Year 3 Camp Overnight for the First Time

The camp fever began at the start of the week and culminated on Friday with the countdown to the camp! After assembly, pupils changed into their swimming costumes to get ready for their swimming activity once school was over. As soon as the hometime bell rang, the first stop for all campers was the dining hall to have some cocoa and mandazi. Lisa later commented, "One of the best parts of the camp for me, was the delicious mandazis!" Next, came a briefing to lay down some ground rules. The girls went off into the pool for a swim, while the boys got to see their tents, meet their tent-mates and unfold their sleeping bags, ready for the night, and vice versa. The excitement was fever-pitch, especially because for a number of them, it was their first time camping and using a sleeping bag.

Later on, a delicious pizza dinner was enjoyed amidst squeals of joy, followed by team-building activities on the field. As it grew darker, Year 3s prepared to go off on a scavenger hunt around the school using torch light. Each child had a clipboard with pictures of what to spot all around the school. They were delighted to get to use their torches in the dark, whilst scavenging for the clues!

This activity was followed by some hot chocolate in the dining room to warm up for the stargazing and roasting of marshmallows which were to come next. Kasper was very enthusiastic to show everyone the general direction of Jupiter, recalling where he saw it after visiting a planetarium. Lying on their backs and looking up to see the starlit night gave all such peace and calm, a precious moment to appreciate the universe. The roasting of the marshmallows around the campfire was evidently one of the activities the children had most looked forward to. Skye said, "I have never tasted roasted marshmallows before, and the taste is so warm and creamy, like warm ice cream!"

Bed time was at 9:00pm, which was a very welcome time after all the fun activities. Early on Saturday morning, several pupils got up very early and were very excited about having some fun games which were located at various parts of the field. Handa, Ricky and Guillerme put it best when they said, "Our most memorable moment is playing football together in the evening and in the morning because we simply love it!"

The entire experience ended in the adventure playground, where the parents got to have some very emotional hugs as they picked up their sleepy-eyed, exhausted and still very excited children! All in all, it was a camp filled with beautiful memories made, friendships tightened and a growth in independence that will forever remain in our minds and hearts!