Year 5 pupils visit Cadbury World

Year 5's 'Chocolate Heaven' topic was introduced with a delectable visit to Cadbury World on the outskirts of Birmingham.

The children travelled back 1000 years and entered a tropical rainforest where they were surrounded by dense vegetation and the sounds of indigenous wildlife. It was here that they discovered how the cocoa tree was central to the Mayan Indian culture, and how the Emperor Montezuma enjoyed drinking 'chocolatl'. A mini theatre presentation told us about the arrival of chocolate to Europe. Hernán Cortéz brought the wonderful cocoa bean back to Europe where drinking chocolate quickly became the drink of choice in high society.

Walking into Bull Street, Year 5 pupils were presented with a full-scale replica of the original street where John Cadbury opened his shop in 1824. They were able to see the different types of shops before hearing from John Cadbury himself, who told the inspiring story of his early struggles to establish the business. With his sons Richard and George, John Cadbury gave the pupils an understanding of how the Cadbury family's Quaker beliefs led them to build a new and better kind of factory, in a green-field site away from the smoke and grime of the city. 

After finding out about how chocolate is made from 'Bean to Bar', we were able to watch interactive videos that showed the production process of a wide range of our favourite chocolates including Creme Eggs, Roses, Buttons and Easter Eggs!

The excitement levels increased upon entering the factory packaging zone where we were greeted by the sweet delicious smell of chocolate. We were tempted by the luxurious aromas and we all tasted delicious liquid chocolate!

After an extremely busy, fun and informative morning, the children had lunch and let off some steam in the climbing zones with rope bridges and three storey high tube slides. Then it was time for a talk, explaining in detail the process of 'Bean to Bar'. Pupils were able to hold a cocoa bean and were introduced to how Cadbury brand and advertise their chocolate. 

The day finished with an exciting visit to the 4D cinema where we hurtled along a virtual roller-coaster, reaching out for flying chocolate bars as they flew towards us. The all-important visit to the Cadbury shop rounded off our day and we were ready to return home with pockets full of chocolate. The wealth of knowledge gained from the trip enabled pupils to create, make, advertise and brand their very own box of chocolates. Hopefully family members of Year 5 pupils had the chance to taste the results of their efforts at the end of the week!