Young Spirit Residential

 

 

Young Spirit Residential

 

In June this year, the Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from across the Jubilee Federation went away on a very special residential weekend. Staying at a camp in the woods near the River Dart, the children took part in a range of activities based around their basic survival needs for food, water and shelter including building a fire and suspending a pot to boil water, climbing a tall tree (with harness attached), looking for ‘wild food’ and building porches onto the tents in which they would be staying.

 

On the second day of the visit, the theme of the day was teamwork and cooperation. The children went canoeing and trekking to find a 'Lost World', before returning back to camp to make pizza for their supper and build the oven in which to cook it!

 

Throughout the weekend, the children had to earn ‘gems’ which they were able to use to pay for luxuries such as toppings on their pizzas or popcorn or marshmallows to cook over the fire. They helped to make their own food, cooking the toast for their own breakfasts over the fire and were generally expected to be independent and self-sufficient.  

 

On Sunday morning, the weekend culminated with the zip wire experience - just for fun – for which each child had to reserve the payment of one gem. The instructors praised the children's cooperation, teamwork and good behaviour and the staff all enjoyed taking them away. Not only that, but following their return to school, other staff have commented on improved behaviour, cooperation and independence in some of the children.