A group of students who make up the judging panel for the Royal Society Book Awards took part in a trip to Cliffe Castle, Keighley. We concentrated on 3 of the Science-based books on the shortlist; Deadly and Dangerous Animals, Bugs World and Live like a Hunter Gatherer. 

The day included studying and drawing bugs and fossils, then making prints of our artwork. We took part in a scavenger hunt for predatory animals, then produced a Top Trumps game based on the characteristics of our animals. We also had a dig for artefacts, and we studied, built and used stone-age tools and weapons.

The experience gave our students a better understanding of the information in the shortlisted books and will guide us when we award points for the books prior to the award ceremony in March.