Y4 explorers set off to Feel The Force at Paultons Park on Friday 14 July.  Excitement was already at a high due to the arrival of a double decker bus – who would sit on the top deck? We were met at the gates by two of Paulton’s Park Education staff who were quick to whisk us off to our base and then onto the park. Throughout the morning the children had the opportunity to go on a number of rides and discuss the different types of forces which were acting on the rides and the children themselves. Centrifugal forces, gravity led rides and resistance were soon words the children were using to describe what was happening. The Wave Runner provided particular enjoyment along with a bit of a competition to see who could make it go the furthest.

After lunch on the lawn, half of the year group went and enjoyed the Splash Park. The sun came out and shone and the children had a whale of a time running through the water jets. The other half of the year group headed off to the lab where they learnt to programme their own Sky Swinger. Within 45 minutes the children had managed to make the kinex swing move backwards and forwards (on command), play music and change the lighting. They had learnt to debug their programmes and link commands together. Future Theme Park creators in the making.

The rest of the day was spent experiencing the rides. All of the children loved the Log Flume with many going on more than once. The Edge finished off the staff as many of the children were too small to go on unaccompanied. Staff on the Teacups scared Mrs O’Brien when they called her over – luckily they wanted to compliment her on the Gomer Children and what an asset they were to the school. The day finished in the 4D cinema before a drink biscuit and home. It must have been a busy day as many pupils slept on the way home. For the majority, back to school for a sleep-over….