Loch Insh 2014
Day 2
TODAY'S WATER COUNT: It wouldbe easiertolist those who were NOT in the water!!!
Today was an excellent day! The weather has been great and the children have really enjoyed the activities they were taking part in.
The children were wakened up at 7.30am as we are on late breakfast! Some of the rooms didn’t need wakened but some had to be ‘woken up’ – and we will be surprised if most of the rooms don’t need some prompting tomorrow morning to waken up!
After everyone was showered and dressed and rooms were tidied and juice made for the day we set off for breakfast! Breakfast is always fun. The children are quite quiet as they are still tired and they have to cope with getting breakfast and making their packed lunch. Watching the sandwich making is always fun – but the winner of the most ‘adventurous sandwich’ went to Mr Taylor!
So, once again we were back up the hill to drop off our lunches and to gather the kit they needed for the morning!
Two groups were off to ‘arch’ and they really enjoyed their session. The archery is always very popular with the children as for most it is the first time they have tried it. It is an activity that requires skill and perseverance but does not need the ability to run, jump or be physically strong to be good at it. You are really challenging yourself and for some hitting the target in the early stages is a great event. Then after a few turns you can see the ones who are really concentrating and trying hard to do as well as they can. Nothing beats the look on their faces when they get a bulls eye!
The other two groups were off to the ski slope. They were given the choice of snow boarding or skiing! A group of brave souls quickly opted for the snow boarding! They know it looks cool – but they perhaps did not realise how much effort and practice is required to really master it. Some became a bit disheartened early on but kept at it. They also started from the top of the slope which was quite an introduction for them! But some of them really stuck at it and did a great job.
The others went skiing and for some this was their first experience on a ski slope! It can be daunting the first time you are on skis and Mrs Forrest spent a lot of time working with one or two who were quite apprehensive. But, they too persevered and took on their fear and gave it a good go!
After a tiring morning, as snow boarding and skiing are hard work, it was back up the hill for lunch and time to change for the next activity.
Miss Clark’s and Mrs Forrest’s group were off kayaking in the afternoon and again one or two faced up to their fears and did really well. Some others who had kayaked before really enjoyed the challenge of developing their skills and had great fun with some of the games they played. By the end of the session most of them were soaking and had been out of their kayaks on a number of occasions!
Mr Taylor’s and Mr Donaldson’s groups were raft building and the two groups really set out enthusiastically with this. They spent some time working on designs in their little groups and then once they had a design they set off to build it! Each group got 6 logs, 4 barrels and 8 pieces of rope. They spent a good hour or so building their raft. They learnt about tying suitable knots, working together as a team and supporting each other. Once the rafts were set they went back to the boat house to get paddles and life jackets. Then they were ready for the big launch! The three rafts were lifted in to the water and the barrels were set in position. On the signal they launched themselves off and most were amazed to discover that their rafts held strong and they all managed to clear the area of the loch they were working in. Despite the success of their rafts the main aim for most of them was to get as wet as possible and it was not long before they were jumping off the raft in to the water! They had great fun and eventually they managed to get the rafts back to shore in one piece! However, they then had to dismantle the rafts and put all the equipment back to where they got it! This was hard work and again they all helped eachother. Once this was done they had one final run and jump into the water before we headed back to the boathouse to put back the paddles and life jackets. Then was the difficult part! Climbing back up the hill with soaking wet clothes! The extra weight of the water made the journey more difficult than usual! Then there was the fun of getting off all the wet layers and putting the items in to the drying room! We are not looking forward to going in their and trying to divvy out all the items!
After they showered, dried off and changed they had a well earned rest and enjoyed a drink and a biscuit before tea. Two groups made it to the shop and some worked ou to the penny what they could buy for their £10!!
Tea was eagerly awaited again they were all hungry! They had soup and bread, a choice of pizza or sausages and chips with salad and there were pancakes, ice cream and sauce for pudding! Everyone seemed well content!
The evening activity was ‘Way Finding’ which is similar to orienteering. They split into teams of 3 or 4 and were provided with maps and they had to search out each marker one by one round the site. They had to find each marker and go back to get a different map with the next one marked on it. Some teams were keen to do as well as they could and flew round trying to find each one as quickly as they could while some saw it as a leisurely stroll with finding the odd marker thrown in! However, it was a nice, easy activity and catered to their energy levels well!
After this we had 20 minutes in the play park before heading back to the hall for some quiet time and BIRTHDAY CAKE! Liam has a birthday tomorrow and so we decided to have his birthday cakes tonight! He blew out his candles and everyone was delighted to get a piece of cake along with their juice!
We hope he has a great day tomorrow and enjoys the activities!
A lot of the children were certainly tired tonight as a whole day of activities and fresh air does take its toll! But, with some rest we hope it will be easy going tomorrow!
Tomorrow all the groups will be cycling at some point along with archery, canoeing, raft building and skiing among some of the activities!
We will try and share more of today’s photos as well.
There was a high number of hits on the blog site today and we hope everyone is enjoying keeping up to date with our trip!
More tomorrow!
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