With our Red Tractor burgers consumed, it was time to head off into the woods for our evening campfire. Our teachers hoped there would not be any further controversy after Izabella had ‘stolen’ Mr. Suter’s dessert when his back was turned which, as could be imagined, caused great distress – his subsequent blood orange, while delicious, was clearly not as appealing as the waffles and cream the majority had chosen. And so to our campfire, where our leader Dave and Mr. Connolly led a series of games to wind ourselves down after our busy day. These were greatly appreciated, but not of course as much as the marshmallows we toasted on the fire. And so to bed.
There was a little less activity in the bedrooms this morning when the teachers made their early morning room calls. After yet another hearty breakfast, it was time for the hardest challenge of the week – packing our bags and clearing our rooms! Surprisingly, with very little encouragement, success was achieved and it was time for our day’s activities.
First, the team challenges – a series of games and tasks designed to test our children’s ability to work together. Building bridges across a lava floor, raising a ball from the floor using only thin strings, the tennis ball gutter run (getting a ball from A to B using only short lengths of guttering) and the escape room memory maze where the children had to work their way across a checker board to safety: all of these tested our children’s skills to work together to achieve a common goal. Success, shall we say, was varied.
Finally, perhaps the funniest activity of the week: the nightline. All the children were equipped with blackened goggles and helmets which made them look like minion variants and, under Oscar’s leadership, followed a rope around a series of obstacles in the woods. Of course it was not straight forward: tunnels, climbs and sharp corners all served to disorientate the children and make their traverse around the course more challenging.
Eventually, it had to come to an end. We have been blessed with the weather; the centre staff and all our activity leaders have been excellent; we have eaten and slept well but finally, just like the shopkeeper, Mr. Rooney and Fred from the maintenance team appeared and it was time to go home…
