Regents' Year 6 Students Venture to Chiang Mai

Regents' Year 6 Students Venture to Chiang Mai New cultures, pushing comfort zones and creating lasting life experiences in Chiang Mai One of the special aspects of our school is that the children have many learning opportunities outside of the classroom and the Year 6 residential trip to Chiang Mai last week not only enabled the children to learn about key areas of their integrated topic: Mountains and Hill Tribes, but also about themselves.

On Sunday 16^th November, our excited children and four teachers departed Pattaya and made their way to the train station in Bangkok to catch the overnight train to Chiang Mai. Jostling with anticipation to get on the train, the children patiently waited, chatting with their friends. “Who are you going to sit next to?” “What do you think the train will be like?” were just some of the curious questions overheard.

Once settled on the train, the children enjoyed chatting, reading a book, playing cards, and especially watching the train attendants make the beds, two hours into the journey. Fast-forward 14 hours and we arrived in Chiang Mai before being immediately transported to our base for the week - Prem International School; a scenic green campus on the outskirts of the city.

Throughout the week, the children experienced various activities including cycling, buffalo farming, a hill tribe visit, science investigative work, a visit to the night market and so much more. A highlight of the trip was our Karen hill tribe stay – it was an eye-opening experience for the students, many of whom have rarely had an opportunity to mix with smiley, enthusiastic people who are living a simple life in a far-off secluded little village.

When Thursday arrived, it was time to go home, which the children were certainly not overly joyed about – they wanted to stay! The train journey home was restful and reflective, as the children talked about their week, how much fun they had and what they had learnt from their experiences. They all settled down for a good night’s sleep, arriving safely back in Pattaya with plenty to talk about to their family and friends.

 

Jo Brown, Head of Year 6