Day 2 - River studies
Breakfast was a change of taste. We could choose what we wanted to eat. In simple terms, very ang moh. There was a variety of delicious foods such as the unknown black pudding, and porridge which was not rice-based, but oat-based. We made packed lunch for the first time in our lives. We were a provided with a range of spreads and ingredients to make our sandwiches. It was an interesting and unique experience.
After breakfast, we had class on the theoretical aspect of river studies . In two hours, we covered alot of ground on rivers that some of us have not learnt yet.
Before noon, we headed for River Brett in two minibuses!(:
We were allocated to different locations of the river. We did it at Cherry Hill. This was our first time experiencing the practical side of river studies. With the help of the demonstration by Teacher Rachael Moss before that, and our teachers, we successfully managed to measure the width, depth, velocity etc. of that part of the river. It rained then, but we persevered through!(: Our waterproof coats and wellies came in handy and we wouldn't have done it without them!(:
Though it was tiring, but we are really satisfied that we managed to complete the tasks. We have learnt alot about rivers and it was an enriching experience.
We're looking forward to tomorrow's Woodland Studies and we hope to gain more knowledge!(:
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Group 4 Reflections- Wee Ming, Florence, Azlin, Carin, 01062010
Group 4 Reflections- Wee Ming, Florence, Azlin, Carin
HI people in Singapore! We're in 10 degree celcius right now, BRRRR so cold! ((: How we wish we were sweating now, Muahaha.
Let's get down to serious business. *add drama music*
Today we had our first night at FSC. It was cozy and comfortable. We had theory on rivers. Yippee. Thanks to our WONDERFUL TTM teachers, we learnt the terms for river studies eg hydraulic action, attrition, abrasion, corrosion etc. We packed our lunch and borrowed WELLIES! They are super awesome but very heavy and big. We borrowed waterproof jackets and we looked like astronauts! Teehee!! It started drizzling as we were on our way to River Brett. We had a small demo and we were warned of stinging nettles that can sting through our clothes and leave pain. SCARY. After eating on the mini van, we made our way to a part of the river. Measured width, depth, velocity (speed of river), wetted perimiter, bedload shape and size. While measuring bedload (sediments of the river), we found slime under a big rock and it was gross ttm. While taking our measurements, we had some 'music'. These includes, birds chirping, and the maa-ing of the sheep nearby. Heh. All the sheep do is graze, sleep and clear their bowels :( but they're really cute! Made our way back and had somemore theory lessons and we had to draw graphs and colouring (brings back such childhood memories, heh heh) The teachers were really knowledgeable and approachable. The teacher who accompanied us was Helena who is BEST at cracking lame jokes, haha! Had somemore theory lessons and ate dinner.
We learnt about rivers and their methodology. Apart from learning Geography, we also learnt art by improving our colouring skills, history of Suffolk and John Constable (the guy from the mill), and also english. Did you know that 'three' is pronounced different from 'tree'? Yes it is, so pronounce the H!! It's gonna reach 9pm soon and we're still all dirty and wet from the river measurements so we're gonna bathe now. Toodles!
(P.S. The sun here sets at 9pm. Interesting! :D)
Reflections by Rachel Loke, Samyata, Felina and Ferozia
Rise and shine for our first day in Flatford Studies Council (FSC)! After a few hours of theory session, we set off to a rural area to take measurements for our river studies. We were split up into groups of 4 and allocated to different sites of River Brett.
My group consisted of Samyata, Felina, Ferozia and Rachel Loke. We were doing our research at Cherryhill. We took measurements like the width, depth, wetted perimeter, velocity of the water and the bedload size of the river.
We had some difficulties measuring the width as the measurement tape kept getting pulled by the water, and we spent some time ensuring that the tape was taut. It was also hard as there were many vegetation at the banks of the river so we could not measure accurately from one end to the other.
The depth was much more tedious to measure as we had to pick out 5 points with equal intervals. Since our measuring tape moved a lot by the currents of the water, we had difficulties attaining accurate results.
