Leif Bjarte and Sissel kindly picked us up from the hotel at 8am and delivered us to Torvmyrane Skule where we were then separated into groups and given a guided tour of the school by a group of children who wowed us with their mature attitudes and excellent English. Following this we met at the Fugleberget (bird mountain) to hear about Torvmyrane Skule’s excellent work in developing the pupils’ social skills and also watched a film which tracked the day of two children in Norway. During the school break, we were given an excellent opportunity to watch the children dancing as part of their ‘spreking.’ Back at Bird Mountain, we were given an inspirational introduction to the work of Torvmyrane and James Nottingham in the creation of a whole school vision which impacts everything and everyone in the school.
Following a delicious lunch, it was time to put on our walking shoes and rain coats for our afternoon boat ride to Svanøy. We visited a fish farm, and then a deer farm. Evening activities included axe throwing, archery and hammering nails into logs. Go Wales!!! We were definitely the BEST! We dined at a very special historical building called Svanøy Hovedgård. What an experience! We were served a sumptuous meal of fish soup, deer and panna cotta. This was followed by an eerie but fascinating tour of the building. 
Thursday 29th September 2011
We were met again at 8am by Leif Bjarte and Sissle, dress
ed for the weather as we were to spend time outdoors. They kindly transported us to school where we spent the first hour enjoying lessons with classes of particular interest to us. Following this, whilst the Comenius leaders met, we joined the three and four year olds on a trip up the mountain to their base camps. We were truly privileged to have this experience. We watched as the children dressed themselves in their outdoor gear and put on their backpacks. Off we go! The children excitedly made their way up the mountain with us staggering behind them!
Once at base camp, the children enjoyed a range of activities including climbing trees, digging, making slides, playing on tree swings etc… The Nursery teacher then lit an open campfire and cooked popcorn for us all to enjoy. What an awesome sight!!! We were speechless – and still are!
Following a yummy lunch of lasagne we either chose to have some time to ourselves or take a boat ride with Leif Bjarte to harvest crabs for the evening’s dinner. The dinner was held at the Coast Museum and was kindly prepared by the school’s staff. Lots of us learnt how to EXTRACT crab meat from its shell. Again, there’s a first time for everything! The evening was completed by the beautiful voices of Heather and Knut, amongst others as we sang and enjoyed the last evening of each others company for this special visit.
Early to rise – we left the beautiful town of Florø by ferry at 8:35am for our homes in Wales. We are so grateful for the hospitality and kindness shown to us, yet again by our friends in Norway. We are really excited to return to school to try out some of the exciting ideas for the benefit of us all in Alderman Davies CiW Primary School.
