Report on Watch Meeting at Rimac 1tth July 2016

The Louth Watch Group held its third meeting on Sunday 17th July at Rimac Reserve.

We set off from the classroom at Rimac and walked out onto the salt marsh led by Roger. The weather was warm, with a light breeze as we moved away from the land. Part-way across we diverted to what appeared to be an area of smooth sand. Closer investigation showed numerous tracks in the sand.

Each child marked one of the footprints by placing a plastic sleeve over it. They then mixed plaster and water in a cup to a smooth paste and poured it into the sleeve. We left the plaster to set and continued walking across the marsh towards the beach.

On the way we found several clues on the ground, each with a picture of an animal print and its scat. The children were enthusiastic and quickly solved the clues.

On the beach we collected pebbles and shells and each child produced a piece of 'beach art'.

We then returned to the plaster casts. On examination we found that the children had made some really good plaster casts of roe deer and bird tracks. They took them home to allow them to set further and to paint.

Many thanks to Roger, whose effort and expertise, together with the good weather, made it a very enjoyable and productive afternoon.