The Year 5 excursion to Chengdu has become an important fixture on the Year 5 calendar and the 2017 edition did not disappoint. There were highlights for everyone and each individual will have special memories. This trip was an outstanding success; it was a combination of amusement and a great deal of learning. Let’s hear what some Year 5 students said about the trip.

Jake: “We saw red pandas and pandas. Some of them were sleeping in trees while others were sitting down eating. There were baby pandas and adult pandas. At the Qingcheng Mountain the stairs were uneven and steep so we had to walk carefully. I slipped a little."

Sara: “The Qingcheng Mountain was very high and it was a long walk up. In the cable car, Teacher Wang started screaming and the rest of my group did too because on the way down it went very fast. I made it all the way to the top and so did Jake, Lily, Justin and Mark. The view was amazing even though it was cloudy.”

Justin: “In Jinli Street, Mark and I bought a framed picture. Our pictures were the Chinese symbol for good luck and we gave them to our mum. There were lots of things to buy and lots of local snacks to enjoy. There was a man doing magic. He could make his scarf and money disappear. We were all surprised but when we found out how he did it was easy and disappointing. It was very interesting.”

Mark: “After watching the Sichuan Opera’s face changing, I was amazed at how fast they changed their face. They must have practised a lot. One lady was lying on the ground and spinning a table around. That was awesome. I admired the singing because they could freely switch between singing very loud and low. There was a man balancing a candle on his head and he did the limbo under a very low bench. I was surprised he didn’t get burned and didn’t touch the bench!”

Through all of our excursions, we want to instil in our students an unstoppable curiosity for new knowledge, new ideas, and new experiences. By utilising as many Chinese landmarks as possible, we also teach our children how to appreciate the local community and culture. The next time our students are asked where they have been, they will each be able to recount great experiences and retell fun memories.