Trip to Lyme Regis

We had such an amazing time in Lyme Regis this week!

Once we arrived in Lyme Regis, we set off along the coast path towards the Fossil Museum. There we were met by Kerion, a paleontologist and Dan, a geologist. They led our sessions throughout the morning, gave us a guided tour of the museum and all if its treasures and even gave us all a very special belemnite fossil to keep.

Our first activity involved lots of drawing. Kerion showed us the images of some fossils and we had to draw what we thought the animal would have looked like when it was alive. This was exactly what Mary Anning would have done when she was alive and finding all of her special her 'curiosities'. Kerion and Dan explained to us that Mary would have made lots of mistakes, and that this is part of learning, particularly in science when we are discovering something new! This session was absolutely jam packed with information and the children were really engaged with listening to Kerion and sharing their own knowledge.

 

Next we went into the museum. There we saw lots of fossils, including a plesiosaur skeleton and even fossilised poo! We found out about how skulls change over time. The juvenile skull fossils often look as if they are smiling and the adults look longer and more straight faced. We then had time to explore the museum for ourselves before lunch.

 

We were very lucky to enjoy our lunch outside, looking out over Lyme Regis Bay.

 

After lunch Kerion and Dan took us to the special statue of Mary Anning. Did you know it is actually only 5 years old and the money for it was raised by a girl around the same age as us!? We learnt about how Mary's achievements were huge for a woman during the Victorian times and how she is still an inspiration for people all around the world today.

The last part of our tour took us up to Mary's gravestone. Here she is remembered with her brother and other siblings who sadly died during infancy. Mary was the only one who survived a lightning strike during a storm when she was only 15months old - another unbelievable event that makes her story even more special.

 

Before we headed back to the coach, we were all given a very special fossil. Kerion said he was really impressed with the whole class. He commented on their efforts throughout the day and their manners which is lovely. We are so lucky to have real life experiences with experts.

 

We had such a fantastic day. A MASSIVE well done Year 2. We are really proud of you all.

 

p.s: In the photos is a picture of a poster that the museum was displaying, showing the events that they are running throughout the easter holidays incase you are interested in going.