Welcome to Year 6

Year 6 School Journey - Tuesday 25th May

Tuesday started at a leisurely pace as we had the last breakfast slot.  This was particularly useful as we had some tired children last night who needed the extra sleep and lie in this morning.  It was also an extra special day today as it was Caitlin's birthday.  We started the day with a rendition of happy birthday before sharing your letters and giving Caitlin her birthday card.  She even got a card signed by all the instructors at PGL and a sticker giving her priority to go first on all the activities.  Later Caitlin gave all the children a 'lucky dip' present and we each had a mini roll cake to continue the celebrations.

Today's activities included the giant swing, abseiling, climbing  and archery.  It has been very busy but a lot of fun.  Many of the children set themselves a challenge as they faced activities they were unsure of and we were all very proud of them for doing their best.  The children also discovered that they are all braver than Miss Webster which, to be honest, isn't hard as she wasn't happy going any higher than half a meter off the ground!

The giant swing created the loudest screams and funniest expressions of the day.  The teachers tried to capture as many as possible but either missed them as the swing was going too fast or missed it as they were laughing so much!  The children got to choose how high the swing was pulled before they released it.  Even though they had complete control over when to release the swing, the moment when they suddenly dropped still came as a complete shock!

Abseiling and climbing provided the biggest challenges of the day to overcome.  Both towers were very high and the children had to dig deep to try and overcome any fears they had.  Some children relished the whole challenge though and sped down the wall when abseiling and climbed the wall like a seasoned professional!  Maybe we have some budding Olympic climbers in our midst?

The archery was a different sort of challenge, trying to pull the bow back whilst keeping the arrow aimed at the target.  We had a few bullseyes and a few not quite hitting the mark but whatever the outcome, the children tried their best to beat their previous score and hit the target.  Full marks for not giving up! 

The evening entertainment was a campfire where the children listened to stories about strawberries and pink gorillas (I'll let them tell you all about them when they are home).  Songs were sang and games were played before we retired for an early night.  Breakfast tomorrow is the early slot (7am), I have a feeling that might be the first challenge of the day,  Tomorrow we have Trapeze and Problem Solving activities to end our trip.  Not a bad way to end our time at PGL.

Tonight's photos show the groups waiting to start the climbing wall or the fencing.  If you spot someone in one of the photos that you do not recognise, it is Stephen, our PGL Groupie who has been with us each day and who has been brilliant!

Year 6 School Journey - Monday 24th May

 It has been a busy day at Windmill Hill but first let's go back to last night.  After a fun evening trying to compete to keep a water balloon from bursting, the children returned to their rooms for the first night.  They settled down really well and although not all asleep when we would have liked it didn't take too long for an air of quiet to descend.  Some rooms were better than others at keeping their chat to the sort of level that meant it went undetected for longer!!!

In the morning, to our surprise, we had to wake some of the children up to get the day started.  After a hearty breakfast half the class set off to complete the challenge course while the other half went canoeing.  The children had great fun canoeing on the pond, collecting ducks (plastic not real) and trying to avoid hitting the sides of the pond and getting stuck.  There was a great deal of splashing and some soggy children at the end (some more than others but I will let them tell you all about that. Let's just say that we discovered the pond was only waist deep!)

The challenge course proved tricky for some and when the added challenge of completing the course while attached to a piece of rope was added, things got even trickier.  The rain didn't help either but the children didn't complain and kept going, trying their best to complete each part of the challenge.  After a quick break, the groups swapped over to try their hand at the other activity.

Lunch was a welcomed chance to dry off and refuel ready for an afternoon of orienteering and zip wiring.  There were some nervous faces when they saw how high the zip wire was but everyone had a good try and most really enjoyed the experience.  I am not sure the driving rain enhanced the experience at all but the children seemed to enjoy it none the less.  The orienteering saw the children in teams rushing all over the site hunting for orienteering flags to stamp their cards.  Good map reading skills were displayed by all.

After dinner, the children went to the main sports hall for a new set of challenges including who can make the tallest tower of shoes!  We are hoping for another quiet night tonight as we have some very tired children now (fingers crossed).  I am sorry there are no photos this evening but the internet is playing up and will not allow me to compress the pictures enough so I can upload them.  Hopefully I will be able to try again tomorrow.  Finally before I go, I must just say happy birthday to Emily from Lukas .... we all hope you have had a lovely day.

See you for another update tomorrow!

Updated 14.27 - Finally managed to sort some group photos from yesterday.  Not the best quality but better than nothing.  

Year 6 School Journey - Sunday 23rd May

Well, the sun may not be shining but we made it to Windmill Hill in record time after a lovely journey down.  With a coach full of excited children, it was never going to be a quiet journey and the children definitely kept us entertained.  When we arrived we were greeted by Stephen, our group leader, who will spend the next few days with us!  He led the way as the children carried/wheeled their bags to their rooms and a few minutes were given to sort themselves out before we went on a quick tour and made sure we did a practise fire drill.

Once all the procedures and routines were explained, the children had some times playing some games on the courts which is  our dedicated  space for free times,  The children played an interesting game called 'Stomp' which involved trying to get each other out of the game by stepping on each others toes! (No toes were injured in the pursuit of victory) 

After some fun we had some chill time - which actually involved the children running around excitedly, before we headed to dinner.   A roast dinner or macaroni cheese was on offer and we have 26 full tummies.  The macaroni cheese was given the seal of approval although it was deemed not as good as Makaiyla's mums! 

The children are now trying to build a protective layer for a water balloon.  I have a feeling that even if it wasn't raining, some of us might be getting wet later!  As always, I am optomistic of an early night (I should have learnt by now but sadly not!)  We are all looking forward to our day of fun tomorrow and I will be back tomorrow night to let you know what we have been up to.

See you tomorrow!

Introducing our Ladbrooke Christmas Gonks!

Year 6 have worked super hard on their Christmas crafts today. They have made some delightful Christmas Gonks, which, I know, you will be really pleased with and will go perfectly on your Christmas tree, on the mantle piece or as part of your Christmas decorations. 

If you would like to purchase your child's Ladbrooke Gonk, they are £1.50 and you can pay via the school gateway.