Kilvrough 2017

During the week 20th-24th March a group of our Year 5 and 6 children (along with Miss Barton, Miss Fellows, Mr Martin and Mr Moore) stayed at Kilvrough Outdoor Education Centre, for an exciting week of outdoor adventurous activities - along with the chance to enjoy some of the beautiful Welsh countryside. Miss Barton and Miss Fellows wrote a daily blog update throughout the week: scroll down to read all about the group's adventures!

Kilvrough 2016, exploring the beach

Thursday 23rd March 2017

This morning we woke up bright and early, ready for our last full day of activities. Group A headed to the beach for some rock climbing, group B took to the water to try canoeing and group C finally set off for a day of caving. Before the excitement of the activities began, we all enjoyed some delicious bacon rolls, cooked for us by the wonderful chef at Kilvrough: Patrick.

Group A’s final full day of activity included rock climbing, abseiling and scrambling. Poppy K hugely impressed the adults in her group with her confidence throughout the day and even challenged herself to take on the rock climb blindfolded! Lots of the children enjoyed the chance to support their team mates today, helping to belay during the rock climb and abseil, Haider particularly stood out as a supportive team mate giving encouragement and advice throughout the day. Liam was a natural climber and thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of the day.

Group B and Miss Fellows enjoyed a very relaxing day on the water taking on the challenge of canoeing. The team quickly picked up the skills in the morning and enjoyed a long journey after lunch. Poppy W seemed a natural in the canoe and soon took charge of her boat with each of her partners; giving clear instructions as well as being a supportive friend. Charlie really impressed her partner, Miss Fellows, showing off all the skills she had learnt throughout the day. Some members of the groups even took on the challenge of canoeing while standing up.

Group C we very excited to finally have a chance to head in to the caves, Mr Moore, Mr Martin and their instructor Piers were incredibly proud of their determination all day, every member of the team faced their fears and took on every challenge! Thomas was very pleased to get the chance to visit the caves today, having missed out on this activity last year; he led the group in the first part of the cave and was extremely brave and confident throughout the day. Zidane also stood out for his confidence; he was one of the first members of the team to take on the challenge of going through “The Toilet”.

When we returned to the centre this evening, it was another beautiful afternoon so the children enjoyed some more free time in the grounds – there were some exciting games of football! After that, we enjoyed another fantastic meal of breaded chicken or battered fish with chips and peas. Later on we spent the evening spending our money in the tuck shop and packing our cases ready to head home tomorrow. The children are now all tucked up in bed, there are some very excited children ready to head home tomorrow afternoon, after a morning at the beach.

Wednesday 22nd March 2017

Sorry for the late posting today – we have been so busy, we haven’t had a chance to sit down and write until now!

After a great time den building last night, we all had a well-earned sleep. Everyone slept brilliantly and a few children even needed to be woken up this morning by Miss Barton and Miss Fellows!

This morning team C were hoping to go caving, but after a lot of heavy rain last night the caves were flooded so they joined team A and headed off for a day on canoeing. (We are hoping the caves will be clear for them to go tomorrow).

Mr Moore and their instructor, Piers, were hugely impressed with the teamwork on display today, every pair worked hard to take on the challenge and enjoyed learning the new skills. Billy and Tyrae really challenged themselves at the end, being the only pair who went through the aqueduct without touching the sides. Flick and Aaliyah M also really stood out, supporting each other and solving problems together.

Miss Barton enjoyed her day with group A greatly - they had a brilliant time learning and practising all the skills to canoe. George was the first to fall in, but did it with a smile and still choose to jump in again at the end.

Leanne was a natural on the water and used her skills to support and teach others. Lots of people took on the challenge of canoeing while standing up and there was a hilarious game of head, shoulders, jump at the end of the day!

Miss Fellows, Mr Martin and team B spent a sunny day at the beach enjoying a fun-filled day of scrambling, abseiling and rock climbing. Lleyton shone today as an expert in the group - he is now planning a career as a Kilvrough leader in the future. He and Isaiah took on the challenge of helping to belay as the others abseiled down the cliff. Kaysian and Dajah faced all their fears; they were extremely proud of themselves for taking on the abseil. Kyle D really impressed Miss Fellows and Mr Martin taking on every challenge, with ease and confidence.

We then returned home and had some free time in the beautiful grounds of the centre: some played football, others sat and enjoyed the sunshine, and there was a particularly competitive game of Dobble going on! We then enjoyed another delicious dinner of lasagne or pasta with garlic bread followed by chocolate cake. Everyone was very hungry tonight!

After dinner, we got wrapped up warm again, and headed out on a night walk adventure! Heading up through the forest, we helped each other and enjoyed the excitements of being out in the dark! We then walked across the golf course nearby and stopped at a ruined castle overlooking the coast. It was a beautifully clear night, and we all spent some time lying back and looking at the stars: Isiah counted 99, but then gave up! After that, we headed back to the centre. Lots of people were beginning to feel a bit sleepy as we neared home, but with supportive friends and encouragement we all made it back happily.

