Sam had been looking forward to his school trip all The smooth roads of Sam’s home town

wn had
week. He gazed excitedly out of the coach window
as his friends chatted happily around him.
disappeared behind them and now the coach bumped
and bounced up steep inclines and around tight
corners. Even so, the driver hummed cheerfully,
showing no signs of worry.
After a while, the coach pulled into a thin lane that The children gathered their school bags and water
opened into a large, rocky car park. The driver bottles and began to shuffle down the aisle. They
slotted them into a space in the shade of some hopped down the steps of the coach and lined up
towering trees. neatly in the empty car park.

Sam’s class appeared to be the only

visitors today. Everyone zipped their coats up to the
top and Sam pulled on his woollen hat to keep the cold
wind from nipping at his ears.
Their topic for the half-term was autumn. The
children had looked for changes around their
school, which sat in the centre of the town, and
now it was time to continue the search in a
different environment.

Their teacher had given the class the challenge of

using all of their senses to explore the woods in
autumn.
“It isn’t enough just to look around. You have to
take in everything about this wonderful place,” said
Mr Fitzgerald.

Sam’s class knew there was a prize waiting for

the writer of the best description and everyone
was determined to be the person to take it
home.
As they began to walk deeper into the woods, the
coughing and rumbling of the coach could still be
heard but as soon as it was turned off, silence filled
the air. Or so they thought. Soon, their ears began to
tune into the song of nature.
Dry crinkly leaves rustled and crunched underfoot and
the songs of birds mingled together into a beautiful
chorus.
The children continued to chatter but their voices were
quiet as they listened to the noises surrounding them.
Heading deeper into the forest, Mr Fitzgerald He explained to the children that blackberries aren’t
excitedly pointed out some plump blackberries on a dangerous and gave them permission to try one. Sam
prickly bush, shining like jewels. carefully selected a big ripe berry from amongst the
thorns and placed it into his mouth.

As the berry burst it released a

sharp but sweet juice. It was
delicious!
Sam looked up at the patches of sky, just visible
between the branches of golden leaves above. When
the class had arrived, the sky had been full of dark
grey clouds. Now, gentle rays of sunshine broke
through the canopy, like spotlights on the forest floor.
Sam inhaled deeply and blew a warm cloud of breath
into the icy air.
“You look like a dragon!” giggled his friend. Before
long, the whole class had joined in.

Bushy-tailed squirrels darted to the ground, searching

for nuts and seeds in the carpet of crispy leaves,
before scampering back to the safety of the trees.
Sam’s nose was filled with the musty smell of the Sam noticed that not all the trees were bare. He spotted
forest. The scent of rotting leaves and damp wood some tall, bright green trees between the empty branches
hung in the air. and went to investigate. To Sam, they smelt like
Christmas!

“These trees are evergreen,” explained Mr Fitzgerald.

“They have green leaves all year round.”
Sam ran his hand across the rough, criss-crossed
bark of the trees as he walked. The blanket of leaves
and fallen twigs beneath his feet was spongy and
cushioned the sound of
his footsteps.

The ground was littered with green, spiky balls

that prickled his fingers.

“Crack it open!” urged Mr Fitzgerald.

Sam pulled the casing apart and discovered a

polished, deep brown conker hiding inside!
The sun began to fade and soon, Sam heard the
pitter-patter of raindrops tap-dancing on the
leaves overhead. It wasn’t long before the
children had to huddle beneath the outstretched
arms of a huge oak tree for shelter.
“Time to head back to the coach, I think,” smiled
Mr Fitzgerald from under the hood of his
raincoat.
The children did not chatter as they walked. They
wanted one last chance to hear the rustling
leaves, smell the evergreens, taste the berries,
see the scurrying squirrels and feel the rough
bark of the trees.
Back on board the coach, the children pulled off
their wet coats and rubbed their numb hands
together for warmth.
“Time to hand in your autumn descriptions,”
announced Mr Fitzgerald, as he made his way down
the aisle collecting the clipboards.
The coach began its journey back towards the town,
down the winding country lanes, while the teacher
checked each description carefully. After what felt
like forever, he turned in his seat to announce the
winner.
“They were all very good but there is a clear winner,”
he smiled. “The winner is… SAM!”
Sam was delighted to have won the competition “What a great school trip,” he beamed as the
and couldn’t wait to see what his prize would be coach headed out of the forest and back towards
back at school. school.