Owls Beach School

Owls Class finally had their long-awaited Beach School session this Wednesday, after our original date had to be cancelled thanks to the November cold and rain. This week, luckily the weather gave us a break. It was bright, sunny and crisp, perfect Beach School weather (as long as you’ve got a warm coat and wellies!).

Wrapped up, we headed down the Old High Street towards the pebble beach near the Harbour Arm. Our base for the afternoon was the colourful structure created for the Folkestone Triennial 2017, Casa Anacaona by Sol Calero. It made the perfect hub for all our Beach School bits: chalks, bubbles, litter pickers, buckets and a kite.

Once we’d talked through our boundaries and expectations, the children were off! Some grabbed litter pickers and set off to clean the beach. Others used them as tools for treasure hunting, proudly showing off dogfish washed up on the shore, cuttlefish bones, seaweed and a whole selection of interesting shells. A few found pebbles they liked and set about decorating them with chalk designs and patterns.

The windy weather was on our side for kite flying, and the children were delighted when it caught the wind and soared higher than expected. Meanwhile, the classic activity of pebble-throwing into the sea was as popular as ever, with plenty of competition to see whose splash went the furthest.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the discovery of a raised platform on the beach. At first it became a makeshift stage, with some very enthusiastic performers, but before long it turned into the BEST jumping spot. The children were determined that I captured every leap, I didn’t stand a chance! They insisted I filmed them in action, so I’ve put together a little video of their brave (and very dramatic!) jumps in the autumn sunshine.

We were very grateful to have Mr O’Neon with us who is always our guide and Beach School expert. His enthusiasm is infectious, and he always has something interesting to say about all the curious things the children stumble upon during their explorations.

After a fantastic afternoon of adventuring, we regrouped at our base, then popped over to the nearby play park for a quick run-around before tackling the steep walk back up the Old High Street. We made it back to school slightly later than planned, but full of excitement, rosy cheeks and lots to talk about.

The children had a brilliant time exploring the beach we’re so lucky to have on our doorstep. If you asked them what their favourite part was, you’d probably hear things like “finding treasure!”, “flying the kite!”, or “jumping off the platform!”, and honestly, they did all of it with huge smiles.