J5 and the Brecon Beacons

We were certainly developing ourgeographical skills in Brecon on Friday.

We learnt more about National Parks and were able to observe for ourselves why they really are beauty spots.

Our group leaders Yvonne and Howard took us on a walk over Mynydd Illtud to the Twyn Y Gaer hill fort.

We learnt about the landscape and mountain names.

We stopped on several occasions to listen to Yvonne talking about the types of plants that are found in Brecon and to hear about how the plants/ shrubs/ mosses were used a long time ago.

Did you know that people used moss to clean water? or that the inside of rushes were used as candles?You can see several photographs of the children trying to peel the rushes.

We learnt about how the environment in the National Park is constantly changing and the effect that the bracken is having on the landscape. Can you remember why the farmers like bracken?

Yvonne explained that Brecon is quite a different environment to Snowdonia and that although both areas have problems with invasive plants - it is the rhododendrum that causes a huge problem in Snowdonia rather than bracken.

Can anyone remember how long it would take you to walk from one side of the Brecon Beacons to the other?

How many miles is it?

How high is Pen Y Fan?

We were told the answers to all three on Friday!




How have people affected the environment in Brecon?

Do you remember Yvonne talking about a particular pond weed called "Cressula" that had appeared in the park? The weed had come from Australia and although there could have been lots of possibilities, the staff suggested that it was likely that a tourist could have visited from Australia with some of this on his/her shoe and left traces of it in Brecon.

If the farmers didn't cut down the bracken, the environment in Brecon would be extremely different and overrun.

J5 and J6 enjoyed the fieldwork as they were able to observe and investigate real places and processes.

The views were incredible all over the Beacons.

Children were identifying adn describing human and natural features. We spent quite a while talking about dry stone walls and the reasons they were built. Can anyone remember why they are particularly useful for mice etc...?



The children had plenty of opportunity to ask questions about what they saw and several sensible questions were asked. Many thinking skills were developed.