Day Three - Home Time

Well the time has come to say goodbye to Robinwood.

Breakfast was once again amazing and the children were packed and ready to go onto their final 3 activities.

Trapeze and Raft Building required lots of team work and got the children thinking with lots of problem solving but the children proved just how amazing they are and conquered the activity! Mr Cook took full advantage of the sunshine this morning and took a dip in the Robinwood Lake (with the help of some willing volunteers from Hill group).

Caving was a challenge for some but everyone got involved and made it through and enjoyed the games inside. The children worked well to encourage and support each other and everyone had a go.

The Giant Swing was also met with excitement (and nerves) as both Forest team and Hill team soared through the air and pulled some incredible faces whilst doing so. 

Lunch followed before the children said some fond farewells to all the staff at Robinwood. Laura, Callum, Niall and Alice have been superstars and we couldn’t have asked for a better group leaders for our children. I am sure they will feature heavily in the stories the children will be eager to share. 

So we  are on the coach on the way home and we have some very tired children and adults. If we don't get to see you all we just want to say what a pleasure it has been to take your children away for the past 3 days. They have been polite, well mannered, respectful and determind to take on anything! Have a great weekend, plenty of rest and see you on Monday morning!

Well done to all the children again!

Mr E, Mr Cook and Mrs Wood

Day TWO - Time Flies When You Are Having Fun!

 WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!

What a fantastic day! Just when you think our children could not be any more magnificent they go and prove us wrong! If I had a pound for every time a member of Robinwood staff said what a fantastic group of children we have, I would be a millionaire (well nearly!). Genuinely, the amount of compliments we have received for the children’s manners and the respect they have shown to each other and Robinwood staff have made me smile from ear to ear all day!

The day started off with a glowing report from the famous Robinwood Night Ninjas. No problems to report so onto our first activity. Breakfast! With beans, sausages, cereal, toast, fruit and potato waffles (a new favourite) on offer, the children were certainly fuelled for the action packed day that awaited them.

Each group had 3 activities to complete before lunch. Forest had Night Line, Canoeing and Raft Building. Wood group had Climbing, Piranha Pool and Crate Challenge. Hill group had Zip Wire, Archery and Climbing. 

Another of the water based activities the children take part in is Raft Building. The children in Forest Group were first to put their craftsmanship to the test as they had to build a craft worthy enough to cross the Robinwood lake. I am pleased to report the rafts were successful, to the disappointment to some of the children as no one got wet so they were then tasked to show their best swan dive off the jetty into the lake. 

This morning's activities all required certain skills that pushed and challenged children to achieve their set goals. Reports from Mrs Wood and Mr Cook are that the children surpassed expectations in each of their activities. Teamwork skills were strongly evident as children flew through activities and pushed onto more challenging games. I was particularly impressed with the compassion and encouragement shown between the children in Forest group when completing their morning activities. A huge shout out goes to all the children who have conquered their personal challenges/fears be it height or the dark. We talk about being compassionate, having courage, kind, caring and supportive a lot in school and to see these amazing skills so evidently in our children when some of them were suspended high up in the air on the Crate Challenge or crawling on their hands and knees on the night line, it reminds me of what a special school we are part of and what a fantastic group of children our Year 6s are.

Lunch time! A chance to regroup and reenergise. Hot dogs or chicken burgers were on the menu along with a range of fruit and cakes for desert. 

After lunch, the rain made an appearance, but the children didn't let that 'dampen' their spirits as another 3 brilliant activities awaited them. Forest challenged themselves in the Dungeon, Archery and the High Ropes challenge course. Whilst in the dungeon, the children in Forest also had a close encounter with the dungeon master, which wasn't just Mr Elliot with a table cloth over his head! The children managed to solve the clues and make it out. Wood group encountered naughty squirrels (ask your children) on the Night Line followed by canoeing and raft building. Apparently, Mrs Wood's raft building attempts were to be be admired or was that forgotten. You will have to ask her. Hill group were set the challenge to build the highest tower out of crates whilst standing on top of them before heading in to the woods to navigate the night line and then headed to the lake for canoeing.

Teatime! Fish fingers, curry and cookies were on the menu for the children. Just what the children need after an action packed day. But wait…it’s not over, there was another evening of Team Challenge ahead. Even though this was our final activity the children still showed as much enthusiasm and positivity as they had done for the very first activity which was just over 12 hours ago. We could not be any prouder of the children!

Hot chocolate, biscuits and bedtime followed. Tired eyes were plentiful in the room as the eagerly waited phrase 'bedtime' was met with joy as over 12 hours of undeliverable fun had taken its toll on some of the children (and adults!).

On a personal note, I wanted to take the opportunity to say a big THANK YOU! Some think the adults who go on residential are crazy! But your children have been truly amazing. Mr Cook, Mrs Wood and I are so proud of all the children's achievements. They have also been a delight to sit and have breakfast, lunch and dinner with and never once complained. The manners and politeness have been OUTSTANDING!

Anyway, enough of that, we still have another busy morning ahead. Breakfast, 3 more activities and lunch before we start our journey back to Collingham.

