Last half-term, Year 4 undertook a line of enquiry in our first Geography unit of the year which required us to question… Why are rainforests important to us? Our case study was the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Although 5205 miles away across the globe, the children delved deep into the rich treasures of the rainforest by learning about its natural resources, its healing powers and its ability to slow down the effects of global warming. We listened to and empathised with the stories of indigenous people, heard through our Lyfta learning, of how human beings from across the world have had a detrimental effect on the rainforest through mining and deforestation.

To help us fully understand the climate and life within this beautiful biome, we even managed to take a visit to Birmingham Botanical Gardens where we experienced the humidity of the glasshouses that were teeming with tropical plant life. We also managed to get up close and personal with some of the wildlife!

After immersing ourselves in every aspect of Amazon life, we felt it was only right to play our part in the future of the planet and have our say! The children wrote a letter to the President of Brazil, outlining why rainforests are important to us and what we can do to help save them! With the help of parents, some of these letters were posted at home…. In the last two weeks, we received an email from an Environmental Analyst at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in Brazil who informed us that they had received some of our letters and wanted to personally reply to those that they receive! The children were thrilled to hear the news that their letter and importantly, their voice had travelled 5205 miles to the place they had located in their atlases and on their globes in their classroom. Another full- circle moment in our learning here at Langley providing a purposeful end to a fantastic, interesting enquiry!