On Tuesday this week the Geography department took 90 pupils to the Natural history museum in London. It was an early start to try and beat the traffic, and the pupils were half asleep when we left school at 7AM. The pupils split into groups and had a chance to explore the museum. We had arrived at the museum in time to observe the 2 minutes silence as this was remembrance day. 

Our group headed to the Mammals exhibit first to see the life size replica of the blue whale, the largest living animal on earth. It was impressive to see it in relation to other animals.

We then headed to the Rocks and landscapes sections, where the pupils learnt about volcanoes and tried out the earthquake simulator. This was followed by a tour of a timeline of the earth and a visit to the Gems and minerals section, where pupils tried to find the most expensive minerals on our planet. 

Each group had booked into the Attenborough experience, which was a one off multi-sensory immersive exhibit about the state of our planet. It had projectors on all of the walls and the floor, with surround sound. The pupils sat in the middle of this as all around them the history of the earth unfolded. It was a fascinating experience and was the highlight of the tour. 

We then finished with a tour of how we could improve our planet and reduce the impacts on it. This and a tour of the shop of course. All in all a great day out for all.