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Day 3 – Wednesday 18th October 2023
Day 3 at Little Canada began with a few extra knocks on chalet doors, as the busy timetable of the day before had taken its toll (some chalets however were wide awake already!) Despite another blustery and wet night, we are pleased to note that the children had settled down well once again to lights out and bedtime.
Unsurprisingly, there was only one topic on the mind of children and staff at the breakfast table: The Sensory Trail! After another hearty meal, the groups set off for their day, tackling the muddy course one at a time (and leaving disaster in their wake upon their return to shower in chalets!). Groups 3 and 4 in particular deserve special credit for battling through near torrential rainy weather conditions at points, on the way to completing this activity with courage, high spirits and perseverance. Thankfully too, the staff were really impressed by the attitude, commitment, and resilience of every group – everyone gave their all to this challenge (see photos from today for highlights of this).
Alongside this, other activities of the day included Climbing, Archery, more Vertical Challenge and Abseiling. We are pleased to say that despite tiredness starting to set in for some, high spirits have continued to shine through. All of the children have really pushed themselves to achieve great things this week; we are really proud of the individual accomplishments, especially where they have taken themselves out of their comfort zones (shout out to Armani alongside many others for conquering fears to, in all senses, ‘reach new heights’!)
Before dinner, the children visited the shop for a final time and as we write, they have returned from dinner and are starting themselves off on a game of Photo Challenge, involving a tablet and various challenges of the technical and photographic variety.
The children have had an excellent week and, as they prepare for packing and departing tomorrow afternoon, we are sure they will return with precious memories to share and cherish. A special mention to all of them today for persevering through the weather till the very end with little to no complaints, with all getting stuck in and embracing this ‘special feature’ of their trip admirably.
We hope you have enjoyed keeping up to date with our adventures this week. Thank you for all of your comments and acknowledgements. The children are all looking forward to seeing you on our arrival, so please keep a look out tomorrow afternoon (Thursday 19th October) for any updates via text or email regarding our return.
The Woodley CofE Team
Day 2 – Tuesday 17th October 2023
7am. A later start on Day 2 than previous year groups have at times faced in the past (something we made sure to mention to the children with the most solemn faces upon this announcement when we arrived yesterday!?)
Chalet doors were knocked, and bleary-eyed greetings exchanged, signalling the end of an excellent first night for the group on the Isle of Wight. The children were impeccable, and all settled down to sleep and acclimatise to their new surroundings on a first evening in a new environment (long may it continue!). Despite another blustery night and start to the day, sunlight greeted us as the day began!
8.00am bought breakfast time for the group, with a variety of cooked breakfast options meeting us. Again, children were all able to find something they wanted, some of the more adventurous trying new foods too. Needless to say, the morning mealtime was full of excitement for the activities ahead!
Then we were off! A day that had it all; Blustery beach walks with ‘scream races’ and sand recreations of some of the teachers, Vertical Challenge, Laser Tag, Climbing, Orienteering and Survivor. The children began to challenge themselves and shone through as BRIGHT and BRAVE individuals with particular highlights being so many conquering fear of heights to achieve great things across the day. We were also impressed by the eagerness to support each other that so many were adopting, for not only their friends, but also others around them in their daytime activity groups.
After our daytime activities, the children completed their first shop visit, heading back to chalets with sweets (on a £2.00 limit!), teddies, keyrings and other souvenirs for their time away. They will have the chance to have another look again tomorrow.
And then before we knew it, dinner time had come again! On the menu tonight was Hunter’s chicken, fish fingers, vegetarian shepherd’s pie, and pasta, and again, all found something to fill them up.
The children have now just set off on their second evening activity of the week: Ambush, which in summary, is a site wide game of hide and seek (slightly more eventful with darkness now on us again!).
We hope you are enjoying our updates and keeping up with the children’s adventures – more to come tomorrow, as all the groups come face to face with the legendary Sensory Trail! With rain forecast across the day, we anticipate the children having a great time.
Check in tomorrow for more highlights (of the muddy variety!)
Day 1 – Monday 16th October 2023
Little Canada 2023 began with a busy start at school. After a slightly more prolonged coach wait than expected, we set at around 8.35 towards the motorway and Winchester, with excitement for the week ahead building. Staff and children alike were all pleased to finally get away as thoughts turned towards chalets, activities and challenges to come!
After a positive coach trip, we arrived in Winchester for a walking tour of the city to find some landmarks on the maps we were given. We headed towards the Cathedral, and spotted many interesting attractions on our way, including a singing street performer, so we stopped to admire the music. Then, we enjoyed a snack in the Abbey Gardens, before embarking back upon the coach to Portsmouth.
Soon after this, it was time for our much-anticipated ferry to the Isle of Wight. We were fortunate to be able to go out on deck (minus our red hats because of the wind!) for the full experience of a first time on a boat for many of the children. Whilst on board the ferry, we also enjoyed our much-needed packed lunch, before getting back on the coach on arrival in the Isle of Wight.
Just like that, we arrived at Little Canada to claps and cheers aplenty from children and staff! Groups then unpacked cases and bags into their Victoria chalets. Due to heating problems in one chalet, there was a minor adjustment to one group’s living arrangements, in which the children involved maturely approached, and then all enjoyed settling into their new rooms for the week. All then had some free time to unwind, before a 7.10pm dinner.
A range of choices met us: chicken, rice, pasta, beef or vegetable lasagne, and sponge cake for dessert! We were pleased that all were able to find something to eat on this first night, with some also topping up from the salad bar, bread and side dishes on offer.
As we write, the children are eagerly getting stuck into their first evening activity: Passport to the World, which involves the children searching for multinational flags around the activity site (with their torches and warm coats!). We are pleased to report that, despite some weary faces, the group are still up for the challenge. Hopefully this final hurdle will see them sleep soundly tonight after this (fingers crossed from all!).
Until tomorrow!
