Coals to Goals!

Year 5 had a fantastic time on our "Coals to Goals" visit to the Foundation of Light. There were four different activities that we all got to have a go at throughout the day. First up, we discovered the history and symbolism of the SAFC crest and had a go at code cracking to find out more. Did you know that the lions on the badge represent the club's "Black Cats" nickname as well as the roaring support of the crowd? We even got to try on some of the shirts from different eras. Next, there was a fun PE lesson where we worked in teams to play a sporty version of rock, paper, scissors and complete an obstacle course. In the third activity we discovered the history of Wearmouth Colliery on which the Stadium of Light is built from a miner who worked there. The children asked some insightful questions to find out even more and we were lucky enough to see a Davy lamp and helmet up close. Finally, there was a heritage treasure hunt around the grounds of the stadium where we went looking for monuments connected to both the football club's past and the mining heritage of the site. We even got to go in through the stadium's main entrance so we could see the enormous mining banner displayed inside. We noticed from some of the plaques on the wall that some of the Royal Family had visited before us. In the words of Georgia, "It was the best school trip ever!"