Last week, Year 7 enjoyed an amazing Activities Week, a week of fun trips and events to end their first academic year of 'living adventurously' at Sidcot Senior School. Two highlights of the week were a trip to Bullace Hill Living History Farm, and The Making of Harry Potter, Studio Tour in London.
Year 7 started the week by travelling back to Bullace Hill Living History Farm, a site transformed into a real-life 16th century village! Students weren't just observers; they got hands-on experience with historical jobs. From raking hay to spinning thread, making clay pots to churning butter, they learned what daily life was like in the 16th century.
To finish the week off, Year 7 set off to London, to the Warner Bros Studio Tour, The Making of Harry Potter. This is what Alice C in Year 7 had to say about the experience:
By Alice C, Year 7
The day started with a long journey. So long that it felt as though it would never end… but at last, we had arrived at our goal. Harry Potter World in London!
As we began, we saw a giant time turner spinning, the sand in it making a rattling sound. After that, we went through the Great Hall, the candles floating above our heads. We even saw Harry’s room under the stairs! Once we had gone through a briefing there were a range of different objects like the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, the owl statue that Dumbledore reads from, and part of the Weasley’s Cottage.
We had the chance to go through the Forbidden Forest and obviously, I went through. It was dark and had a smoky smell lingering in the air. Buckbeak stood proudly on one side eyes glinting as he stared haughtily at the passing people. As we ventured further Aragog sprung out of his web with his milky white eyes; he looked terrifying.
‘Choo, Choo’! All aboard the Hogwarts Express. Steam billowed from the funnel and its coat was shiny red. We got to go inside the train and have a look at the carriages. After a quick stop for lunch, it was outside and a trip on the Knight Bus. The triple-decker bus was very high. There was a fountain outside with stone statues all around and water gushing out of the top.
Past Privet Drive and into the Herbology greenhouses where we had a lesson on how to sagely re-pot a Mandrake. They were very loud and screamed shrilly when taken out of the soil. Soon after that, we saw a bunch of creepy goblin heads with empty sockets staring blankly ahead. Inside of Gringotts was incredible. Glass chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling and tall pillars connected the floor to the roof. There were vaults piled high with gold and all sorts of treasure. The scariest and most fun bit of all was the dragon. It deafened us with its roar and as it breathed fire we all thought that it was going to hit us!
Next up, Diagon Alley. All the shops were covered with lights and signs outside. A little fish was statue guarding the exit so we went past and saw some paintings of the different creatures in Harry Potter. By far the most incredible part was the model of the entire Hogwarts castle. They even put the Owlery and Forest in it. It looked like it would have taken a long time to make and there had clearly been a lot of effort put into it.
After the gift shop, it was sadly time to go on the long journey back to school. It had been a day that only happens once in a lifetime and was worth it.
