Pre-Prep Outdoor Learning, Noticing Nature

Throughout the year all the pupils in Pre-Prep have been learning about the trees in our woodland and on the school site. The pupils have been closely observing the Crab Apple tree adjacent to the Mottrams parking lot. On Monday it had masses of little pink buds. By Wednesday it was in full bloom. The pupils noticed it smelled like Roses. We then discovered that Crab Apple trees are related to Roses, they both belong to the same botanical family, Rosaceae. This relationship is also visually evident in the similarity between the rosehip-like fruits of Crab Apples and the rosehips of Wild Roses. Crab Apples are also the wild ancestors of commercial apples. The pupils are now looking forward to watching the flowers turn into Crab Apples in the Autumn.