'Our Place in Evolution' - A trip to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History

On Friday the first of December, 29 girls from year 7 to Upper Sixth, travelled to the Oxford Museum in London, part of Oxford University. The exhibits on display ranged from tiny mealy bugs to a huge T-Rex skeleton. Firstly, we had a talk about classifying species, Darwinism and evolution. It was very interesting, and we learnt lots about Darwin’s favourite species; barnacles, and how species have evolved and adapted to fit their habitat, through the process of natural selection. In the talk we looked a fascinating beetle and how it had adapted its long legs to protect its female until she lays her eggs. We also held a Madagascar hissing cockroach, which despite their names, were tame, gentle and quite shy! After the talk we were allowed to wander through the museum to look at the subjects that interested us. Our highlights were: the Dinosaur skeleton, the Fluorescent Minerals, the stuffed Bears that we could touch, the Animal skeletons, the Butterflies and the size of the Japanese Spider Crab! The fox at the entrance was very soft too! It was a very enjoyable experience and we would all love to come back again!

Charlotte and Emmie

During the afternoon, we made the long trip to the Oxford Museum of Natural History.Once we arrived, we were treated to a thrilling talk about Darwin’s love of barnacles and the evolution of insects. Some us even held hissing cockroaches. As the talk drew to a close, we were allowed to wander around the museum. There was a fascinating exhibition about the brain, featuring models and real specimens. What really made the museum so unique, was that there was a huge amount of taxidermy: you were allowed to see the animals up close and touch them. It was a fantastic trip and we had a great time!

Ana and Olivia