Havelock Estuary Visit

On Friday 5th April the whole school made a visit to the local estuary to explore which living creatures survive in the mud. After establishing a base and estuary boundaries students worked in groups to create their own mud castles. Maneuvring through the mud became rather challenging as paths were worn, yet also created a lot of fun for the kids as they slid and slithered through the mud. Those who stood still for too long were prone to getting stuck in the mud! There were a variety of mud sculptures created. Check out the photos below. 

The winning mud sculpture. 

The beginning of an interesting sculpture.  

This group made a toilet from mud.

This group spread their sculpture out and framed it. 

Some got rather muddy in the process!

After having some fun in the mud we got down to serious business investigating the living world of the mud zone. We once again used quadrats to explore set areas of the estuary. Recording was difficult due to the sticky mud that clung to everything. Crabs were found of various sizes which produced a few squeals from the kids!

Towa beginning his exploration of the qaudrat.

One of the larger crabs found in the mud.

Next on the agenda was to create Estuary Collages using non-living natural materials found on location. The quality and variety of ideas used in creating these artworks was astounding. No two artworks were the same, all were of a high standard and worthy of praise. It was interesting to see the different materials each group used to frame their artworks and the effect that various materials had.