Last week, I was lucky enough to take 26 Form 7 children on a 6 day trip to Normandie, France. The choice of this location is not random: t is close by several important places which can be linked to other subjects. 

Obviously the first objective of the trip is to get the children completely immersed in the language and also discover more about the French culture. It helps them build some confidence and widen their cultural knowledge. However, there is another purpose to this trip. It can give the children a first hand lesson on many other subjects such as Biology, Geography or History to name just a few. 

I know, History is quite obvious with the visits to the WW2 landing sites and memorials plus there is the tapestry of Bayeux (next year’s visit), the Mont St Michel and other fortified cities such as St Malo which I hope to show to some children in a future trip….and not just because there is a famous ice-cream shop there! 

Geography is also an obvious one, especially with the crossing of the bay of Mont Saint Michel and understanding its ecosystem and how quick sand works (and try jumping in it). There is also the visit to the goat cheese farm when we learn more about farming in the region. 

Biology is maybe not as obvious but we do learn a lot about goats and how their digestive system works and about when milk is produced following the reproductive season. There is also an element of chemistry as we found out the different processes to make cheese. 

Adding to all these the culinary discovery (and not just snails!!), Maths (being given a budget to buy their lunch in a market), PE (sports tournament) and you get a full class day outside the classroom!