Wow, another great Kingswood day. Lucky with the weather - only the last activity session of the day was wet but that did not dampen the spirits as the girls eagerly participated in quad biking, circus skills, team challenges, zip wire and the infamous Kingswood game of aeroball (playing netabll on a trampoline)! Once again, everyone has participated in everything - giving it their all both while doing the activity themselves as well as encouraging their friends to get the most of the opportunities.
One of the instructors today had a wonderful way of explaining why an individual, who, having made it to the top of the climbing tower (about 30ft) but then "bottled it" when it came to abseiling down again, should feel proud of themselves. He said that at the top of the tower was "out of their comfort zone" but every time you take yourself out of your comfort zone you are into the "stretch zone, where the real learning takes place". Having got so far it will be that much easier the next time and hopefully they will enter that stretch zone again and again until it almost becomes second nature. He went on to explain that this does not only work when abseiling but can also be applied to all sorts of activities; maths lessons, public speaking, sports and many other personal challenges.
The food certainly seems to have gone down well with a curry for tea this evening (or burgers for those not so keen on curry) - it really has been great to see so many children asking for seconds.
The disco was a tremendous success with the girls looking very different in their outfits from how they have looked during activities - some very cool moves were also spotted on the dance floor.
With just two activities left for tomorrow morning, bags need to be packed and lost property identified before departing from Kingswood - we aim to leave at about 1.00pm and therefore back outside the Botanical Gardens between 3.00pm and 3.30pm - if we are going to be any later than this we will set the telephone cascade in motion.
Looking forward to tomorrow....
Friday, 18 May 2012
Thursday, 17 May 2012
End of Day 2
A very civilised start to Day 2 - no one up and out of bed too early - that may have something to do with the time that the girls eventually settled down last night - I am pretty sure that it will be a different story tonight - we have some very tired girls but all of them should be pleased with themselves for the way that they have kept going and tried everything.
A good breakfast set us up for the first of the activity sessions, more problems to solve, risks to take, games to play and team building skills as well as a slightly skiddy go-kart track for the girls to try their F1 racing skills. It was only during this first session that waterproofs were required as the weather brightened up and remained dry for the rest of the day.
After lunch some of the higher adrenaline activities took place; a really tough climbing activity, and abseiling for some groups - the rest of us have those to look forward to tomorrow, along with zip wire, archery, an assault course and many more.
Dinner went down well, toad in the hole, macaroni cheese, lasagne, salads etc and sponge pudding with custard - plenty to keep us all going.
The evening activity was a scrapheap challenge where the girls had to work in teams to design a new product and advertise it before making a package to protect a water balloon. A very lively end to the day before settling down to bed.
Once again, tomorrow, we will be taking the girls way out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to take risks (all calculated of course) and supporting each other if (and when) they fail. They have been brilliant today, trying new things and dealing with new situations - really looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow!
A good breakfast set us up for the first of the activity sessions, more problems to solve, risks to take, games to play and team building skills as well as a slightly skiddy go-kart track for the girls to try their F1 racing skills. It was only during this first session that waterproofs were required as the weather brightened up and remained dry for the rest of the day.
After lunch some of the higher adrenaline activities took place; a really tough climbing activity, and abseiling for some groups - the rest of us have those to look forward to tomorrow, along with zip wire, archery, an assault course and many more.
Dinner went down well, toad in the hole, macaroni cheese, lasagne, salads etc and sponge pudding with custard - plenty to keep us all going.
The evening activity was a scrapheap challenge where the girls had to work in teams to design a new product and advertise it before making a package to protect a water balloon. A very lively end to the day before settling down to bed.
Once again, tomorrow, we will be taking the girls way out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to take risks (all calculated of course) and supporting each other if (and when) they fail. They have been brilliant today, trying new things and dealing with new situations - really looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow!
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
End of Day 1
Firstly I do apologise for the delay in publishing this post - we are experiencing a few technical difficulties at this end but hopefully we have overcome them now.
At the time of writing (10.00pm) the lights are going out and the girls are settling themselves down to sleep after a fun filled, reasonably warm and dry first day.
We arrived, exactly on schedule at just gone midday and tucked eagerly into our packed lunches, sat outside on the grass; a very brief, nervous exploration before our first, whole group activity of a game of giant rounders as well as a new game to us all, called "sharky, sharky, sharky". Only at Kingswood centres could you come across a game such as this involving sharks, fish and seaweed!
By mid afternoon the dormitories were ready for us to "move in to" and the much awaited revealing of who everyone was sharing with was over. All the girls seem happy with their friends in their rooms and we are all in the same area, on the same floor.
Having wrestled with unpacking bags and bed making it was time for our first activity as a group - some girls went go-karting, while other solved problems, some were experiencing the low ropes and others were becoming expert code breakers.
Dinner followed, and the variety and amount of food available was much appreciated by the whole party. A fantastic birthday cake (thanks to Caitlin) for pudding and it was back to playing outside in the extensive grounds.
Everyone enjoyed the rowdiness of the singing at the camp fire - I'm not sure Ms Peacock would have approved, but it was fun all the same and then it was calming down time with a cup of hot chocolate and marsh mallows.
All seems to be quiet (for the time being at least) and we have tried to impress on the girls how important sleep will be to the success of tomorrow; as with many of these things the girls will really discover how true this statement is by experiencing it for themselves....watch this space!!!
Hoping to blog a little earlier tomorrow.
At the time of writing (10.00pm) the lights are going out and the girls are settling themselves down to sleep after a fun filled, reasonably warm and dry first day.
We arrived, exactly on schedule at just gone midday and tucked eagerly into our packed lunches, sat outside on the grass; a very brief, nervous exploration before our first, whole group activity of a game of giant rounders as well as a new game to us all, called "sharky, sharky, sharky". Only at Kingswood centres could you come across a game such as this involving sharks, fish and seaweed!
By mid afternoon the dormitories were ready for us to "move in to" and the much awaited revealing of who everyone was sharing with was over. All the girls seem happy with their friends in their rooms and we are all in the same area, on the same floor.
Having wrestled with unpacking bags and bed making it was time for our first activity as a group - some girls went go-karting, while other solved problems, some were experiencing the low ropes and others were becoming expert code breakers.
Dinner followed, and the variety and amount of food available was much appreciated by the whole party. A fantastic birthday cake (thanks to Caitlin) for pudding and it was back to playing outside in the extensive grounds.
Everyone enjoyed the rowdiness of the singing at the camp fire - I'm not sure Ms Peacock would have approved, but it was fun all the same and then it was calming down time with a cup of hot chocolate and marsh mallows.
All seems to be quiet (for the time being at least) and we have tried to impress on the girls how important sleep will be to the success of tomorrow; as with many of these things the girls will really discover how true this statement is by experiencing it for themselves....watch this space!!!
Hoping to blog a little earlier tomorrow.
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Less than a week to go...
With less than a week to go before departure, this weekend is your last chance to get those last minute bits and bobs you may need. Remember - nothing too expensive/valuable is required - disposable cameras are great; I recommend Decathlon for cheap and cheerful waterproofs, fleeces, tracksuit bottoms etc.
Please do make sure everything is named - just a marker pen name is better than nothing. Do remember - even if you persuade Mums & Dads to carry your suitcase on to the coach on Wednesday, you will be carrying your it once we arrive at Kingswood and our rooms are on the first floor - so don't pack so much that you cannot actually lift it! And certainly do not put in any food - we do not want to encourage wildlife into the dormitories!!!
One other task to perform this weekend is add this "blog address" to the favourites on the computer that your parents (and grannies/grandads/aunts/uncles etc) are likely to use while we are away - this is where they can find out all about what you have been up to.
Please do make sure everything is named - just a marker pen name is better than nothing. Do remember - even if you persuade Mums & Dads to carry your suitcase on to the coach on Wednesday, you will be carrying your it once we arrive at Kingswood and our rooms are on the first floor - so don't pack so much that you cannot actually lift it! And certainly do not put in any food - we do not want to encourage wildlife into the dormitories!!!
One other task to perform this weekend is add this "blog address" to the favourites on the computer that your parents (and grannies/grandads/aunts/uncles etc) are likely to use while we are away - this is where they can find out all about what you have been up to.
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