Shoreham Summer Fete

IMG_2199.jpg, a photo by MarkHeathcote on Flickr.

Mrs Pape was determined to soak Millie!

Shoreham Village Fete

IMG_2107.jpg, a photo by MarkHeathcote on Flickr.

May-poling at the Summer fete.

Swattenden Day 2

Good evening! It has certainly been an interesting day here in Swattenden! The children fell asleep in dribs and drabs last night, with the first going off at about 10 and the last holding out until gone midnight! We were all obviously delighted to then be woken up at quarter past 5 by children eager to start their day of activities! The boys obviously didn't quite understand what was meant by laying quietly until a more reasonable time - they took themselves to the toilet one at a time, each one forgetting that the door slams if not closed slowly! Breakfast was extremely tasty, with a choice of cereal, toast or a cooked breakfast. The children took it as a personal challenge to try a bit of everything and were definitely set up for the day. The quantity of beans some of them managed to consume was quite alarming!  TP was particularly impressive with his three full bowls of cereal followed by a slice of toast! The first activity of the day was the Low Adventure Course. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been the best - the complete opposite to Cameron Class' trip to the Isle of Wight. Part of the course involved army crawling under a cargo net......I'll leave you to guess the state of the children's clothes. We have plenty of picture evidence for when we get back! The activity began with team leaders, Jenna and Bella, having to answer a tricky question to see who would go first. The first was "What is the capital of Kurdistan?" Surprisingly, neither girl was able to answer this, but Bella then pipped Jenna to the post with the question, "Cat. How do you spell it?", the answer obviously being 'I, T'.  Despite slipping and sliding all over the place, the children kept smiles on their faces, even Beau, who gets the prize for slipping over the most in the mud. For the post box part of the course, the children were told to climb through as if they were climbing onto a horse - all eyes fell on Maisie to show them how it was done, which she did with ease!  With Jenna, Millie and Jamie caked in mud (complete with muddy war paint on their faces - wait until you see the pictures) the children came in for a quick warm up before heading into the woods for the next activity. 'Night line' involved the children guiding each other around a rope maze blindfolded - something difficult to begin with, made worse by the rain turning the course into a slip-n-slide! Again, the children took this in their stride, and, despite not being able to feel their fingers or toes, thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Bethy and Mia did especially well at this, helping and talking to each other as they navigated the course. It took a lot of trust for the children to do this and they did it brilliantly, despite the odd child walking into a tree. The boys found it a little trickier than the girls - George, TP, Ciaran and Michael seemed to forget they were guiding each other and would leave their partner stranded! We finished a little early for lunch and had time to get ourselves changed and warned up. After another hearty meal (you wanted your kids to put on 2 stone in three days, right?!) it was time for the highly anticipated zip wire. The children were split into two groups with half doing the zip wire first, the others doing the bouldering wall. Despite being apprehensive, almost all children went down the zip wire, some overcoming a fear of heights to jump off the 20ft high platform. Lucy and Matthew came down with beaming smiles on their faces, despite looking pretty petrified going up! Some of us managed showers this evening, although some children seemed to come out with just as much mud on them as when they went in! Others have opted not to shower for the entire holiday - apologies in advance for the smelly children being sent home. During the children's free time, Isla left both Miss Catherall and Miss Salmon suitably impressed by a seemingly impossible card trick. We're still trying to work out how she did it! After dinner (which ended with giant slabs of flapjack!) the children settled down to watch 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' before bed. Unfortunately, the planned night walk was cancelled due to the bad weather. Now its time for bed, and the last night in the Mansion. All the adults are hoping for an earlier night! The mood was set in the girls' room by Ellie and India who decided to yeah everyone a mixture of gymnastics and yoga - hopefully the calming effect we need tonight. Everyone is having a great time, but we are all excited to get home and tell you all about the adventures we've had. Night for now (we hope!) Moore Class

Swattenden Day 1

Well, it finally arrived - the day all the children have been waiting for for months - the day we left for Swattenden! After a mainly non-eventful journey we arrived - the girls soon got bored of counting to a million when asking how close we were! When we arrive, we were met by Tony and Bob who told us all about the site and showed us to our rooms where we were left to unpack. Jamie and Ciaran  were true gentlemen, helping the children with heavier suitcases (naming no names - Millie and Amelia!) up the two flights of stairs! Some of us were better than others at making our beds, but we all got there eventually!

A quick tour of the site and we were ready for lunch - despite warnings, everyone ate lots and were soon stuffed, just in time to start our first activity - orienteering. This involved lots of running around, and, after such a big lunch, proved quite difficult!