Everyone is now tucked up in bed, getting lots of sleep ready for tomorrow’s excitements. Each group have a different activity tomorrow – Group A will be climbing, Group B are off on the canoes, and hopefully, group C will get a chance to go caving!

Tuesday 21st March 2017: Caves and Climbing!

Our first full day of activities began bright and early after a fantastic night’s sleep in our cosy rooms at Kilvrough Manor. We enjoyed a huge breakfast, including sausage and veggie sausage baps and toast, and after preparing our rooms for inspection, gathered our equipment for the day ahead; and what a day it was. Every season made an appearance whilst we climbed and abseiled on coastal cliffs and explored exciting caves beneath the hills: sunshine and blue skies, along with rain, hail, sleet and finally snow!

Group A were one of two groups to take on the challenge of the caves. Miss Barton was blown away by their enthusiasm and determination and they amazed their group leader Alex by over-coming more challenges than any group before them. Poppy K and Savannah pushed themselves to exceed expectations, despite feeling very nervous at first, and Aaliyah B demonstrated both confidence and leadership, inspiring those around her through thoughtful encouragement and support. Arjun also impressed his group leaders with his impressive communication skills, independent ideas and dynamic decision-making.

Group B also explored the caves with Miss Fellows and Mr Martin, challenging themselves and each other to tackle what lay ahead. All of the adults were impressed with the displays of kindness and how children supported each other’s efforts and encouraged a strong team spirit which allowed everyone to challenge their personal limits. Isaiah and Lleyton led from the back and used their own confidence to help others at every opportunity, Kyle D and Kyle A both pushed themselves out of their comfort zones and exceeded their own expectations, whilst Dajah met every obstacle head-on with an enthusiasm and determination that inspired the whole group to greater efforts.

Group C spent their day on the sea cliffs, climbing and abseiling in the ever-changing weather conditions. Mr Moore described Alfie as a mountain goat when he showed a natural confidence whilst tackling the rock-faces and boulders. Reece challenged himself to bravely abseil despite his nerves and Ramyar was the first to take on each challenge and the first to offer his support to his team-mates.

We then all enjoyed a delicious feast of curry followed by crumble – everyone was very hungry after all the activity today!

Finally, we headed out for our evening activity: the great Kilvrough den-building challenge! Each team had to make a den to fit their whole team in. Every den was given a score based on whether it fit everyone in, how stable it was, and finally how waterproof it would be. All we had were things we could find in the woods. Two groups succeeded in fitting everyone in, and one got top marks!

We are now just settling down ready for a good night of sleep so we are ready for tomorrow’s excitements: Teams A and B are going canoeing and C are heading to the caves. Definitely lots more to be excited about for the days ahead!

Monday 20th March 2017

What a brilliant first day! We had a good journey with great excitement as we crossed over the bridge into Wales! It was a long journey but we kept entertained with a DVD- a few people even managed a snooze! We arrived at about half 12, found our rooms, unpacked and had a lovely lunch of homemade soup and freshly baked bread.

After that, we met in our groups, talked about our aims for the week- to be positive, supportive and resilient- and decided what we needed to have with us for the afternoon of problem solving.

Amazingly, not only had the rain stopped by this time, but the sun was actually out! Group C had a great start with their instructor for today, Ed. They mastered the ropes course, and most managed to cross the 'swamp' by helping each other and learning from their mistakes! They showed a really positive attitude which definitely bodes well for the week ahead. Ameenah particularly impressed everyone, by overcoming her fears and persevering on the ropes course, helped on with lots of encouragement from her team, particularly Billy, who showed his leadership skills really well and Aaliyah M who came back to help!

Group B met their instructor, Sam, and made a great start. There were some nerves to begin with, but by working together and encouraging each other they achieved a lot. They had a go at the obstacle course which definitely involved a lot of mud and scrambling about, but also needed a lot of team work and perseverance. Today, Rio stood out for being quietly confident and considerate and supportive of others. Poppy W also really impressed Miss Fellows by showing her bravery and determination, even when she felt nervous. Her team really helped her to keep going, especially Kaysian who was a star at encouraging others!

Miss Barton and Group A began on the ropes course. They worked as a team straight away and were excellent and slowing down and helping each other. Liam was amazingly quick at getting the hang of hanging upside down, and was very good at helping others by giving clear instructions. Kenzie was quietly confident and able to help others who found it tricky at times. He had great ideas about how to solve problems and along with Haider, came up with lots of ways to do things differently. Haider and Kenzie both ended up in fits of giggles when wobbling their way along the rope bridge, and worked brilliantly as a team!

We have just had a brilliant dinner of baked potatoes with tuna, beans or chilli con carne, and will soon head outside to do some orienteering. Hopefully the rain will stay away!