On Tuesday 17 March, Year 5 set off on an unforgettable journey to Birmingham Botanical Gardens. As we disembarked from the coach, I thought about the wonderful activities we would do and the plants we would see. I was buzzing with excitement!

I was group “A” and the first thing we could do was to explore the place. When we headed out the door, I could smell the sweet scent of orchids, daffodils, blossoms, and other unidentifiable flowers! As our group walked into the woods, a small fairy-like fountain appeared in front of us, its water shining in the soft sunlight. At last, it was time for our first activity which was “Rainforest Fun with Animals.” We climbed up the staircase to a vibrant, decorated room. We sat down and the Botanical Gardens teacher began the lesson. We kicked things off by learning about the layers of the rainforest and how plants and animals have adapted to live in the higher parts of the rainforest. Towards the end of our session, the teacher said they were bringing alive animals out! The first animal was a corn snake called Candice. Her scales were smooth and shiny and felt like a moving sausage! Then finally, it was time for lunch.

After lunch, my group had the “Rainforest Challenge!” I was the most excited about this activity because it meant we were going into the glass houses! We were taken into a room where the teachers told us what we were going to do. It sounded like a fun experience, and it meant that we would get a chance to see lots of plants! We were told to split ourselves into groups of four or five and we were given a backpack filled with clues to help us find plants around the glasshouse. The activity was simple but fun. On the clipboard would be a sheet of paper with the starting letters of the name of the plant we were supposed to find in the glass houses. As we walked into the glass houses, I felt a burst of warm air hit my face. There were two glass houses we were supposed to explore, the subtropical glass house and the tropical glass house. At the end of it all, we discovered that my group was the only one to get all the questions filled in and correct!

After a fun day at the Botanical Gardens, it was time to head back, but not before we visited the gift shop! It was a very enjoyable day, and I wish to come again.

By Jason, 5S