Then it was time for shelter building - a definite hit with everyone as we scrambled round in the mud - Katie and Elise proved especially adept at dragging logs around, not minding at all they were caked in mud.

After a delicious dinner, we went outside with Bob (the children happily serenaded him with a rendition of Bob the Builder!) and joined the other school in a game of Capture the Flag. Jenna proved to be the team superstar for yellow team, and with her camouflaged hat she really looked the part!

After a hot chocolate and part of a movie, we are all off to bed, tired but excited about what we're going to get up to tomorrow!

Isle of Wight - Day 5

So here it is. Our final blog (ahhhhh!) You would think with a ferry home at 12pm we wouldn't have much to write about. But with ice skating on the agenda how could this be! The rink was fantastic and the highlight for many of the children. Ned and Billy fought to the bitter end in terms of who fell over the most! With a triumphant Billy eventually taking the title with a total of 48 times! In fairness all boys, despite many scrapes and falls persevered and had an absolute ball. Meanwhile the girls were flying with many of the children showing a real flair for ice skating! Some more surprising than others perhaps (apparently Caris' Mum used to e an ice skater!) In fact children had such a good time they were keen to go again. We suggested they asked their parents and carers (you're welcome!) After another smooth and sunny ferry ride we are now back on the mainland. We're only a little way from home now. We look forward to seeing you all shortly!

Isle of Wight -Day 4

The hours have passed like a whirl wind and here we are on our final night at the Corner House Hotel. Today was brilliant and as teachers we can officially announce 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED' with all children fast asleep by 9:15pm!

The day started with our penultimate breakfast (with clean children) before we headed off to visit Model Village. The children enjoyed looking at the detail of each building and person. The football match and chine scene were particular popular. After yet another gift shop experience we headed off to 'Owl & Monkey Haven'. As we departed we realised we had some time to spare so Dave, our wonderful, fabulous, amazing (occasionally horn-beeping) driver took us to an adventure playground. Here, children were able to swing, jump, spin and run to their hearts content! Turns out that was only three or four minutes as slowly, child after child resorted to basking in the sunshine!

Back en route and finally we arrived at the haven. A spot of lunch and we were ready to explore all varieties of monkeys (and owls). Fortunately, we were not forced to do this alone. A wonderfully informed guide named Harvey (or Marvin as Mrs Pape introduced him) was on hand to share funny tales and anecdotes regarding each monkey (and owl).



After we were led in to the education room, it was wonderful to see the children enjoying a worksheet! Although some clearly had forgotten how to hold a pencil! We were told Harvey (a.k.a Marvin) would be back with a surprise, leaving us in the capable hands of Miranda. On Harvey's (a.k.a Marvin's) return children were thrilled to meet a Ketch, a European Eagle Owl. All children were able  to stroke the owl, as Mr Ball asked each child how the owl felt. Each child could confidently declare that the owl was most certainly...'soft'. Inspired words you might say!

It is important to make clear how enjoyable this part of our trip had been. The stories, primates (and owls)  combined to provide children with an unforgettable experience. So much so that we are delighted to announce that as a class we are now the adopted parents of a young Rhesus Macaque called Minka.

After an action-packed day a far quieter coach ride led us back to the hotel! Children had an hour and a half to relax, play games, read and begin to pack up some of their clothes. After our final dinner it was time to get ready for the disco. Make-up applied, hair tussled and dresses on. The boys were ready! (No! We are not joking!) 7:30 soon approached and children were dancing, singing and waving their hands like the lunatics they most definitely are! By 9 o'clock, we were all truly exhausted and ready for bed.

That brings us up to now. Just Mr Ball and Mrs Pape remain. This week has been so hectic we hardly feel like we've had any time to reflect on what a wonderful experience the trip has been for all. It's fantastic to see the close relationships that have been built.

Tomorrow is our final day and in some ways it will be sad to leave (Note: SOME ways!) If possible we will be blogging tomorrow but at a far earlier time. Thank you for all the comments from the past few days, we have ALL enjoyed them, with the exception of any sly Everton digs! 

 

Isle of Wight - Day 3

The end of the third day and we're over half way through our Isle of Wight adventure! The day was another busy one so it was important that breakfast was equally as scrummy as before. First stop was 'Amazon World', a zoo full of tropical animals. We were greeted by a lovely bird. The bird led us through the first few metres of the animal park with only the odd peck of Mrs Pape, Billy and Mia occuring. We were amazed as we met the (Usain Bolt-like) tortoises and tried chatting to some macaws. Other animals we saw included tarantulas (excluding Caris!), turtles, caiman, flamengos, meerkats and many more!

