Day 1
After a brief journey down to the tip of the New Forest, and unloading the bags off the minibuses (an activity in itself!), the boys were greeted by Richard, our lead instructor. Richard welcomed us and explained our upcoming itinerary. After a short tour of the centre, and getting unpacked and ready in our accommodation, the boys went straight into their first activity: a rotation between cycle skills in the Calshot Velodrome, learning how to ride a ‘fixie’ bike and starting and stopping as a team; an indoor climbing wall and team swing; and moving onto an indoor ski slope. It was great to see the boys all getting stuck into these activities, particularly when they were new ones for those who had not ridden a bike before, or put on ski boots. The more confident boys gained a lot by showing others how it was done, and they did so well working as a team to support each other and have fun in a controlled environment.

Day 2
Today started with everyone out on the water.  There was a kayaking expedition to a nearby beach where we watched some of the big ships go in and out of Southampton Docks. Again, this was new for many boys who thoroughly enjoyed this independence and sense of freedom that being out on the open water can bring. After lunch, the boys dug deep into their energy reserves and completed the rest of their activity rotations, before moving onto the Pilgrims’-led art activity set by Mr Walters. It was lovely to see the boys enjoying drawing Calshot Castle on the lovely sunny evening, with many still going well after the 90-minute cut-off point.

Day 3
Our final day saw the boys enjoying an orienteering challenge, before moving onto the Ringos on the dry ski slope (arguably the most enjoyable activity for many).

Back at school, we talked about how the skills and activities we had sampled could lead into the upcoming Olympics this Summer. The boys were set one challenge to pick an event or race to watch each over the three weeks before watching the opening ceremony for the London 2012 games. Our final activity (before their trip leader collapsed) was a fun game of non-stop cricket on the fields in the sunshine. Parents came to pick up their smiling young sons after a wonderful few days.

I would particularly like to thank all the boys for showing the right levels of enthusiasm and commitment throughout the week. I hope that some of the activities may have sparked new interests or hobbies, and at the very least it was great to see the boys spending time together in a new and different environment, before heading into the last few days of term.

Mr Lingard
Year 5 Teacher and Trip Leader