Day 1

Group 2 had an amazing first day, which kicked off with the climbing wall! Every single person pushed themselves further than they thought they could go, which was wonderful to see. Everyone who got to the top got to press a buzzer and over half the group managed to do just that…on multiple sides of the wall. Mrs Murray was chief cheerleader and photographer, and the resilience on show was a sight to behold!

Up next was making God’s Eyes, which is a spiritual symbol that represents the four elements of nature: earth, fire, air and water. Making them involves weaving wool around a cross made of sticks. It was very tricky to get going but, once we got into the ‘diagonal, under, quarter turn’ rhythm, there were some beautiful creations made. As with everything, some people found their rhythm quickly and others found it more challenging….but we all worked together, helped each other out, and did our best.

The final activity of the day was baking energy bars. Mrs Murray demonstrated each stage of the method and the group worked in pairs to make and bake their bars. Everyone followed instructions well, worked well as a team and got to grips with the weighing of ingredients…there was even impressive washing up and drying up on show!  

Mrs Murray loved spending the day with Group 2 today and is already looking forward to more fun activities tomorrow.

Day 2

Today started in the Science lab, where we investigated the different insulation properties of three possible materials used to make a sleeping bag: polyester, cotton wool and fabric. Hot water was poured into a beaker surrounded by each of the materials - the water temperature was measured using a thermometer, and the measurement was repeated after 8 minutes. The results were recorded so each group could identify which insulating material caused the smallest drop in temperature; each group compared their results with their prediction at the beginning of the investigation.

After break time, everyone took part in a very competitive survival-themed Kahoot quiz. The leader board changed hands numerous times and there were some very impressive winning streaks! 

Our next activity was a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) challenge with Mrs Coldrick, where teams planned, built and evaluated shelters made from a variety of materials: paper straws, string, lollipop sticks and sellotape. Teams were awarded points for every element of the challenge...and there were bonus points for teamwork! Every shelter had to do four 'things': stand up by itself, fit one explorer (a Lego figure) inside, stay standing during the Wind Test, and keep the explorer dry during the Rain Test. Every team tackled the challenge admirably and showed resilience and reasoning skills in abundance. 

We rounded off today with a survival-themed code breaker, which we'll hopefully be able to finish tomorrow - everyone seemed determined to crack the code! 

The adults have loved spending the day with our group, and we're looking forward to what's in store tomorrow.  

Day 3

Our final day started with tent building. A big thank you to the high school for letting us borrow their wonderful tents, which they use for their Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. Mrs Murray has been camping for many years so she was in her element demonstrating how to put the tents up and, equally importantly, how to pack them away. Children worked in 2s and 3s to put their tents up and they showed great resilience, reflection, reasoning and responsibility, asking for adult help where needed. Once they were up, children spent some time in their tents (playing games, chatting or drawing) before tackling the packing away process. It was an absolute joy watching everyone get stuck in and we've hopefully inspired some of them to try a spot of camping in the future. 

Next up was orienteering around the school grounds. Children were given a map with the locations of orienteering markers shown - each team were given a different marker to find first and they had to work together to find each marker, remember the information on it, and get back to base to check and record it on their sheet. The children tackled this challenge with the same enthusiasm and determination that they've shown all week and it was very impressive to see their map reading skills develop over the course of the session and their confidence and cooperation grow throughout.

Our last activity was Forest School with Mrs Pugh and Mrs Furby. The group were tasked with building shelters in our fabulous Forest School area and each small group approached it slightly differently...with amazing results! 

Group 2 have been an absolute pleasure to work with this week - Mrs Murray and the other adults who've been with them have had so much fun and loved watching them shine! Thank you, Group 2 - you were tree-men-dous!! :)