We also enjoyed an in-depth penguin chat where we learnt alot about penguins and their diets, habitats and appearance. Pele was a particular favourite, a bit of a loner with a bad temper apparently. Another highlight was the lemur walkthrough where all children were brave enough to enter an open enclosure with lemurs.

But all of this paled into insignificance when a cheeky marmosat decided to do his business through a bridge. Unfortunately, directly underneath the bridge stood a helpless Toby. "Oh no! Mr Ball...he's just pee'd on me!" was the cry. Luckily, as the weather was hot Toby was quite happy to remove his coat and begin to put the whole ordeal behind him!

After lunch and some free time in the adventure playground we were on the coach again to visit Bembridge lifeboat house. Here, an inforamtive gentlemen shared his knowledge of the lifeboat. We learnt about the weight, costing and processes of the boat. We were amazed to find out we were standing in a building that had cost over 8 million pounds to construct!

Back at the hotel and we decided to run off some steam in the nearby park. Mr Ball and his troops were dissapointed to suffer a 12-10 defeat whislt the girls enjoyed many chats including one about Selena Gomez.

After dinner, we went bowling! We all had a fantastic time practising our skills and nurturing our bowling abilities. There were four games won by Mr Ball (top scorer - 155), Thaila, Ned and a brutally harsh Mrs Pape who snatched victory from the hands of Luke in the dying embers of the match! Technique of the night however, belonged to Rebecca for her 'I don't care what happens and where the ball goes and what pins it hits' approach.

Tonight we are watching Roo's choice of film, 'My Neighbour Totoro', looking forward to our final full day on the island.

Also, we sent our postcards this morning so hopefully they will be arriving soon!

Isle of Wight Day 2

Day 2 started bright and early - about 6:30am. Even Rebecca woke up with a smile and was ready to go for breakfast at 8am. Breakfast was delicious and set us up for a very full day.

We started with a 45min coach journey to Alum Bay. We enjoyed a karaoke moment to the Bee Gees Tragedy and the Monkees Daydream Believer. None of us will be participating in Britain's Got Talent anytime soon.

We arrived at a deserted Alum Bay to enjoy a sweet making demonstration. Most excitingly we got to enjoy the sweets we saw being made - Banana splits.

Next stop was glass blowing. We saw a glass vase being hand blown. We were interested to learn about how fibre optic cables were made from glass and used by all major internet companies.

Alum Bay provided us with our first shopping experience. There was sand, glass and sweet shops so prepare yourselves for a fantastic array of gifts on our return.

Before lunch Mrs Pape took us on an educational uphill jaunt to see the Needles. The view was spectacular, a very observant Olly was fortunately on hand to declare that "the rock was very white".

In the afternoon we visited Dino Isle where we had a very informative guide. We got to hold a

fossilized leaf print which was 360 million years old. Abbie was fascinated by the fact that we have a tail. All in all, children had the opportunity to handle and discuss over thirty different artefacts. A particular highlight was the quick change of facial expressions that occured when children were told they were actually holding fossilized excrement! 

An exploration of the museum provided children with the chance to find out more about dinosaurs. We experienced the sights and smells dinosaurs would have experienced and even had a go at digging for our own fossils.

A walk along the beach front and 'promenade' (atleast that's what Mrs Pape called it!) and we were back at the hotel. An hour of free time before another delicious dinner was just what we needed in preparation for the evening's activity.

Richard Timberwood, Timber to his friends (fortunately that was us!) came in to our den to tell us a story about pirates (cover one eye and say AAARGH), smugglers (raise one finger over pursed lips and utter SHHHH and long shore men (wave fingers in front of body before stretching arms and flexing muscles saying YEEEEAH). (The directions in brackets are just a warning incase you are asked to play a part in any repeat versions!) In all seriousness, Timber was fantastic and for over two hours he had the children singing, playing and most importantly hanging on every word of his tale.

So here we are, the children watching Beauty and the Beast (but enough about Mr Ball and Mrs Pape, NOTE: In no particular order!) Another action-packed day is over! Speak to you all tomorrow!

Thank you to all of those who have already replied to the blog, the children are loving hearing from you all. Finally, the hyperlink below will link you to the school flickr account where you can see many more of the photos from every day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shorehamvillageschool/
You will need to sign up to view the account.

Isle of Wight - Day 1

Day 1 and we're here! The children have had an action-packed first day resulting in some very sandy children! (more about that later!) After meeting our lovely driver Dave we made our way to sunny Portsmouth.

