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Avon Tyrrell - Day 3

Thu 16 Nov 2023

After another hearty breakfast (a Full English, with lots having seconds), the children embarked upon a very wet morning of activities and adventure. However, the pouring rain did not put them off, it actually added a new element of fun for lots of the activities. We have, once again, witnessed some incredibly brave and courageous children who have achieved great success and surprised themselves with their achievements. The zip wire was a particular highlight of the morning as the children zoomed across the water with the rain whipping past. Many children have conquered their fear of heights and are now grinning from ear to ear with pride.

Another highlight of the day has been the challenge course. The children have not only enjoyed testing themselves as individuals and working as a team on lots of challenges, such as balancing a giant seesaw and escaping without touching the wires of ‘The Cube’ as a team, but have loved chucking themselves into the mud under the cargo net, when racing through the course.

The adults have been so impressed with the children’s resilience today, especially considering the soggy conditions. Everyone has continued to smile through and persevere in their activity, and luckily the sun came out after lunch of bbq chicken wraps and nachos. We are looking forward to enjoying a relaxing evening with the Avon Tyrrell instructors running a cosy evening around a roaring fire with toasted marshmallows so everyone can reset, dry off, thaw out and chillax ahead of our final day of activities tomorrow.

Here are some quotes from the children themselves:

“It was such a treat to have a fry up on a weekday! I felt so full after, ready for the challenge course. I loved getting mud all over me when I went under the cargo nets.” Charlotte.

“The staff are lovely and so inviting and helpful with all the activities.” Pippa.

“The food is phenomenal! I loved the pancakes yesterday. I can’t wait for what they’re going to serve us next.” Izzy D

“Today has been very fun. I enjoyed having some free time in the afternoon to play pool on the pool table with my friends. I also enjoyed orienteering because we got to run around and see the sights of Avon Tyrrell!” Owen.

“Orienteering was amazing. I loved discovering all the hidden points on the map. I felt like I was exploring a dessert island - but not as sunny! I worked well with my teammates and came first in the challenge.” Gabe.

Have a look at our photos (which are a little limited due to the amount of rain :))

Avon Tyrrell - Day 2

Wed 15 Nov 2023

The children settled really well last night and slept brilliantly after enjoying an exciting night walk yesterday evening. They have all been incredibly respectful of one another and very understanding of how important sleep is to ensure that everyone is feeling their very best.

To launch day two, the children energised themselves with delicious pancakes, berries, maple syrup or chocolate sauce! We then enjoyed a jam-packed day full of activities, including: climbing and abseiling, mountain biking, orienteering and mini beasts. All of the adults have been blown away by the sheer grit, determination and courage that the children have displayed throughout the day. Some children even confronted their fears and despite feeling nervous, truly gave their all to each activity. We have honestly been so impressed with all of the children and can see the Great Binfields values shining through in their attitudes and behaviours, despite it being quite cold and muddy. Cooperation, resilience, creativity in their problem solving and aspiration to succeed have been in abundance over the past few days. It has been so wonderful to see the children working together so beautifully. The respect and kindness the children have shown each other reflect the same values being taught at school during our Anti-bullying week. We will continue to ensure these messages are being encouraged throughout the week. Miss Lyddon popped in to surprise the children and got to see these values in action. The children were so keen to show off their skills in the different activities to her.

This evening, the other half of the children are setting off on their night walk and are wrapped up for the cold, whilst the others have a shower and get in their pjs, ready for a film and bedtime.

Here are some reviews of the day:

“I LOVED the climbing wall and abseiling to the bottom. I felt a bit nervous but ending up on the hardest course and reaching the top was my proudest moment today.” Thomas

“I was so proud that I was able to scramble to the top of the climbing wall. I was really looking forward to it and it lived up to my expectations.” Poppy R.

“After a busy day, I refilled with a yummy roast chicken dinner. I like that we have lots of different options if there isn’t something we love.” Dylan.

“I had fun mountain biking today BUT I did end up landing in the mud after a slippery bit, even with some help from my friends!” Maddie.

Take a look at the photos to see what we’ve been up to in full on our second day.

Awesome Avon Tyrrell - Day1

Tue 14 Nov 2023

We arrived at a rather soggy Avon Tyrrell but within the hour, the weather had cleared up beautifully – how lucky are we! First on the agenda was to tell the very excitable children who they would be sharing a room with. After plenty of celebrations and jubilations, the cheering soon came to a pause as the children were required to make their own beds. With a little cooperation and lots of adult help, everyone is able to settle into a cosy bed tonight.

Our afternoon started with a delicious lunch (fish fingers/halloumi sticks and chips) which was swiftly followed by an afternoon jam packed with activities, including: pioneering, shelter building, archery and high ropes. During the pioneering session, the children built their very own catapults. They had to use some intricate knot styles to secure a selection of poles in place to create giant sized catapults! The children were then able to score points based on the accuracy of their aims.

It was also great to see lots of children getting out of their comfort zone as they took to the trees in the high ropes session. The instructors were brilliant at supporting, encouraging and stretching the children’s limits to as far as they felt possible and it was certainly evident during this session. Mrs Roberts was so proud of the children who took part in this as it was the first activity of their schedule and they all pushed themselves further than they thought they could.

After a filling dinner (vegetable/beef pie), three of our groups enjoyed a leisurely night walk where they learnt about the history of Avon Tyrrell and made fresh pine needle tea. The other half of the year group had a traditional ‘games night’ with lots of family games. They will swap these activities around tomorrow night to allow the children to experience all that Avon Tyrrell has to offer.

This evening, the children have settled 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:

“Avon Tyrrell is phenomenal and a wonderful experience so far. We got to do lots of fun activities and can’t wait for tomorrow.” Daisy and Amalia

“The food is amazing! This is the best place you’ll ever go in primary!” Bogdan and Elissa

“Everything is awesome here. I’m pretty sure this sums up everything I need to say!” Maxi

“The day was fun but there are still many adventures ahead of us. The best bit from today was probably the climbing wall. At times, I found it a bit tricky but managed to still have fun” Raegan

“The archery was so fun and we played lots of games involving our skills. Also, the food tastes really good!” Isla U

“The house is like a mansion – it’s tricky to find my way around but I’m sure I’ll pick it up quickly. The school trip has been phenomenal so far but we still have many more activities to come.” Fredie.

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.

Remembrance Service at the War Memorial Park

Mon 13 Nov 2023

On Sunday our Chair and Vice Chairs of School Council took part in the Basingstoke Remembrance Service, accompanied by Mrs Franklin and Miss Lyddon. The children laid a remembrance wreath, on behalf of GBP, and were incredibly respectful throughout the service.

Year 5 visit Chineham Library

Mon 13 Nov 2023

On Friday afternoon, the Year 5 children were lucky enough to take a trip to Chineham Library. The children learned about all the different services the library provides, discussed some of their favourite books and listened to a story read by one of the librarians. The children finished their visit with a scavenger hunt searching for different books.

Year 3 Iron Age Day

Thu 02 Nov 2023 Miss Thomas

On Wednesday, Year 3 were extremely lucky to have Matt from 'Experience the Iron Age' come to visit. Throughout the day, the children learnt lots of facts about the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age and they were even able to touch and handle some artefacts. Matt provided the children with spear tips and shields to decorate themselves in the style of the shields that he had brought with him. Having completing 'Warrior Training' in the afternoon with targets and 'swords', children discussed what wonderful, fun learning they had done.