Well it's past our bedtime and after 2 days away we need our beauty sleep. Again, thank you for your lovely comments. They all say a big hello and are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow quickly followed by “can we stay a bit longer?’ These are priceless to the children and we love to see the smiles, which go from ear to ear as the children read them.

See you tomorrow,

Mr E, Mrs Wood and Mr Cook. 

Day 1 - On your marks. Get set. GO!

 Good evening all, 

WOW! 

What a fantastic send off this morning (I can't believe that was only this morning)!

I must say this every year, but what a marvellous group of year 6 children we have with us on residential! After a lovely journey to North Wales, the children just had enough time to stretch their legs (and visit the bathroom) before our group leaders Laura (Forest)  Callum (Wood) and Niall (Hill) whisked the children off to complete their first task, making their beds and packing their kit bags. I can report that the children were all successful at putting on their own bottom sheets, stuffing their pillow in a pillowcase and putting on a duvet cover. No excuses now when they get home!

After that, lunch awaited the children, on the menu was pizza! The children also had the chance to order their meals for the rest of the week, pasta, curry, sandwiches, jacket potatoes and lots more, plus the added bonus of crisps and biscuits. 

Before we knew it, it was time to head off for their first activities zip-wire, high ropes course and Trapeze. The amount of fantastic teamwork skills on show across the activities had our group leaders talking about what a magnificent group of children they were working with. The children were complemented for their perseverance, resilience, communication and listening skills. Some faced their fears as they tackled the heights of the high ropes and zip wire. 

No time to rest, quick toilet and drinks stop and then onto Climbing (Forest), Trapeze (Wood) and High Ropes (Hill). More fantastic skills on show from the children and adults. I can not tell you how many times our group leaders have commented on the children's wonderful manners and their supporting nature towards one another. The teamwork on show is an absolute pleasure to watch and as their teachers (temporarily at least) we could not be any prouder. 

Piranha Pool (Forest)  Giant Swing (Wood) and Caving (Hill). Forest group were the first of our children to complete the most talked about activity at Robinwood, The Piranha Pool. The Piranha Pool was approached with excitement and some nerves. Had Mr Elliot been lying? Were there any piranhas? Is the water hot or cold? Do the Piranhas have teeth? Are the piranhas vegetarian? 

Well, not to spoil it for any younger siblings, Forest group all survived, however, they only just got out with seconds to spare before they were the piranhas supper! I am sure the children will look forward to telling you all about it when they get home. Hill group also faced the Piranhas after surviving their caving session. Reports from Mr Cook are that all children escaped with toes and fingers still attached. Let's hope Wood group are just as successful tomorrow morning.  

A great attitude from all the children who after an early start were giving everything 100% and still had smiles on their faces! With the sun out it made for a wonderful afternoon. Towards the end of these activities bellies were starting to rumble.

After 3 action packed activities, the children (and adults) were ready for some tea. Great table manners impressed the Robinwood staff as the children tucked into some pasta or jacket potatoes followed by more pasta for some of the children and even more pasta for some of the children who wanted seconds and thirds followed by scrumptious ice cream. 

Re-fuelled it was onto our 4th activities included Crate Challenge for Forest and Caving for Wood group. Forest group had their skills tested. In small groups, the children had to build the tallest tower out of crates whilst on top of it. This activity required a lot of communication and trust as they built their tower with some going at least 10ft off the ground. After time limits were reached the hardest part came next, the jump from the top. Before you panic, the children were all safely harnessed and I can report they all gracefully floated back down to the floor. Wood group accompanied by Mrs Wood braved the darkness of the Robinwood caves. With an intricate tunnel system the children (and Mrs Wood) squeezed through tight turns and navigated the cave tunnels like pros. 

Our final activity Team Challenge.  Completing different activities for points the children excelled themselves, had fun and laughed as the teachers tried their hardest to embarrass themselves. 

As the activity came to a finish, it was time for hot chocolate and biscuits. The rules for night-time followed and the need for a good night sleep was top of the list! 

Bed time! The children are now fast asleep (I hope) as I type and can't imagine we will see any of the children until they wake up or are awoken up by the night ninjas at 7.45am.

We are incredibly proud of the children's perseverance, courage and teamwork today and can't wait for tomorrow's activities.

Thank you for all your wonderful messages which I will share with the children over breakfast tomorrow morning. If you know of anyone still unaware of the blog please share and pass on the details.

I will share more with you tomorrow. An action packed day awaits. 

Goodnight 

Mr E, Mr Cook and Mrs Wood x

We Have Arrived

We have arrived safe and sound at Robinwood. After a brilliant journey the children are now organising their kit bags and making their beds. After that, lunchtime and pizza is on the menu.

Mr E

Goodbye, farewell……

Are we there yet!

Thank you for a wonderful send off from school (we did wave back). The children are settled and happily chatting, singing and playing card games. Our arrival time is roughly 10.45am at Robinwood. We will endeavour to keep the blog up to date as much as possible. I will always share any message/ comments left on the blog with the children as we know this is something the children really look forward to.

Have a great day
Mr E, Mr Cook and Mrs Wood

Children's Menu

 

Activity Timetables