Pupils from Filton Avenue Primary School in Bristol have been treated to a falconry display as part of this term’s Enrichment Day.
The children were visited by Alan Ames from Birdman Displays who performed a display which included an owl and a bald eagle. The children were very excited to see the birds and learn about wildlife and nature.
The visit was part of the Enrichment Day which take place three times a year and sees the whole school going off timetable to enjoy something they wouldn’t usually get to experience. This time the theme was a STEM day (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), with the bird show allowing the children to learn about creatures they wouldn’t usually get to see.
“We ran the falconry display three days during the day to make sure that every child saw it,” explained Year 2 teacher, Kath Bremer. “In addition, every year group had at least one other visitor who demonstrated a different STEM activity, which saw the children using green screen, building model submarines and boats, designed things to stop eggs breaking when we dropped them, and learning about climate change, our internal organs and wind farms, among other activities.
“During his displays, Alan explained how the birds hunt, what they eat, what the biggest ever birds of prey were and how owls are silent when they fly but eagles are not. The birds also flew (very low) over the children’s heads and the eagle even had a walk around between the children.
“We run these enrichment days to expose our learners to things they wouldn’t ordinarily get to experience. This helps them to understand the wider world outside of their own experiences and makes them enthusiastic to learn about the world around them.”