And they're off!

With a rousing cheer of "Freedooooooom!" the children packed their bags on to the bus and set off on the journey to Sayers Croft.

Bon voyage. See you all on Friday.

Arrival

The children made it safely to Sayers Croft and are having their initial orientation.

Next job, bag a bunk bed and get your kit ready!

Starting the adventure with a splash!

The first activity for the children was to build their own rafts using the  materials available to them at the pond area.

...of course, having made the rafts, the children then had to test them out... with hilarious consequences!

Team Building

Having dried off from their rafting experiences, the children moved on to team building exercises.

In one of these activities, they had to carry a cup of water across an obstacle course, without spilling any, while another involved passing a hoop around a circle of children without breaking the circle.

...here you can see some of our boys trying to organise themselves into number order along a plank without touching the grass...

Camp fire time after dinner

In the evening, as the sun was setting, Mrs. Ryan taught the children how to make camp fires.

After some practice on small fires in teams, the children gathered around the camp fire, made marshmallow smores and listened to Ope's 'ghost story'.

"Nature walking"

On Thursday, the children were treated to a walk in the lovely surrey countryside.

Little did they know, things were about to get a bit mucky and wet. Again.

We hope your washing machines are working well...

"Blind" Obstacle Course

This was another lesson in teamwork. Children were given blindfolds and dark goggles to take away their sight. They were then led around an obstacle course by their friends... a real lesson in trust!

Taking to the skies

Our intrepid explorers next took to the skies on the high ropes. After a safety briefing and strapping on the safety equipment, the children walked around the high ropes obstacle course, clipping in and out as they passed each obstacle.

Some children look as if they are natural climbers here. A career in the circus awaits.

I do hope the instructor was helping, and not pushing someone off the ropes with that big pole...

Viking skills!

Also on the adventure menu today was the ancient skill of... axe throwing!

Yes, our children were taught how to look, aim and throw dangerously sharp objects at a target.

Please don't encourage them to keep practising this in your kitchens at home!

World War 2 Air Raid Shelters

The children were taken to see some World War 2 air raid shelters as part of their activities. This was a reminder that Sayers Croft began its career as a place for the children of London to be evacuated to during the war. 

Chillin' time

Even the most intrepid of explorers need some down time. The children did manage to squeeze in the occasional 5 minutes where they could sit and chat and share some snacks.

Ballista building

On their last morning, the children have been busy building ballista catapults. These are based on old Roman siege machines. (As if axe throwing wasn't warrior-like enough for them yesterday...)

One final moment...

Here we have one last photo of the children from today before they headed off with a compass into the woods.

Nothing more has been heard from them since...

Will they make it back to London in time for tonight's dinner?

Who knows...