After correcting children that Spinnaker Tower was NOT a 5* hotel we left the coach and visited the aquarium. It was a brilliant outing that children loved! (get ready for a record-breaking amount of fish-based photos!) The trip included a fascinating chat from a rock pool expert where children discussed and handled crabs and starfish!

Following a simple ferry journey (where fortunately no sick bags were needed!) finally we had arrived in the Isle of Wight! Mr Ball was delighted that having no passport was not an issue although the coach driving on the same side of the road did raise an eyebrow or two!

A short 'go compare off' - with Billy a clear winner, and we had arrived at our hotel. Children all unpacked and settled in, the inclusion of TVs in the rooms was a particular highlight! (who knew we had so many 'pointless' fans!)

After a lovely first meal we explored the nearby beach where children played in the sand! Fast forward to now, 17 sandy children, enjoying Despicable Me' in 'The Den'. Tomorrow we're off to Alum Bay but for now it is time to say good night. Please do feel free to leave any messages, the children will be thrilled to read them!

Hands on History

Yesterday, Moore and Cameron Class took part in a Hands on History workshop all about Tudor warfare.

First, we went into the Hall and watched Mr Ball transform from a teacher into one of Henry VII's soldiers.  We found out he would have been a knight in smelly armour because once the armour was on, it wasn't coming off even if you needed the toilet!  We were shown all the different details that were used to protect the soldiers from arrows, swords, warhammers and maces.

Did you know, if you got wounded in Tudor times they would put maggots inside it and straw, then sew it up.  The maggots would eat all the bad skin and flesh, then turn into flies and climb out the wound using the straw.  Another way of helping people who were injured was weeing on the wound because it was sterile.

 Next, Miss Salmon, Mrs Pape and Miss Catherall all dressed up in armour from Elizabeth I's reign.  By this time there were guns being used.  They were more deadly so the armour needed to protect the soldiers better.  Miss Salmon was a poor soldier and she had gunpowder hung around her waist.  That was very dangerous!  Anyone that had a gun had to use a stick to help them aim so they don't kill the people on their own side.  It also held it steady.  Mrs Pape and Miss Catherall were far more important soldiers than Miss Salmon.  They had much posher, more expensive clothing and armour.  They undergarments they wore were much more protective and they acted as a seal if they were shot.  However, the chances of Mrs Pape being shot were very slim as she would be sending Miss Salmon into battle and staying away from the attack!

 After break, the whole school came outside and watched Tudor firemaking, using steel and flint.  It was brilliant!  Mr Ball and Mrs Pape tried it too - we think they could have done with a gas mask because they inhaled a lot of smoke! 


Then, we saw some amazing archery - Martyn pulled the bow back and yelled "DRAW!" and we shouted "SHOOT!"  The arrows went from the playground all the way to the end of the field.  We were told they could have gone further, if we had the space!



 After that, we went back to the Hall and were given a sword and a shield.  We had to advanced on the teachers who used death-by-footballs to attack us!  We had to make a wall using our shields.  Millie scared the living daylights out of Mr Ball when she attacked him!

We were then given the chance, in groups of three, to get dressed up in arms and armour.  Meanwhile, the rest of the classes went into Moore Class with Martyn and saw some fascinating instruments made from animal horns.  We also saw lots of different animal hides that Tudor people would have used for clothes, blankets and bedding.  There were even some toys!  We found out that you can do lots more than you think you can with animal horns.  We saw money they would have used in Tudor times.  We found out that even though it was breaking the law, people would clip the money so they had more of it.  If you got caught doing this, you would have had your hand cut off.

 
Because we ran out of time, Martyn and Daryl very kindly stayed until after lunch to finish telling us all about weaponry.  We got to hold the weapons and see just how heavy they were.

We had an excellent day and as Martyn and Daryl were packing up, TP asked, "Can you come back again?"!  Martyn even offered to leave a sword for Miss Salmon to help her keep the children in line!  Thank you to Hands on History for such a fantastic time, we learnt so much from the experience.  

Pet club

Today at pet club we had 2 visitors. We met Cecil the dog and Hammy the Hamster. Cecil is Isla's dog and he is half jack Russell and half Chihuahua, and he is very friendly. We learnt that dogs see in black and white. He likes beef jerky as a treat. He enjoyed sniffing the classroom. 

Jenna brought Hammy in to meet the rest of the club as today is her first birthday. She is having a party after school tonight with Jenna and Bella. Hammy is a female hamster that eats almost anything! Hammy was given a wooden tunnel as a present. ]

We were all very excited by our pet visitors today. At our next meeting we shall learn about cats, as Amelia is bringing in her cat, and Lucy will be bringing in two more of her guinea pigs.