Year 5 - Thriftwood

On Thursday 5^th October, Heron Class and Kingfisher Class arrived at Thriftwood Activity Centre eager to participate in two days of challenging activities set in 100 acres of beautiful Essex woodlands. It was a wonderfully warm and sunny day, the children were extremely excited and after unpacking, started their first task.

The variety of activities encouraged the child to implement a range of skills and abilities. The Postman’s Walk is a high wire walk reaching twenty meters above the ground. The children had to face their fears as they scaled the heights relying on their agility and confidence to reach the top. To complete the challenge, the children then dropped down from the very top landing safely on terra firma.

It was surprising to witness the children’s incredible axe throwing abilities. With expert advice and guidance from the professional instructors, the children quickly developed the technique required to accurately hit the target.

For those whom love the water, kayaking was an absolute thrill. The children used excellent listening skills to follow instructions carefully, which are very important when around water, and enjoyed a fun-packed session on the lake. At the end of the session, a brave few left their kayak and entered the waters for a quick swim.

As well as personal challenges, the children also had opportunities to challenge others. Deep in the woods is situated the assault course. Here the children race against each other over seven tricky obstacles. Equally challenging and as much fun, the pedal cars offered a more combative race against others. With a steering wheel and handbrake, the children negotiated the course with the precision of an F1 driver.

During the evening, after playing games, the children sat around the campfire making s’mores and singing songs. Before retiring for the night, the children enjoyed a hot chocolate and a bed-time story. Exhausted from their busy day, the children slept soundly ready to start another busy fun-packed day of challenge and adventure.