Yr6 Little Canada 2021

Day 1:
 
After a soggy departure from school just after 8am, we set off for Portsmouth with hidden smiles (masks!) and high spirits, glad to finally be away. The children displayed an excellent, no-nonsense attitude and set to the task at hand.
 
After a surprisingly quiet coach trip, we safely arrived at the Historic Dockyards at around 10.15am. Despite an untimely downpour when we got off the coach, children and staff made their way to HMS Victory in an inquisitive mood. We were amazed at the low ceilings and steep steps that awaited us. Despite the obvious restrictions, we were pleased that the children were able to have the same experience as previous years, finding out lots of interesting facts.
 
A well-deserved lunch break followed before we prepared ourselves for our ferry crossing. Choppy water and strong winds did not stop us going out on deck to admire the maritime scenery. Look out for photos of this in today's video! For some children, this was a new experience and we were impressed by everyone's attitude.
 
After another short coach journey, we arrived, with cheers, at Little Canada. Weather remained on our side as we unloaded and headed down to Victoria, our chalets. Groups then spent some time setting up rooms, including looking through chalet packs, making beds and settling into their new surroundings. At 6pm, it was time for dinner!
 
All children found something they wanted from the selection on offer. These included beef Bolognese, Peri-peri chicken and vegetable biryani. Healthy salads and bread rolls were popular as well. With full stomachs, we headed off to our evening activity,. Passport to the World. This was a site-wide activity where the children were challenged to find flags of the world (Our team leader's Italian flag causing quite a stir!). Despite being at the end of a long day, the children continued to get involved admirably (hopefully ready for a good night's sleep!)
 
As we write, children are settling down ready for light's out at 10 o'clock. They are all looking forward to beginning a full day of activities, including zip wire and archery tomorrow. A 7 o'clock start with breakfast at 7.40 awaits!
 

Day 2 - Little Canada

7.00am and the staff rubbed their blurred eyes and began the morning rounds (many of the children we quickly discovered waking suitably earlier than this themselves!). At 7.40, breakfast was calling, again proving to be a successful mealtime with options for all.

 Then it was time for children and staff to split off into their 3 groups ready to start their first activity by 9.10am. But before they could leave, the first dreaded Chalet Inspection required completion. Staff were pleased to see some good efforts had been made with this challenge, although always room for improvement!

 The day was then filled with a selection from the following: Archery, Climbing, Abseiling, Orienteering, Zipwire and a newer activity for our school, Buggy Building. The children really enjoyed all of these and it was so pleasing to see how supportive they were to one-another and how much further they pushed themselves when their friends helped.

 As we sit here updating the site, the children are enjoying Ambush, a big game of hide and seek across the centre. The children have shown their commitment by adding mud to faces as camouflage…hopefully, ‘it’s coming home’ tonight too!

 All is well and your children are doing fantastically.

More to come tomorrow. Sensory Trail incoming!!!

Day 3 - Little Canada

Day 3 at Little Canada began with some slightly slower risers first thing this morning. We were however again so impressed by the way they had all gone to bed without fuss the night before, despite the nearby celebrations from the football!

Blessed once again with good weather, we set off for a day many of the children were anticipating for the Sensory Trial. Before this though, sessions of Orienteering, Zipwire, Buggy Building and Climbing continued.

At lunchtime, the second and final shop visit gave the group a chance to stock up on treats for themselves, but also purchase special gifts for siblings and parents. Then it was time for the big one…Sensory Trial! As you will see from our photos, the children were all excellent and really got into the spirit of the activity.

Today concludes with Campfire, as the children prepare to start packing and sorting chalets for the mass tidy-up of the next morning. A slightly earlier start (6.45am) awaits us, with many of the children particularly looking forward to trying out the Giant Swing before we depart.

We hope you have enjoyed our updates this week and looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening.