Thursday, September 26, 2019

1, 2, 3.....Set the Dragon Free

Good evening all,

WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!

What a fantastic day. Just when you think our children could not be any more AMAZING they go and prove me wrong! If I had a pound for every time a member of Robinwood staff said what a fantastic group of children we have I would be a millionaire (well nearly!). Genuinely, the amount of compliments I have received for the children’s manners and respect they have shown to each other and Robinwood staff have made me smile from ear to ear all day!

The day started off with a glowing report from the famous Robinwood Night Ninjas. No problems to report so onto our first activity. Breakfast! With beans, sausages, cereal, toast, fruit and potato waffles ( a new favourite breakfast) on offer the children certainly were fuelled (it did take 3 helpings for some) for the action packed day that awaited them.

Each group had 2 activities to complete before lunch. River had Caving and Giant Swing, Lake had Knights Quest and Climbing and Rapids group had Dungeons and Night Line. Each activity required certain skills that pushed and challenged children to achieve their set goals. Reports from Mrs Shaw and Mr Cook are that the children surpassed expectations in each of their activities. Teamwork skills were strongly evident as children flew through activities and pushed onto more challenging games. I was particularly impressed with the compassion and encouragement shown between the children in River group when completing their morning activities. A huge shout out goes to all the children who have conquered their personal challenges/ fears be it height or the dark. We talk about been compassionate, kind, caring and supportive a lot in school and to see these amazing skills so evidently in our children when some of them were suspended high up in the air on the climbing wall or crawling on their hands and knees in the cave, it reminds me of what a special school we are part of and what a fantastic group of children our Year 6’s are.

Lunch time! A chance to regroup and reenergise. Tuck shop awaited next and the children were allowed a treat for now and one for later. Pencils, pens and mugs to help the children remember and treasure the memories that have been created over the past 2 days.

After lunch another 3 activities for the children to sink their teeth into! River had High Ropes, Climbing and Canoeing! Lakes had Caving, Canoeing and Dungeon. Rapids group had Trapeze, High Ropes and Canoeing. Respect, listening, encouragement, problem solving, teamwork and communication were all skills that Emily, Cooper and Liz (Our SUPERSTAR instructors) said our children had showed in abundance. Emily, our course leader, has not stopped raving about our fabulous children and doesn't just tell us, the whole centre are aware of our FANTASTIC children!

Teatime! Fish fingers, curry and ice cream were on the menu for the children. Just what the children need after an action packed day. But wait…it’s not over, there were two more activities for the children to complete.

The much-awaited Piranha Pool awaited Lakes and Rapids, River group would have to wait until tomorrow. The Piranha Pool was approached with excitement and some nerves. Had Mr Elliot been lying? Were there any piranhas? Is the water hot or cold? Do the Piranhas have teeth?
Well not to spoil it for any younger siblings, the children all survived, however, Lakes only just got out with seconds to spare before they were the piranhas supper!

Trapeze and Dungeon were the final sessions of the day for River group. Lake had the Piranha Pool and Trapeze. Lakes had Caving and Piranha Pool. Even though these were our final activities the children still showed as much enthusiasm and positivity as they had done for the very first activity which was just over 12 hours ago. We could not be any prouder of the children!

Hot chocolate, biscuits and bedtime followed. Tired eyes were plentiful in the room as the eagerly waited phrase 'bedtime' was met with joy as over 12 hours of undeliverable fun had taken its toll on some of the children (and adults!).

On a personal note, I wanted to take the opportunity to say a big THANK YOU! Some think the adults who go on residential are crazy! But your children have been truly amazing. Mr Cook, Mrs Shaw and I are so proud of all the children's achievements. They have also been a delight to sit and have breakfast, lunch and dinner with and never once complained. The manners and politeness have been OUTSTANDING!

Anyway, enough of that, we still have another busy morning ahead. Breakfast, 3 more activities and lunch before we start our journey back to Collingham.

Well it's past our bedtime and after 2 days away we need our beauty sleep. Again, thank you for your lovely comments. They all say a big hello and are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow quickly followed by “can we stay a bit longer?’ These are priceless to the children and we love to see the smiles, which go from ear to ear as the children read them. I will try to upload some photos but it is proving at times too much for the WiFi.

See you tomorrow,

Mr E, Mrs Shaw and Mr Cook. 

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Zip! Zip! Zip! Enjoying our trip......

Good evening all, 

WOW! 

What a fantastic send off this morning (I can't believe that was only this morning)!

I must say this every year, but what an amazing group of year 6 children we have with us on residential! After a fantastic journey to North Wales the children just had enough time to stretch their legs before our group leaders Emily (River), Cooper (Lake) and Liz (Rapids) whisked the children off to complete their first task, making their beds. I can report that the children were all successful at putting on their own bottom sheets, stuffing their pillow in a pillowcase and putting on a duvet cover. No excuses now when they get home!

After that, lunch awaited the children, on the menu was Pizza! The children also had the chance to order their meals for the rest of the week, pasta, curry, sandwiches, jacket potatoes and lots more, plus the added bonus of choc ices. 

Before we knew it, it was time to head off for their first activities Knights Quest, Zip-wire and the Crate Challenge. The amount of fantastic teamwork skills on show across the three activities had our group leaders talking about what a magnificent group of children they were working with. The children were complemented for their perseverance, resilience, communication and listening skills. Some faced their fears as they tackled the highflying Zip-Wire. I can report that Mr Cook flew down the Zip-Wire setting a new Robinwood record.  

No time to rest, quick toilet and drinks stop and then onto Zip-Wire (River), Raft Building (Lake) and Quest (Rapids). More fantastic skills on show from the children and adults. The children in Lake Group were first to put their craftsmen ship to the test as they had to build a craft worthy enough to cross the Robinwood lake. I am pleased to report the rafts were successful to the disappointment of their group leader Cooper (and some of the children) that no one got wet so they were then tasked to show their best swan dive off the jetty into the lake. 

Raft Building (River), Archery (Lake) and Climbing (Rapids). A great attitude from all the children who after an early start were giving everything 100% and still had smiles on their faces! With the sun out it made for a pleasant paddle on the lake for River group that is until they went to test their rafts and safe to say all the children in River group ended up a little wet after their unsuccessful voyages.

Our 4thactivities included Archery (River), Giant Swing (Lake) and  Zip Wire (Rapids). Lake group successfully completed the giant swing and Rapids zipped down the Zip-Wire whilst Rivers took aim for gold in the archery range. Towards the end of these activities bellies were starting to rumble.

After 4 action packed activities the children (and adults) were ready for some tea. Great table manners impressed the Robinwood staff as the children tucked into some pasta or jacket potatoes followed by more pasta for some of the children and even more pasta for some of the children who wanted seconds and thirds followed by scrumptious choc ices. 

Re-fuelled it was onto our final activity Team Challenge.  Completing different activities for points the children excelled themselves, had fun and laughed as the teachers tried their hardest to embarrass them selves. 

As the activity came to a finish it was time for hot chocolate and biscuits. The rules for night-time followed and the need for a good night sleep was top of the list! 

Bed time! The children are now fast asleep as I type and can't imagine we will see any of the children until they wake up or are awoken up by the night ninjas at 7am.

We are incredibly proud of the children's perseverance, courage and teamwork today and can't wait for tomorrow's activities.

Thank you for all your wonderful messages which I will share with the children over breakfast tomorrow morning. If you know of anyone still unaware of the blog please share and pass on the details.

I will share more with you tomorrow. An action packed day awaits. 

Goodnight 
Mr E, Mr Cook and Mrs Shaw x

We have arrived!

Ahead of schedule and all in one piece. The children are now making their beds and packing their day bags before heading off for some lunch.

Goodbye, farewell..........

Are we there yet!

Thank you for a wonderful send off from school (we did wave back). The children are settled and happily chatting, singing and playing card games. Our arrival time is roughly 11am at Robinwood. We will endeavour to keep the blog up to date as much as possible. I will always share any message/ comments left on the blog as we know this is something the children really look forward to.

Mr E, Mr Cook and Mrs Shaw

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Suggested Clothing List

With the Year 6 trip to Robinwood only a few hours away, it’s important that your child brings suitable clothing. There is no need to go out and buy anything special, all specialist equipment is provided for the on-centre activities. Below is a suggested list of the clothing to bring:
  • 3 T-shirts
  • 3 Sweatshirts/(long sleeved) tops
  • 3 Pairs of trousers
  • 1 Pair of shorts
  • 6 Sets of underwear
  • 6 Pairs of socks
  • 1 Pair of trainers (indoor use)
  • 1 Pair of outdoor shoes/boots
  • 2 Towels
  • 1 Coat (ideally waterproof, required for walk to and from centre)
  • 1 Warm hat/sun hat
  • 1 Pair of gloves (cold weather)
  • Suntan lotion/insect repellent (warm weather)
  • 1 Set of nightwear
  • 1 Bag of toiletries