Kilvrough 2019

Friday

Today was a busy last day at Kilvrough Manor which started with pancakes! The children had to get up extra early today to make sure rooms were cleared and tidy and suitcases were out of their rooms before they could go to the beach altogether. It was a test of children’s organisation skills when they had to have clothes to wear for the day, clothes to change into and all bags packed and lunches remembered but eventually we got there. After we had everything ready, we were all transported to Bracelet Bay and walked along the coastal path, led by Alex, to Langland Bay. The children explored the view (with a game of eye spy) and encouraged each other to keep going on our long walk (particularly Jaden). We finally arrived at Langland Bay and had an early lunch and some flapjack to finish. When we finished our flapjack, the children were challenged to work in groups to make some 3D land art using the sand, seaweed, sticks and rocks that they could find. We had some interesting designs: Tayah and Maya made the OUFC crest; others made a star fish, using the different coloured rocks to help with their design; Reece, Jaden and Holly attempted the welsh flag (getting into Mr Gerrard’s good books); and we had a man made out of rocks too.

The children explored the view (with a game of eye spy) and encouraged each other to keep going on our long walk.

Once we had perfected our sculptures the children were treated to some hot chocolate on the beach. We then sadly had to return to Kilvrough Manor to depart on a wonderful week of fun and learning. We arrived back at Kilvrough and quickly had to put our equipment back for the last time, get changed and put our clothes away before we could have a delicious, freshly baked sausage roll (or veggie sausage roll) with a glass of blackcurrant squash. We finally had all of our belongings in our suitcases and we said our thank yous and goodbyes to the instructors and got on our bus.

The children settled into the journey to watch 'Despicable Me 1 and 2'. We waved goodbye to Wales over the bridge and noticed that there was much less water under it than on the way.

We’ve all had a wonderful week and the children are extremely proud of their achievements - we are sure they will remember this trip for a very long time.

We’ve all had a wonderful week and the children are extremely proud of their achievements - we are sure they will remember this trip for a very long time. Miss Fellows, Miss Werrell, Mr Moore and Mr Gerrard are so proud of each of the children and have enjoyed every minute with them. All the children are looking forward to a restful weekend with their families.

Miss Fellows, Miss Werrell, Mr Moore and Mr Gerrard are so proud of each of the children and have enjoyed every minute with them.

Thursday

The children were very sleepy this morning and some even had to be woken up, clearly tired from the past two days exciting activities. After a scrumptious breakfast of sausage sandwiches or veggie sausages the children met in the lounge to be sent off to their groups for today’s instructions.

Group A have had a wonderful day today at Southgate Beach. They were the first group to be organised and set off this morning. They started the day getting used to moving over the rock with some scrambling. All the children really challenged themselves during this activity and impressed Alex with their bravery. Some children took on the challenge of moving over the rocks before the waves came and splashed them - Aly unfortunately didn’t make it in time and got a bit wet; she found this hilarious! After a delicious lunch in the beautiful sunshine, Alex helped everyone to put their harnesses on and learn how to safely support each other whilst climbing. Everyone pushed themselves to the limit and all managed to make it to the top of the climb at least once (Camron made it up there 5 times!). Ellie and Mya took on an extra challenge ‘three-armed’ climbing - having one arm tied together. Their great enthusiasm and communication made sure they were really successful. Some of the children also had a go at climbing up the cliff blindfolded, for this they had to put a lot of trust in their teams and be extremely brave.

All the children really challenged themselves today

Group B spent their final day of activities exploring the caves with Mr Moore and Jamie. All the children showed a huge amount of bravery all day, despite some nerves on the journey over. Before heading in, the enjoyed their lunch and took on their first challenge: putting on their caving suits. With some great team work they were all ready to head in. Prajwal loved every challenge and really impressed Mr Moore by squeezing through every gap and wanting to go again and again. Tayah and Elmisa decided if they were going to get wet, they may as well get soaked. They loved floating out of the cave along the stream and the girls definitely complained a lot less than the boys about being wet. Jailem, Sam, Casper and Binamra have continued today to work hard, take on board every piece of advice and support each other throughout. All the children were really proud of themselves today and could not wait to return to the centre to tell Miss Fellows and Miss Werrell all about their adventures.

They decided if they were going to get wet, they may as well get soaked!

