We have had a glorious start to our residential here at Avon Tyrrell and have been very lucky with the weather as the sunshine welcomed us upon arrival! After a successful journey on the coach, the children were incredibly excited to find out who they would be sharing a room with; the excitement soon passed as they realised that they then had to make their own beds! With a little cooperation and teamwork, all of the children have a cosy bed to sleep in tonight.

Our afternoon was kick started with a super activity (pioneering) where the children built their very own catapults. They had to use some intricate knot styles to secure the poles in place as the catapults were giant size! The children were then able to score points based on the accuracy of their aims and success of the structure of their catapults – a few collapses ensued throughout the activity! We then enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the vast grounds, even witnessing a family of deer casually munching on the grass right before us.

Each year at Avon Tyrrell, we also like to keep a daily diary to help us reflect on all of the wonderful activities we get up whilst we are here. The children were keen to record their initial thoughts of Avon Tyrrell so far and enjoyed thinking ahead to what they are excited about. We have a campfire activity in store for us this evening and will make sure we wrap up warm before enjoying an evening of singing songs and celebrating that we have finally made it here!  

The children have settled in beautifully and are already making all of the adults incredibly proud. Here are a few quotes from the children themselves about their day so far:

“It has been a really exciting day and I even learnt something new as I didn’t know I could build a catapult before today! I look forward to the rest of the week and what it has in store for us. Also, the food is amazing.” Leonardo 

“I really enjoyed making the catapult today as it’s the first time I have ever done this. Also, the food has been delicious so far. What a birthday I’m having! I am really pleased with the children in my dorm too. P.S. Hi Mum! “ Alfie – birthday boy today!

"It was very exciting and action packed! My favourite part was settling into the rooms and finding out who I was with. I'm really looking forward to canoeing as I have done activities which are similar before." Mihalis

Keep checking in throughout the week to see what your wonderful children are getting up to. Take a look at a selection of photographs from today, more will be uploaded over the next few days.