Year 5 conquer Cuffley

When Year 5 arrived in the morning, they were welcomed by Tiernan and Karma who were to be their activity instructors for the 3 days. We all walked up to our camp where the children explored the woods with excitement. The instructors then gave a talk about what the children would be doing during their stay.

Soon it was time for our first activity – Low Ropes. Climbing ropes, swinging tyres, a zip line and various other obstacles to climb up, down, and over! At the end there were a couple of team games which certainly showed Year 5’s competitive side!

After the low ropes we then headed to another area of the camp for our next activity – Den Building. The children were split into 4 groups and had to design and build a shelter (they were stranded on a desert island) that was strong and weatherproof just using what was around them. All the adults were very impressed with the teamwork and creativity of the groups.

The final test was to see if the dens were ‘waterproof’. Tiernan poured a large can of water over the dens – with the children inside!! As you can imagine, there were some very wet children at the end!

After dinner, Year 5 ended the day with a campfire – giving much-needed warmth – and smores. There was also a ‘talent show’ which was very entertaining! The children then headed to their tents, ready for the next day of fun and activities.

Tuesday started early with breakfast in the outdoor Woodland Kitchen. Yummy hot food to warm us all up. Then it was off to the first activity – the Climbing Wall. Year 5 are definitely an eager lot and all were ready and willing to get to the top. They were all very supportive of each other. Even Miss Smith had a go – although she is terrified of heights! Miss Pavey joined her and gave great encouragement to get Miss Smith to the top whilst the children cheered on from the bottom.

After lunch, we headed to the next activity – Camo Camp (camouflage and survival). The children loved this – faces covered in camo paint and then covering themselves with leaves, fern and other woodland stuff! Tiernan played some great games which the children thoroughly enjoyed – although there was definitely some cheating going on!

The final activity of the day was Archery Tag. This entailed wearing helmets whilst aiming ‘arrows’ at the opponent! It was like paintballing but with a bow and arrow that had a spongey end. Again, the competitive side came out in Year 5! The teachers kept well out of the way – arrows were flying everywhere!

After a dinner of yummy pasta and garlic bread, the children played a game in their camp, organised by the instructors, then fell fast asleep very quickly – rather exhausted after a very busy day.

Before we knew it the final day arrived, finally bringing some sunshine and much-needed warmth! The last activity was – the Gladiator Wall. This was challenging but all the children did amazingly – some almost scuttling up to the top like Spiderman! Some showed real resilience – if they didn’t manage it the first time, they didn’t give up. Lots of big smiles at the end from some very proud children. The teachers were extremely impressed.

Thank you Cuffley for yet another fantastic trip. The children had a brilliant time. Even the weather didn’t dampen their spirits. I’m sure that everyone slept very well when they got home.