Care Unit.
Primary school pupils will learn all about life on Coleg Gwent’s rural working Usk Campus and meet farm animals including calves, lambs and horses, as well as visiting the Small Animal Centre to see some of the more unusual residents including chinchillas, snakes and spiders.
This year pupils will also get the chance to learn about the environment with Keep Wales Tidy, and meet birds of prey including owls and hawks at the Campus.
To complete the full countryside experience and get to grips with the great outdoors, school children will also get the chance to ride on a tractor, plant seeds, learn about bush craft, go bug hunting in the woods, make greenwood crafts, take part in pond dipping and walk along the College’s nature trails.
“We are looking forward to celebrating Coleg Gwent’s twenty-first countryside experience with our visitors,” said Chris Carey, Lecturer and organiser of the event.
“Over the past two decades hundreds of school children have enjoyed exploring the countryside and meeting the wide variety of animals here at Coleg Gwent.
“The experience is also fantastic for our students, who plan and manage activities designed to help children build up their understanding and appreciation of the countryside.”
