The Hatching 7: Journey to the Sea

Journey To The Sea

Burnley St Peter's C of E Primary School

19th March 2015

our trout will enter the river about here

Final aquarium days now for our fingerlings and they are pushing the limits of their tanks. There is a sense of fish ready for a longer swim, for wilder waters, for freedom…and also the knowledge of danger

The Hatching 2015 has almost fulfilled its mission. This year 10 schools hatched trout eggs as part of the Ribble Rivers Trust's hatch and release scheme for Burnley rivers

My colleague Steve Brown and I have visited 8 schools, working with our Trout-keepers to offer a creative take on the hatching process. 

Our team of trout-keepers at St Peter's, split into two groups and while one started the Journey to the Sea song, the others started thinking about the friends, foods and enemies our fish might meet.

concentration is called for...

...and the results are worth celebrating!

upstream to the hills and old bridges? or down to the sea?

River animals unfolded as finger puppets

Great Crested Grebe - and smaller great crested grebe!

and river crowns

an angry frog on a river crown

The Journey To The Sea
Chorus
We're going on a journey to the sea (sea)

Swim along and let's be free, (free)

There's 10 of  us on our way

We'll get there come what may, HEY!

We are little brown trout,

This is the first day we've been out,

We start at the river's source,

High up on the mythical moors.

Five fish lose their way,

At the fork in the river they swim astray,

"Oh, no!" the fry did cry

"We didn't get to say goodbye!"

Splash! Splosh! The fingerlings dive

How many more trout will survive?

Twist and turn down a waterfall

Another one lost in the plunge pool

Here comes fisherman John
A couple of worms and two trout gone
.... 

Out to the ocean swims our friend

Crooky has reached the river's end

"I'm proud", the trout sings loud

"I was lost but now I'm found!"

The River Singers, 1

River Singers, 2

To hear the whole song, you will need to follow the link that will be posted here very soon!

careful drawing on a dragonfly

Many thanks to the artists, musicians, trout-keepers 

and composers of St Peter's