School visit Life on the Beach, Cefn Sidan Thursday 23rd January

Before Christmas, a local primary school had booked school visits to Pembrey Country Park for today and tomorrow- a beach visit in the middle of January, the prevailing weather I had no idea what the day would bring; well despite being overcast the day was dry, mild and no breeze.

So it was 55 learners, the head of school with teachers and teaching assistants arrived for a morning on the beach.

With a falling tide there was much to explore and it wasn't long before everyone started turning up some great finds, the recent bad weather across the Atlantic was reflected with the wide range of seaweeds including some kelp types which we rarely see on Cefn Sidan.

Good numbers of "mermaids purses" which many of the youngsters knew were Shark and Ray egg cases with Small Spotted Cat Shark, Blond Ray and Nurse-hound in quantity.

Other great finds included the first living Prickly Cockles and Acetone(a marine snail), inside an empty Otter Shell was an Anenome, possibly a Beadlet but it never made it back to the classroom for identification, two different "starfish" one Common the other a Sand Star.

Edible, Shore, Spider and Masked Crab, kept the interest going. A Coconut of unknown origin got a conversation going about tides, and with so much marine litter such as discarded fishing tackle on the beach there was no getting away from the fact that much of the litter could have come from anywhere in the world....

Each beach session ends with some art and no matter how bad my drawing the youngsters manage to create something great, today it was Whales, with two lovely pieces of art created, one to view here.

Tomorrow I get to do it all again, intense and great engagement for me, and enormous fun for the learners and teaching staff.

With another spell of rough weather due early next week get down to the beach and explore for yourselves...