Measuring the velocity of the water was the most interesting measurement as we had to use an instrument called a hydropop to measure it. We have never heard of such an instrument before and we were quite excited to experiment. At some parts of the river, especially at the sides nearer to the banks, we could not get the propeller spinning, so we assumed that there is zero velocity.
Measuring the bedload size was tedious too as the rocks that we picked out was of all sorts of sizes. Furthermore, the vernier caliper that we were using were slightly different from the ones we used in school. We kept dropping the rocks as it was cold and windy and our hands were numb! So we spent the longest time measuring the length of the bedload.
On the whole, today was a very fun and enriching day as we would never get the chance to do river studies in Singapore, with all the hands on experiences here. :)
My group consisted of Samyata, Felina, Ferozia and Rachel Loke. We were doing our research at Cherryhill. We took measurements like the width, depth, wetted perimeter, velocity of the water and the bedload size of the river.
We had some difficulties measuring the width as the measurement tape kept getting pulled by the water, and we spent some time ensuring that the tape was taut. It was also hard as there were many vegetation at the banks of the river so we could not measure accurately from one end to the other.
The depth was much more tedious to measure as we had to pick out 5 points with equal intervals. Since our measuring tape moved a lot by the currents of the water, we had difficulties attaining accurate results.
Measuring the velocity of the water was the most interesting measurement as we had to use an instrument called a hydropop to measure it. We have never heard of such an instrument before and we were quite excited to experiment. At some parts of the river, especially at the sides nearer to the banks, we could not get the propeller spinning, so we assumed that there is zero velocity.
Measuring the bedload size was tedious too as the rocks that we picked out was of all sorts of sizes. Furthermore, the vernier caliper that we were using were slightly different from the ones we used in school. We kept dropping the rocks as it was cold and windy and our hands were numb! So we spent the longest time measuring the length of the bedload.
On the whole, today was a very fun and enriching day as we would never get the chance to do river studies in Singapore, with all the hands on experiences here. :)
Reflection by Margie, Shahana, Zhuoen & Maria (River Study)
Day 2, 1st June 2010 - The weatherman predicted that it would rain, and indeed it did. The day was spent on collecting river data and analyzing the collected data, as well as familiarizing ourselves with the different river terms.
We started off the day with a lesson in the classroom to help us understand the various river terms better. Following that, we rented boots (also known as 'wellies' in England) from the center, as well as waterproof coats to keep us dry while collecting data. We then split up into our assigned groups and carried buckets that contained the equipment that we needed before boarding the minibuses.
First off, we stopped by a part of the River Brett, where Ms Rachael (one of our teachers at the center) showed us how to measure the width, depth, and how to measure the velocity by using the hydroprop, as well as learn how to categorize and measure the length of the bedload (a technical term to describe sediment found in a river). It started drizzling then and we had to use the hoods on out coats to keep us dry. After that, we headed off to other parts of the River Brett that we were assigned to.
As out group was assigned to Ms Rachael, we headed towards Ash Street to get the data from a section of the river. We started off by measuring the width of the river, and Shereene and Maria measured it by using the measuring tape. Following that, we measured the wetted perimeter, where Zhuoen helped to hold the measuring tape. However, that was when we realized that our initial reading of the width of the river was inaccurate. We then took a second reading, and then measured the depth by dividing the width of the river by six and measuring the depth at the five points.
We then started measuring the velocity of the river. We measured the velocity by placing the hydroprop at the same points where we measured the depth and recorded our readings. Ms Rachael helped us to do this as we didn't really know how to operate a hydroprop. Finally, we collected 10 stones from the river (we collected the ones that were under the big toe of our right foot) and then measured the length and estimating which group it belongs to.
Upon finishing all the tasks that we were assigned to complete, we headed back to the minibuses that brought us back to Flatford Mill.
