11.02am
The children and staff were in very good spirits this morning and by the time bags and bodies were loaded, our intrepid explorers departed at 10.53am.
The journey to Liddington takes approximately an hour (traffic permitting) and I will send out a parent mail confirming safe arrival.
More news later.
Mrs Taylor
After much excitement finding their rooms, the children dumped their bags and headed out to eat lunch.
This afternoon’s activities include: Archery, Climbing, Jacob’s Ladder, Fencing and Buggy Building, with each group completing two different tasks before dinner.
Archery - accuracy, control and a steady hand are vital for achieving the best results and for many of our children this will be the first time they will have tried shooting with a bow.
Climbing - the children need to combine different skills, including perseverance, strength, and an ability to deal with heights. They will be climbing an outdoor tower and a top-rope is always used for safety and auto-belay devices take up the slack as the climber ascends.
Jacob’s Ladder – this requires teamwork and friendly cooperation. The children wear safety harnesses attached to ropes. They work in teams of three to climb to the top of a suspended ladder of logs. The gaps between each log become wider the higher you go. Pushing up, pulling up, standing on shoulders - it's all about working together to get to the top.
Fencing – this activity is both a physical and a mental workout, in which the children learn to hone their strategies against an opponent. It requires physical endurance, agility, and accuracy.
Buggy Building – the children work in groups to design and build a working buggy. There will be a number of components available, including large plastic barrels, ropes and poles. This is a great teamwork exercise and helps pupils improve their communication, problem solving and decision-making skills. Once buggies are ready to be ridden, the children will attempt to complete a number of challenges, including navigating around a slalom course.
We are not expecting any photos of this year's trip until later this afternoon and to give you a taste of the things that children will be doing, I've included a few from previous trips.