Thames Explorer Workshops on the Foreshore at Putney

Year 4 deepened their learning about Rivers with a series of Workshops run by the Thames Explorer trust.

Firstly we observed the river Thames and noted man made and natural features. Then we went down on the foreshore to work as archaeologists, discovering pottery – some of it dating to Tudor times – , glass from the 1910s, oyster shells discarded in Victorian times and many other items that have been thrown into the Thames over the years. Then we worked as biologists, discovering Chinese Mitten crabs and leeches and chemists testing the pH of the water.

After lunch, we learnt about the history of the Thames. Using Thames Explorer’s River of Life floor game, we created a natural river habitat, gaining an understanding of food chains.  We then looked at how the river environment has changed over time and how pollution and human impact can pose a danger to living things.