Year 5 at Gobions Wood

Year 5 visited Gobions Open Space and Gobions Wood to learn all about its history - from ownership in the 12th Century to its status as a famous garden for a private estate and, finally, its purchase by local residents who formed the Gobions Woodland Trust.  It is now owned and managed by the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust.  The Woodland Trust were responsible for the new footbridges to enable young and old to walk round the wood and reclaiming the ponds along with major improvements to the main watercourse in the wood, including the building of weirs and dams.  A hedgerow has been reinstated in Leach Fields and the wood has been extended at its south-west corner by a new plantation. The Trust also has a tree planting programme and each winter more than 150 native species are planted, many of which have been dedicated to the memory of local residents. Other tasks include coppicing, thinning, hedge laying and path surfacing.

Year 5 completed two orienteering courses – a ‘star’ course in the open space and ‘point-to-point’ course in the woods. This helped them to learn how to use a compass as well as introducing them to the enjoyment of the outdoor activity of orienteering.

Through both activities the boys gained a greater appreciation of the use of the environment and the need to conserve it.