Our Reception pupils at King's Ely Acremont Pre-Prep had a roarrrrr-some time at Banham Zoo!

One of the children's learning topics this term is 'Biomes: Exploring Biodiversity'. The trip was a brilliant opportunity for them to brush up on the things they have been investigating in school, as well as discover lots of new fascinating facts about different animals and their behaviours.

Thanks to Banham Zoo's diverse selection of creatures great and small, the children were able to see Snow Leopards, Otters, Spider Monkeys, Tigers, Giraffes, Howler Monkeys, Ring-tailed Lemurs, Cheetahs, and Snowy Owls, to name just some.

Our Reception Teaching Team said: "The children were surprised to see that the Snowy Owls had just been fed, and that dead baby chicks were on their menu. That led to an interesting discussion about what they would hunt if they lived in the wild, and why the zookeepers need to replicate that as they are not able to hunt for themselves. We had a similar discussion when visiting the Cheetahs, thinking about what they might be fed as an alternative to animals that they would hunt if they lived on the African Grasslands.

"The Giraffes were inside the Giraffe House when we arrived, and we stared in quiet wonder at their graceful long legs and necks. We had a really good view of how they reach for branches and vegetation that had been placed up high to replicate the tall trees that they would feed from, and we watched them grind the bark that they had stripped off the branches with their teeth. Once they were able to go out into their paddock, we had a really good view of how they have adapted to be able to graze on grass. They spread out their front legs and lower their necks, allowing them to be able to feed from the grass on the ground. It was just beautiful."

An action-packed day filled with adventure and smiles - well done Reception! 

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