Year 3 and 4 pupils from Willow Tree Primary School were recently treated to the kind of school trip we’d all like to go on – a visit to York’s Chocolate Story to learn more about the origin of chocolate. Linking their recent topic learning all about Mayan civilisation and the upcoming science topic, ‘States of Matter’ it was a great way to bring learning to life in a day that many children described as “the best school trip, ever”.
The day started with a workshop run by York’s Chocolate Story, which explained the ingredients in different types of chocolates and explored chocolate in liquid and solid forms. During this workshop, the children created and decorated their own slabs of chocolate, which started as liquid before solidifying like magic before their own eyes.
They also had the exciting opportunity to try a new type of chocolate – ‘ruby chocolate’ – which is not available as a solid form in supermarkets yet. A real highlight of the day.
The second part of the trip saw the children taken on a guided tour of the Chocolate Story. Here, the children learnt more about the origin of chocolate, from the importance and history of chocolate in Yorkshire, to its origins with the Aztecs and the Maya.
Helen Winter, Year 4 teacher at Willow Tree Primary School, said:
Our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils had a fantastic time at York’s Chocolate Story, learning about the rich history of chocolate here in Yorkshire and the ancient origins of the coco bean. Not only that, but the trip allowed us to use something we all love – chocolate – to teach the children about how a liquid can turn into a solid and vice versa!
All in all, it was a great educational trip that will live long in the memory.
