On 14^th and 15^th January, each of the Year 4 classes ventured out of school with their teachers, learning support assistants and parent helpers, to explore Old Basing through the soles of their boots.  They were being geographical detectives, trying to determine which features of Old Basing were evidence of human or physical geography.  Luckily, the weather held off, and we could enjoy our learning without having to get a boat back to school!

Through a combination of map work in class, and sharing what they already knew about Old Basing, the children were ready to search with ‘fresh eyes’.  The more they looked, the more they saw.  From discovering what those funny overhead wires were, to what the little metal box on Five-Ways crossing was, the pupils realised that there was much more to the geography of the place than they realised.  In addition, they learnt how the historical features of Old Basing can also tell us so much about human geography.  Different styles of housing were compared throughout the ages together with the consideration of how new buildings have to seek planning permission before construction.

We also looked at the impact of the road system in Old Basing and the necessity for traffic-calming measures. Moreover, we considered the safety of pedestrians and how the human geography wasn’t perhaps all it should be! The use of the ‘Common’ was also a feature of study, considering why it is called that and why it is such an important physical geographical feature of our village.

Once back at school, the pupils had fun recording their findings and completing further research on questions that arose from the trip.  Did you know that the current population of Old Basing is approximately 7232 people? Our studies continue for the next couple of weeks before we begin to research Europe.  Now that would be a fascinating school trip!

Photos of our visits can be found on our Photo Gallery page.