Foundation Years 1 & 2 and Year 1 Field Trip to Borsang Umbrella Factory and Sankampaeng Hot Springs took place on 10 th October. This trip was to follow up and extend the work Foundation Years have been doing on colour and Year 1 have been covering on shape, pattern and the correct use of paint brushes.

When we arrived at the umbrella factory the children got into their “trip” groups of 5 or 6 (three Year 1 children and the rest Foundation Years for each group) and remained with their group teacher for this part of the trip. Each group spent time looking at the way the umbrellas are made, from cutting the pieces of bamboo to the painting of the finished product. Most of the children were very interested in watching the people working at the various stages. The children were also fascinated by process for making saa paper.

After the children had eaten their morning snack the painting could begin in earnest! Each child had a little umbrella or a fan and each group was given paints, brushes, water and cloths. The children had a wonderful time painting pictures and patterns or just experimenting with colours! The umbrellas and fans were dry by the time we had tidied up and were ready to leave. The children were delighted with the activity and so proud of their handiwork!

We returned to the buses and drove quite a way to Sankampaeng Hot Springs. We found a suitable place for the children to wash their hands and then have their packed lunch. After lunch we walked the short distance to the hot springs and spent a little time looking at the hot water spurting out of the ground. After taking a few group photos we then walked along the “stream” and found a suitable place to take our socks and shoes off and put our feet in the warm water to the great enjoyment of the students. The only downside of this part of the trip was that, due to heavy rain on days prior to our visit, the areas around were very muddy!

We left the Sankampaeng Hot Springs at 1:00 pm and returned to school shortly after 1:30 pm. All in all we had a great day!

Report by Ms Annick