Group C met Sam to reflect on yesterday’s activities and set today’s aims for canoeing: organisation, positivity and patience. The children gathered their kit for the day in record time-working on their organisation skills- and collected canoeing equipment from Sam. We left the centre, with canoes in tow, for a gloriously sunny day on the canal. When we arrived, the children listened carefully to Sam’s instructions and helped unload the canoes off the trailer and tie them up on the side of the canal. They we put into pairs and had free time to work out how to move in the boat and turn it. Malachi, Maxim, Alyssa and Reinaldo experimented well to find some successful techniques. After this, Sam went through the techniques with the children and they practised turn on the spot and then manoeuvring up the canal. Adina and Reinaldo, Maxim and Vania and Malachi and Siana worked well together to direct their boats. Corey and Kai overcame some difficulties with great perseverance and skill. We headed back to the minibus and ate lunch next to the canal. After lunch, we swapped the positions on the boats but stayed in the same partners, this was difficult in some cases as the roles were different but we didn’t persevered and overcame these issues. We meandered down the canal, under a tree to a bridge and built our raft by putting all our boats together and holding onto them. Sam then tested their teamwork skills by changing all of the partners around whilst still on the water. This led to some careful swapping and clambering between canoes. The children then paddled back to the bus in their new partners which took a little while to get used to- communication was key! Siana and Archie were first out of the crowd and escaped to have a clear run of the canal with Reinaldo and Kai in pursuit. Once out of the canoes, they helped Sam get all the canoes back on the trailer. Maxim was particularly helpful, using his muscles to help Sam with every canoe! Then we ate our chocolate cake and we were ready to head back the Kilvrough Manor.

We all started to reflect on our time at Kilvrough

After a lovely meal of pizza, wedges and chocolate brownie and ice cream the children efficiently cleared away and tidied all of the areas and packed their suitcases. As they did this they all began to reflect on their time at Kilvrough with happy memories and wanting to stay but at the same time wanting to go home to see their family. All the children visited the tuck shop which they were very excited about and many bought gifts for their siblings at home.

Wednesday

The children all slept well last night after our stargazing evening. Not a peep was heard from anyone until wake up time, which set them up well for a great day. The duty team were ready to serve everyone croissants and pain au chocolat this morning, which went down very well with everyone- adults included! They all had a positive start to the morning. Bedroom inspections had slipped a little from their exceptionally high standard but were very good on the whole.

Group A headed to the canal this morning with Ed. They first had a go at getting used to being on the water and learning some of the important skills for manoeuvring the canoe. Mya and Ellie picked it up really quickly and were soon able to move forwards, backwards and spin in a circle. After this we all had a game of ‘stuck in the mud’ which everyone really enjoyed. Dominik and Aly were brilliant at both being ‘it’ and moving themselves to safety quickly. After a lovely lunch in the sunshine, we headed off on a journey down the canal. Nathalie made a brilliant partner for Miss Fellows and managed to keep them safely out of the trees, bushes and most importantly, the water. During the journey we enjoyed a few games including swapping between the boats and an exciting round of ‘head, shoulders, knees, jump!’ which everyone found hilarious. Camron was extremely impressive all day and showed so much enthusiasm. He worked really hard to support others and keep the whole team together.

After a lovely lunch in the sunshine, we headed off on a journey down the canal.

Group B have had an amazing day scrambling and rock climbing at the beach. When they arrived they worked really well together as a team to carry all of their equipment down to the beach. Then they had a go at scrambling over large rocks and tested out their caving skills a little. Sam was really confident and enthusiastic and took on every obstacle. After lunch, Jayden was the first to have a go at climbing and took on the challenge with confidence. He showed everyone else how to do it successfully and was proud to have made it all the way to the top. Tayah and Elmisa really impressed Mr Moore with their team work and putting their trust in each other when climbing. All the children had a go at climbing - they had at least three climbs each and every one managed to make it to the top!

Group B have had an amazing day scrambling and rock climbing at the beach.

Group C had a wonderful time caving today with Sam (our instructor). After spending time gathering all our equipment and making sure we had a change of clothes, we were finally on the bus and off to the caves. When we arrived, we sat down and had lunch and ate our flapjack, giving us enough energy for the caves. After Sam taught us all about the rocks, linking it to our project 'Terrifying tectonics', we headed into the mouth of the cave. Everyone braved 'the mouse-hole' at the very start, showing great teamwork and courage. Maxim was particularly keen to go through and enjoyed scrambling over the rocks in the cave. It was a tight squeeze but it set us up ready for the rest of our challenges in the cave. As we ventured further through the cave we approached some well known obstacles including the letterbox (though the children didn't realise it at the time!). They quickly posted Miss Werrell through at the start to check the coast was clear, then they all followed after. Adina showed great resilience in this task and persevered to earn the status of saying she had completed the letterbox. We continued through the cave at pace and everyone enjoyed scrambling under the ceilings and dipping into some occasional puddles until we got to “the toilet” which the children had all heard about and were very excited to try out. Lots of the children really challenged themselves with this- going down into the toilet (a small hole downwards) and crawling through the water to meet Sam at the end. Vania and Reinaldo took it all in their stride very calmly and completed the caves with ease.

Everyone braved 'The Mouse Hole' challenge at the very start, showing great teamwork and courage.

The children all got back and showered much more quickly this evening, being considerate of other people’s needs as well as their own. After showering the children had some free time- many played football and others doing some gymnastics. The children then had a hearty portion (or three!) of cottage pie or veggie cottage pie, finished off with apple strudel and custard-yummy!

In the evening, the adults chose orienteering for the children to complete due to their enthusiasm on Monday night with “nose to the ground”. They listened carefully to Jamie about what is involved with orienteering and how to complete the course, and chose their teams. They took on the challenge with enthusiasm. The children excitedly ran around the private grounds of Kilvrough Manor, desperately trying to be the first team to find all the markers- slightly giving away their success each time they found a marker by their excited screams! However, it was Malachi, Archie, Camron, Ege and Jailem who took first place.

