Day 4's epic adventures

As the days go on, the mornings start slower and slower. A shuffle to the canteen for breakfast, the coveted blackberry jam aquired and energy was restored. 

Miss Chandler had the great idea of upping the room inspection stakes with a bonus round of "toiletry sculptures"...this backfired slightly with children focusing on this rather than a room tidy. That being said, there were some incredibly creative sculptures! 


Some activity inspired sculptures using snacks.


A dinosaur,  PGL, and toiletry Stonehenge- complete with a clock representing the rising sun. Some entries for the next Turner Prize?

We started this morning with Survivor and Vertical Challenge. Survivor involved building a shelter from twine, tarpaulin and tent pegs. Year 6 were incredibly creative, with one team installing a water system (complete with demonstration).


We then followed this with fire lighting using a flint and steel. Great perseverance was needed but most groups managed to get their cotton wool lit!


We're hoping that tonight's bonfire is being started with a more traditional method, otherwise I think we will be there awhile. 

After this we moved to Vertical Challenge where Miss Chandler immediately declared "absolutely not".


The children were not so daunted, and scrambled to the top with ease. Lots of cheering and lovely teamwork to encourage their friends. IT. WAS. SO. HIGH!!! I heard that the views were amazing from the top but none of the adults can testify to this.


After some carb-loading of what was our favourite lunch so far (burgers and crinkle cut chips) we started the afternoon with a short rest and then plenty of fresh air and sunshine.

Another bout of teamwork was required to hoist our friends up into the air for the giant swing. At one point there were three Kites (the birds not there ones on string) or Kestrels circling the apparatus and with cries of "I'm going to die", it was quite ominous. We are pleased to say that only a shoe was sacrificed mid-air and all declared it the best thing ever (see twitter later for my swing scream compilation). 

We then had some orienteering activities which was broken up by an impromptu ballet lesson, photo proof below. 

We've had a great dinner, the kids are packing and the three adults are sharing a rare cup of tea and catching up on any election news.

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1

Image
After delicious choose your own filling, freshly made rolls and snacks, we took ourselves to an outdoor lunch hall and ate up. Despite some questions about the "nutritional value" of hoola hoops, we scarfed up lunch ready for our first real activities. Have you ever seen a residential dining room that looks like this? Wow 😍 Year 6 headed to the low ropes, as you can see, there was much comedic value in this activity and Miss Lovell was on the floor in fits of laughter. The low ropes may seem simple but there's a lot of skill and teamwork needed to get across with speed and grace.  Year 5 however were on an activity called "postman's walk" which was a set of very *not* low ropes. For their first ever residential, they tackled this with great confidence and brilliant teamwork! With the tunes of "I believe I can fly", they graceful floated back down. Not everyone managed to reach the top, but we've all given it a good go.  After a snack of fruit ...
Read more

Day 2

Image
Well, we didn't have much luck with getting the children to sleep last night, it took q....u.....i.....t......e....... a long time AND then the evening lock up alarm beeps and we were back to square one! You'd think with such a late night, we'd have sleeping children this morning but alas, we were woken up around 5:45! They are bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for the day. Breakfast this morning was a cooked breakfast and cereal and yogurt. I was told, "this is excellent" which is good news as I think it's our breakfast venue for the week.  The sun is shining brightly and the location is just gorgeous. We've really been enjoying walking through the woodland to the different activities and chatting amongst ourselves.  Today we've started together at the climbing walls, one vertical and one on a slight incline. The children are working so well together, cheering each other on, offering advice and erupting in applause when they make it to the top.  ...
Read more

we've arrived 🌲🌲🌲

Image
35 children + 35 suitcases + 2 trains + London commuters = our first adventure activity completed.  Despite a few tears from the children (and some grown-ups) we started our journey with lots of laughs and excitement!  The children were brilliant and have increased their arm strength ready for the return journey. The train staff have also been amazing in helping us on and off the train and we've definitely given people something to smile about.  During the train journey we've had lots of bubbly conversations, wondering about our rooms and stating that they're "fine now". The nerves have disappeared and the sun has come out 🌞🌞🌞🌞 We were met at the station by the Cuffley staff who unburdened us from our luggage and led the hike between the station and the centre.  We enjoyed a 25 minute hike from the station through the town and then the woods and the excitement began!  We've had a quick settle into rooms, chosen top and bottom bunks, learned how...
Read more