St Paul's C of E Junior School

Wednesday 20th October

Wednesday 8.00am

The children were up bright and early and excited about the prospect of a hearty breakfast before heading out for today's activities.

The food at Liddington is excellent, as you can see from the photos, and there is an extensive menu at every mealtime. The centre used to be a hotel and so the facilities, including bedrooms, are of a high standard.

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9.41am

It was very wet and windy night throughout the night and things are soggy underfoot at Liddington this morning. The children are not the slightest bit bothered and after lashings of sausages, hash browns, beans and bowls of cereal, they are in super spirits and excited about what the day holds in store.

This morning's activities are as follows:

Group	Activity 1	Activity 2
1 – Miss Plumley	Raft Building	Giant Swing
2 – Miss Gilder	Raft Building	Giant Swing
3 – Mrs Maggs	Giant Swing	Raft Building
4 – Mrs Walker	Giant Swing	Raft Building
5 – Mrs Wells	Giant Swing	Sensory Trail
6 – Mrs Judd	Sensory Trail	Giant Swing
7 – Mrs Bond & Mrs Grabowska	Trapeze	Sensory Trail
8 – Mrs Wilson	Sensory Trail	Zip Wire

Raft Building - the challenge is to design and build a robust and working raft. There will be a number of components available, including large plastic barrels, ropes and poles. It’s a great teamwork exercise and involves excellent communication, problem solving and decision-making. Once rafts are ready to launch, the fun begins out on the water.

Giant Swing - harnessed into a two seater swing which the rest of the group haul up to 10m high. It is up to each pair of passengers as to how high they want to go before pulling the release cord and hurtling down towards the ground, before swinging up again towards the sky. This activity is described as breath-taking!

Sensory Trail - the sensory trail is a challenge in more ways than one. During the activity the children negotiate a series of obstacles – blindfolded – with the other members of their group guiding them.

Trapeze - each stage of the trapeze requires courage and determination. The challenge starts with a climb to the top of a 6-metre pole. Next, a climb onto the small platform, where pupils stand to make that leap for the trapeze! It’s a heart-pounding activity that sees the children supporting and encouraging one another every step of the way.

Zip Wire - once at the top of the zip wire platform, pupils are securely attached to the overhead wire before making their flight across the sky!

More news this afternoon.

10.45am - Pictures just in!

Blue skies over Liddington. Oh my goodness, how brave are Year 6!

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12.59pm

Sun's still shining at Liddington! Lots of very wet children are now changing after having great fun raft building and some of our groups are off to the shop before hitting the dining hall.

Everyone is well and working up an appetite for lunch.

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A busy afternoon lies ahead, with each group involved in two different activities. The children are due to finish having fun around 5.20pm They will then head back to the main building for some chill out time before dinner.

Group	Activity 1	Activity 2
1 – Miss Plumley	Climbing	Survivor
2 – Miss Gilder	Survivor	Climbing
3 – Mrs Maggs	Climbing	Sensory Trail
4 – Mrs Walker	Sensory Trail	Climbing
5 – Mrs Wells	Raft Building	Trapeze
6 – Mrs Judd	Trapeze	Raft Building
7 – Mrs Bond & Mrs Grabowska	Raft Building	Climbing
8 – Mrs Wilson	Climbing	Raft Building

Climbing

The climbing wall is great for building confidence, strength and climbing technique; it’s perfect for trying out new moves, secure in the knowledge that you can’t fall.

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6.15pm

Team St Paul's have had a fantastic day and have achieved so much. All of the PGL leaders have been very impressed with the children's behaviour and the care, kindness and support that they have shown one another in conquering fears and having a go at some very challenging activities. We couldn't be prouder of them or of the way they have worked together. They are brilliant ambassadors for our school.

After dinner, the children and staff will be donning layers, coats, hats and scarves before heading off for a sing song round the camp fire.

10:00pm

The camp fire was fun, if a rather wet affair. The rain was persistent but the children didn't allow it to dampen their spirits. They are now snugly tucked up in bed for the night. After such a full on day, they are absolutely shattered and many are already fast asleep as I type.

More news tomorrow.

Mrs Taylor