On Thursday, Class Four had the opportunity to travel to Postbridge in the heart of Dartmoor to learn about the landscape, environment and the place of Dartmoor Ponies within it. We were blessed by reasonable weather, which helped (the sun actually shone for a while). Learning about the indigenous ponies and the ancient origins of the stone lines, circles and tombs was really interesting. The day made links back to our Exeter Racecourse trip, when we found out about a very different type of horse. It also links to our current project in History on Ancient China: the Shang people were living at the same time as those making Dartmoor their home. Here is what some of the class had to  say:

"We saw many animals like sheep, cows, birds and of course ponies - with woods that they can hide in. I learnt that there are many sorts of trees and how they take non-native trees down to grow native trees which is good for the environment. My favourite thing to do was looking at the old houses: I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. [Daniel] It was a fun day with a lot of walking that was really worth it as we learnt many new things about the Neolithic period. We saw where trees had been cut down for logs and to allow native trees to be planted. My favourite thing was learning about the ponies. The hill ponies are not allowed in with the Dartmoor ponies so they can't interbreed. [William] We went into a section where the Dartmoor ponies were. Then we walked through the forest and Karen told us some facts about peat (it was used for heating and if it is burnt it lets out greenhouse gas). Finding out about peat and the stone buildings was amazing ... We haven't learnt about this before and I really enjoyed it. [Oscar] I learnt that peat is important for the environment as it traps CO2 from the atmosphere. I also learnt that Dartmoor ponies and the hill ponies will have mixed breed foals and they don't really want that. I liked sitting in one of the ancient houses ... One of the biggest houses on the outside of the village was a mystery: I thought it was a gatehouse or possibly a gaol. [Niah] I liked learning all about peat and also when we were told lots of facts about Dartmoor ponies. I also found out that Dartmoor was heavily forested in the Bronze Age." [Megan]

Both Sarah and Karen, who were our guides on the moor, were super-impressed by the children's enthusiasm, attention and politeness. They had a special mention for Jack whose knowledge was incredible.