We started off the day with a lesson in the classroom to help us understand the various river terms better. Following that, we rented boots (also known as 'wellies' in England) from the center, as well as waterproof coats to keep us dry while collecting data. We then split up into our assigned groups and carried buckets that contained the equipment that we needed before boarding the minibuses.
First off, we stopped by a part of the River Brett, where Ms Rachael (one of our teachers at the center) showed us how to measure the width, depth, and how to measure the velocity by using the hydroprop, as well as learn how to categorize and measure the length of the bedload (a technical term to describe sediment found in a river). It started drizzling then and we had to use the hoods on out coats to keep us dry. After that, we headed off to other parts of the River Brett that we were assigned to.
As out group was assigned to Ms Rachael, we headed towards Ash Street to get the data from a section of the river. We started off by measuring the width of the river, and Shereene and Maria measured it by using the measuring tape. Following that, we measured the wetted perimeter, where Zhuoen helped to hold the measuring tape. However, that was when we realized that our initial reading of the width of the river was inaccurate. We then took a second reading, and then measured the depth by dividing the width of the river by six and measuring the depth at the five points.
We then started measuring the velocity of the river. We measured the velocity by placing the hydroprop at the same points where we measured the depth and recorded our readings. Ms Rachael helped us to do this as we didn't really know how to operate a hydroprop. Finally, we collected 10 stones from the river (we collected the ones that were under the big toe of our right foot) and then measured the length and estimating which group it belongs to.
Upon finishing all the tasks that we were assigned to complete, we headed back to the minibuses that brought us back to Flatford Mill.
Reflections: Charmaine, JingWen, Dayna, Louisa, Eugenia [River Studies]
It was such a fun day/tiring day.
We learnt many new things such as measuring the depth, width and wetted perimeter of the river with a tape measure as well as the velocity of the river using a hydroprop. We also learnt to measure the diameter of rocks from the river using a vernier caliper. We also collected a sample of water in a bottle from the river to measure the nitrate content.
It was an interesting experience for us all as none of us have ever gone into a river before. This is the first time we've tried such things and it was marvelous experience!
One of our group members Charmaine unfortunately had a hole in one boot and only found out after 20 minutes in the river. HAHAHAHAHA! This shows how cold we were until we could hardly feel a thing inside.
When picking up the rocks, water entered some of our gloves and it was freezing cold that our hands felt numb, but it was an interesting feeling.
We packed lunch during breakfast and ate them on the bus instead of outside in the fields as it was raining outside, but it was still comfortable for us due to the cool air.
It was a great experience for us and we look forward to the woodland studies tomorrow!(:
We learnt many new things such as measuring the depth, width and wetted perimeter of the river with a tape measure as well as the velocity of the river using a hydroprop. We also learnt to measure the diameter of rocks from the river using a vernier caliper. We also collected a sample of water in a bottle from the river to measure the nitrate content.
It was an interesting experience for us all as none of us have ever gone into a river before. This is the first time we've tried such things and it was marvelous experience!
One of our group members Charmaine unfortunately had a hole in one boot and only found out after 20 minutes in the river. HAHAHAHAHA! This shows how cold we were until we could hardly feel a thing inside.
When picking up the rocks, water entered some of our gloves and it was freezing cold that our hands felt numb, but it was an interesting feeling.
We packed lunch during breakfast and ate them on the bus instead of outside in the fields as it was raining outside, but it was still comfortable for us due to the cool air.
It was a great experience for us and we look forward to the woodland studies tomorrow!(:
Reflection-Raykal-1st June
Group 5 Reflections-1st June
Today was our first experience here at FSC.
We woke up bright and early and had a good breakfast which consisted of 'porridge'(oat meal) with bacon and bake beans and other foods.After our hearty meal, we visited the souvenir shop and made our lunches.It was certainly a new experience as not many of us are used to making their own lunches.
After which, we had a 1 hour lesson and we discussed about the factors which affect the river's flow and the characteristics of the river such as the depth , width, wetted perimeter, velocity etc; We also discussed about the risks and dangers that we may face when we go down to the river. After that, we headed out!
