Oaker Wood Residential builds resilience

The Year 3 children arrived at school on Thursday morning ready and raring to go on their residential trip to Oaker Wood.  The minibus journey was full of song and chatter, with chants of ‘Are we there yet?!’  When we arrived at our destination, the children were eager to get to our camp and find out what groups they were in and explore their pods!

Once they had received their camp induction and done some exploring, the children ventured into the paint-ball area for their first activity, ‘Capture the Flag’.  Healthy competitive spirits were on show, along with some clever tactics and strategy.

After returning to camp for a much-needed lunch, the children worked in teams to make pizzas from scratch, taking it in turns to follow the instructions for making the dough, then adding their toppings.

Following the pizza making and eating, the children had a great time making dens in the woods.  Were their dens waterproof and bear proof?!  It was a close call but, after much deliberation, a draw was called.

The weather took a turn for the worse after lunch, with lots of rain, which was to continue until the next morning, but the children’s spirits were not dampened!  The afternoon saw them facing the ‘High Ropes’ challenges.  They had the chance to climb a very large tree, zoom down a zipwire and attempt a ‘gladiator’ challenge (a vertical obstacle course).  Many children overcame their fears and they all showed excellent growth mindsets.

After dinner, the children spent some time in the warm and cosy pods before venturing into the barbecue hut.  Here, they toasted marshmallows on the fire, played some games and sang some songs.  The evening ended with a chapter of our class reading book, before snuggling down for bedtime.  The children (eventually) went to sleep, after a fun-filled day!

The next morning, an early start and a large breakfast (with a sneaky treat of ice lollies!) prepared everyone for ‘Woodland Krypton’.  Great teamwork and positive mindsets were on display as they encouraged each other to overcome the obstacles and tasks put before them.  Competitive spirits certainly came to the fore during giant Connect4 and the jigsaw contests!

After a yummy lunch of hot-dogs, our time at Oaker Wood came to an end with the ‘Low Ropes’ activities.  Again, there was some super teamwork and collaboration on show as the teams helped each other navigate some tricky woodland obstacle courses.

By the end of the day all the children were suitably tired and ready for the minibus journey home.

Many thanks to the wonderful staff at Oaker Wood for providing a fantastic residential trip, with excellent challenges, experiences and lots of memories made.