Tuesday

After an evening exploring the Kilvrough grounds last night all the children headed off happily to bed. All the adults were really pleased that everyone settled down to sleep well and managed to stay in bed almost until it was time to get up this morning.

The duty group really impressed all the adults this morning by keeping the dining room calm, happy and with plenty of bacon (or veggie sausage) rolls to fill us up. After breakfast it was time to begin getting ready for our first full day of activities.

Group A, with Miss Fellows and Mr Gerrard, headed off to the caves to take on some very exciting challenges. Lots of children took the chance to be leaders in the caves and lead the whole team through different challenges. Holly really impressed everyone and made herself really proud when she had to lead her team through a challenge despite being very nervous about it herself. All of the children took on some or all of the challenges, and many overcame their fears. Peighton was really proud of herself for taking on the ‘toilet’ and the ‘letterbox’ and even wanted to have a second go at some of the challenges! Filip and Romeo took on every obstacle with confidence and enthusiasm; they really enjoyed the challenge of ‘Deadman’s Ledge’. Having gone through the 'toilet' challenge, all the children were a bit cold and wet when we left the caves and really appreciated a delicious hot chocolate in the sunshine.

All the children took on some or all of the challenges, and many overcame their fears!

Group B headed off to the canal for some canoeing with Mr Moore and their instructor Jamie. Their main aim for the day was to improve their communication and problem-solving skills. After some time learning the skills, the group were set some challenging games. Ege was quietly confident all through the day and showed a real talent for canoeing. One of the games the children challenged themselves with involved reaching for plastic ducks in the water. Unfortunately Jayden and Denis leant a little too far over and capsized their boat! Although they were both a bit shocked by the cold water, they were laughing it off in the end and are very pleased to have a fun story to tell everyone back at home.

Group C headed to Southgate beach for a day of rock climbing and scrambling. Miss Werrell was really impressed with Kareem who did a great job helping his teammates over the more challenging parts. When rock climbing, Malachi was incredible at supporting others and belaying the rock climbers. He was even given the job of supporting Miss Werrell as she climbed! Kai and Archie were really enthusiastic all day and took on every challenge with confidence. Everyone in Group A was proud of Siana who was the first one to be brave enough to take on the rock climb and reach the top!

The children were all brilliant at walking sensibly together and supporting others.

This evening we had chicken or vegetable curry and rice for dinner and Ed took us out for a night walk. The children were all brilliant at walking sensibly together and supporting others when they were struggling. We arrived at a castle ruins and enjoyed have a little exploration before having a rest on the grass to enjoy looking at the stars. Everyone is feeling a little more tired this evening and we are all looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

Monday

We had a brilliant coach journey: everyone was very excited when we left Wood Farm, if not a little sleepy. We very much enjoyed a chilled-out drive to Kilvrough watching Ratatouille and The Lego Movie. We crossed the Severn Bridge in to Wales just after 10:00am and Mr Gerrard made everyone laugh by bringing out his Welsh flag to display at the back of the coach. After a short break at the services and a small snack we got back on the road and arrived at Kilvrough Manor around 12:30.

Everyone was very excited to meet our instructors for the week: Alex, Sam, Ed and Jamie. Alex talked to everyone about the aims for the week which are: team-work, resilience and independence. The children were then very excited to find out their rooms and took on their first challenge of the day: making their own beds! Ellie took on a leading role for this in her room and helped all the other girls to put on their duvet covers.

The children took on their first challenge of the day: making their own beds!

We then enjoyed a delicious lunch of tomato soup and bread. After this we headed off into our groups for the week and had a go at some team building activities.

Group A took on the first challenge set by their leader Alex with lots of enthusiasm. The team had to help every member climb up and over a very tall tree branch. Reece took on a leading role and supported all of the group in having a go. Jaden really overcame her fears by taking on the challenge.

Group B had a go at ‘crossing the swamp’ using a rope swing. Khalil showed brilliant patience and resilience during this and really impressed Mr Moore and Jamie. They then had a go at a golf ball maze and all the children really took to the challenge and enjoyed playing the game which helped them build their team work skills.

Group C had a go at a number of team building games with Miss Werrell and their instructor Sam. They were really enthusiastic about each game they played and supported each other well. Alyssa took on a leading role in helping her team improve their skills and work better together. Corey really impressed Miss Werrell with his communication skills which helped his team be successful. Kamila also impressed the adults in her group by showing great resilience and bouncing back when she found something a struggle.

After activity we enjoyed some free time playing outside in the sunshine. Followed by a dinner of pasta Bolognese and strawberry angel delight.

Alex then set the children off on their evening activity ‘Nose to the ground’ which really tested the children’s map reading skills (This proved quite a challenge for some children!) and gave the children a chance to explore the grounds further. All the children are excited for their first activity tomorrow with group A going caving, group B challenging themselves with canoeing, and group C going rock climbing.