Well, amazingly we have been here for four days and have one activity left tomorrow morning. We got up again today to another bright, sunny morning and had some fun waking the children up. Almost all were still fast asleep when we went round their rooms and you had to speak quite loudly before they stirred into life! I wonder what it will be like tomorrow morning?
For the umpteenth time we set off down the path to the boathouse and had another filling breakfast and they made their packed lunches. A few of the instructors join us at meal times and they had their breakfast with the children and made their packed lunch as well.
The first session today was unusual as all three groups were going out on the water. In fact we were to find out later that we were the first group to venture out on to the water at this time of year and the instructors had been impressed with how the three groups had approached the water activities with such enthusiasm, I was all psyched up to go on the Canadian canoes when I found out that two children were not taking part in the water activities and someone would need to remain with them at the boathouse! As I did not want to deprive the other staff of their opportunities to take part with their group I said I would stay behind. Andy Freshwater, the events organiser, had been taking video on and off all week and asked if he could get some our video and photos also to add to the presentation they do at night during the disco. So I was able to spend some time selecting some good clips and some good photos for him to use. (I was also able to have a lovely latte and home bake while we waited!! …….ssshhh!)
Mrs Mitchell’s group were going Canadian Canoeing. Neil, the senior instructor, took them and got them organised with paddles and life jackets before going over the basics required to get them started in the canoes. The children set off in two’s or three’s, along with Mrs Mitchell and set off down to the lagoon area to have some great fun. However, two of the pupils became the first to fall in the water after losing their balance – but we did not catch the event on camera which was a real shame.
Mrs Stephen’s group were going kayaking. They too got their paddles and life jackets and set off to the kayaking area and spent some time learning about all the different ways of using the paddles to power the kayak, turn it round and even how to make it go backwards! They then set about unloading the kayaks from the storage rack and lining them up along the beach ready for the off. They too would spend the next while kayaking round a very secluded part of the loch until the instructor was confident that they could venture out further. They soon set off up the loch and you could see the kayaks and helmets bobbing about in the water away in the distance.
Miss Ingram’s group were going sailing. Once they were in their lifejackets they made their way round to the jetty with Andy and Sophie and Jacks. Half the group got into one of the motor launches and they were taken out to the sailing boat they would be using. The launch then returned and took the others out to their boat. Andy then spent some time following the boats with his video camera getting some amazing action shots of them on the loch which we saw at the disco. Hopefully you will get the chance to see them too soon.
The pupils from Longside had a surprise at lunchtime when Mrs Simpson, their Head Teacher, arrived to see how they were getting on and to see what they were up to. After lunch we made our way back to the boathouse and this time all the groups were doing land based activities.
Mrs Mitchell’s group were learning how to be archers and then went into the woods to take part in some problem solving activities.
Mrs Stephen’s group were all booted up for some snowboarding and were looking forward to learning how to do some cool moves on the ski slope! However, one girl did stave her finger while doing an acrobatic fall!
Miss Ingram’s group were going cycling and I was about to take part in my third mountain biking trip. The bikes are great fun the children are challenged to cope with on road and off road cycling. However, we did have a bumpy ride and again I ended up returning to base with one who was not feeling well before chasing the group to catch them up again. No sooner had I managed this when one of the girls decided to see what it would be like to fall off her bike on the riverside. I had been filming them as they approached and I made my way back to see her and the second instructor arrived from behind to see if she was ok. After the initial shock wore off she was alright but had staved her wrist and thumb. One instructor and Miss Ingram walked back with her to a house that was nearby and they radioed to the centre to get someone to come out and collect her, Miss Ingram and their bikes while the rest of the group continued. Once started again we got some great shots of them cycling through a stream that crossed our route. We made it back a little later than normal and were met by our injured group member in a sling. She was concerned that the sling was not the right t colour to go with her disco outfit!
Anyway, we had had another great day and the instructors had done another fine job of making sure that everyone gave everything a go and that they got the most out of it.
Tea tonight was an outdoor barbeque!! This was the first of the season for them and we sat in the lovely sunlight as the smell of the fire and cooking food made us all hungry. We had soup followed by chicken, hot dogs, baked tatties and a variety of salad. The instructors all joined us and Andy, Johnny and Mr and Mrs Freshwater also joined us. It was a great way to finish the day.
Before going back to pack and get ready for the disco we went down to the beach and took photos of each of the groups and one of the group as a memento.
After a short period of time doing their diary they went off to their rooms to pack as much as they could and to get ready for the disco. We reminded them to keep dirty and clean clothes apart …. so here’s hoping they actually did it!
Before we knew it it was 8pm and it was disco time. Johnny and some of the other instructors arrived and soon had the children enjoying themselves .After the disco they handed out certificates to the children and staff for successfully completing the activities and then showed a twenty five minute video of the week from their own and our video. It really was amazing to see how much they had done and how much fun everyone had had. We saw video of all the groups and snippets of all the activities we had done. The children loved seeing themselves involved in a variety of situations and it was a great way of rounding off the week. We received a copy of the DVD and hopefully you will get the opportunity of seeing it next term along with more footage of the trip.
So, we are nearly at the end of the trip and we are looking forward to coming home tomorrow, although it will be sad to leave after having had such a great time. The pupils have represented themselves and the schools very well and have been a joy to take away. They have made some new friends (possibly boy/girlfriends???) and have all mixed well together.
I would like to say a big thank you to Mrs Mitchell, Miss Ingram and Mrs Stephen who have worked so hard over the week with the pupils. They have made sure they are at the right place at the right time, that they have all the clothes and equipment they need and have had great fun with the children while being there for them if they were not feeling well or were feeling tired or homesick. They will be looking forward to their holidays as much as the children. However, I hope that they and the children will look back with fond memories to the time they spent at Loch Insh and that perhaps the children will be keen to pursue some of the activities at some point in the future.
Anyway, we hope that the blog, the podcasts and photos have allowed you to have a little more insight into the trip and that you have enjoyed logging on to see what they have been up to.
Thanks.
Final podcast....the musical!! Download Podcast day4
Final extra...the Loch Insh Comic - First Edition!! Download Loch insh 1
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