After a 20minutes long journey, we arrived at an area for a demonstration on how to measure the given factors.Unfortunately, after the demonstration, it started drizzling and we decided to take a break and have our packed lunches. Although we had expected to have our lunch in the outdoors, we had no choice but to eat in the mini buses due to the bad weather.
After our lunch, (fortunately, the rain had subsided) we headed to different parts along the Brett River and started taking the various measurements.It was definitely a refreshing and memorable experience to stand in the river with our wellies and rubber gloves and collecting the necessary data! The cool water rushing past our wellies and sometimes going into our boots was frustrating but also surprisingly fun. Although we felt unbearably cold and wet from the rain and river, we felt a sense of satisfaction . For my group, our spot was near a flock of sheeps and we could constantly hear the sounds from them, personally, i felt that it was amazingly interesting as it was something we will never ever be able to experience in Singapore!
After the trip down to the river, we came back to our classroom and had a short break . Some of us chose to shower (a few of us were soaked!) while some of us chose to remain in the classroom, having cake and hot chocolate and 'bird watching'.
After the 1 hour break, we continued our lesson on the characteristics . After that, we had dinner. For dinner, we had rice and everyone was more than happy to have it! we then continued with our lessons as we created graphs and did some 'art and craft'!
All in all, today was filled with memorable experiences and no words can describe the joy and excitement i felt as we stood in the river taking the necessary measurements! i am really looking forward to the woodland studies tomorrow!!(:
Today was our first experience here at FSC.
We woke up bright and early and had a good breakfast which consisted of 'porridge'(oat meal) with bacon and bake beans and other foods.After our hearty meal, we visited the souvenir shop and made our lunches.It was certainly a new experience as not many of us are used to making their own lunches.
After which, we had a 1 hour lesson and we discussed about the factors which affect the river's flow and the characteristics of the river such as the depth , width, wetted perimeter, velocity etc; We also discussed about the risks and dangers that we may face when we go down to the river. After that, we headed out!
After a 20minutes long journey, we arrived at an area for a demonstration on how to measure the given factors.Unfortunately, after the demonstration, it started drizzling and we decided to take a break and have our packed lunches. Although we had expected to have our lunch in the outdoors, we had no choice but to eat in the mini buses due to the bad weather.
After our lunch, (fortunately, the rain had subsided) we headed to different parts along the Brett River and started taking the various measurements.It was definitely a refreshing and memorable experience to stand in the river with our wellies and rubber gloves and collecting the necessary data! The cool water rushing past our wellies and sometimes going into our boots was frustrating but also surprisingly fun. Although we felt unbearably cold and wet from the rain and river, we felt a sense of satisfaction . For my group, our spot was near a flock of sheeps and we could constantly hear the sounds from them, personally, i felt that it was amazingly interesting as it was something we will never ever be able to experience in Singapore!
After the trip down to the river, we came back to our classroom and had a short break . Some of us chose to shower (a few of us were soaked!) while some of us chose to remain in the classroom, having cake and hot chocolate and 'bird watching'.
After the 1 hour break, we continued our lesson on the characteristics . After that, we had dinner. For dinner, we had rice and everyone was more than happy to have it! we then continued with our lessons as we created graphs and did some 'art and craft'!
All in all, today was filled with memorable experiences and no words can describe the joy and excitement i felt as we stood in the river taking the necessary measurements! i am really looking forward to the woodland studies tomorrow!!(:
Day 1: Arrival in Flatford Mill
The photo above was taken in the Dubai airport.
After about close to a day on the plane and road we've finally arrived at Flatford Mill, Suffolk.
Everyone is tired but really excited at the change of landscape. According to Rachel(Teacher at FSC), the weather is chiller as compared to last year.
The surroundings are nice, serene and very beautiful. This morning, we awoke to chirping birds and fresh fresh, albeit foggy air.
Here is a short video clip of Day 1.
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