DAy 2 - TUESDAY

Blog Day 2: Tuesday !

So breakfast time came earlier than some of the staff and some of the kids hoped for. The children were up at 7am as we were told that we could put breakfast back to 8am. Tomorrow, Wednesday, will be 7.30am as the other schools have arrived.

The children have ben great so far and the instructors have been complimentary about how well they are doing and how hard they have worked. It was colder today and being active was definitely a must!

We were down for breakfast and the children made their packed lunches! We had the usual selection of ‘odd’ sandwiches and quite a few were going ‘posh’ by cutting the crusts off! While some made lunch the others had breakfast. Cereals, toast and bacon, scrambled eggs and beans were on offer. Some had cereal and some went for cooked while quite a few went for both.

We were down for 9.00am to start. This year they are having each group starting at different times so there is not a melee getting all the equipment. So we were down for a 9.00am start while the other group would have a 9.30am start. We have not sussed out where the other groups are from yet!

The morning was a mix of skiing, paddle boarding, biking and canoeing.  Each activity all includes an element of getting ready first before they can take part in the activity!

Skiing: Boots (more difficult than you think), skis (more difficult than you think) and helmets (more difficult than you would think as well sometimes!) are required just to get going. For anyone who has never worn ski boots they take some getting on and when you walk you imagine you are walking on the moon! Then you are ‘matched’ with the correct ski length before the first major hurdle – walking across to the ski slope in your boots while carrying a pair of skis!

But they managed and then challenge number two arrives! Getting the skis on…..and keeping them on! All hands are on deck to help. But gradually they get there and son they are moving further and further up the slope!

Skiing is an activity that either comes naturally to you or you have to work very hard to conquer. For some fear is the issue and after some time they get there.

Paddle Boarding: Challenge 1 – get your wet suit on! Challenge 2: Get your waterproof boots on! Challenge 3 – balance on the board in choppy conditions. As we said the paddle boarding is new and this has gone down well with everyone…including quite a few of the staff. Miss Ingram said she was pleasantly surprised by how much she enjoyed it!

Mountain Biking: Challenge 1 – get a bike that is the right size for you. Challenge 2: Another helmet to adjust to fit your head for the best protection. Challenge 3 – see if someone with a bag will take your water bottle!

The bikes were new for this year and were great. Well, with the exception of the seats…..or should we say the part that is said to be a seat!

Once instruction had been given for using the gears and using the breaks correctly, they were off on a 8 or 9 Km journey round the local area. Most was off road but there were sections on roads around the Loch Insh area. The children son got good at alerting everyone if cars were coming in either direction.

Again some love the cycling and want to bomb along while others are a bit more wary and then there is the issue of hills. Well, SLOPES really! However, a lot in the three groups today were good at persevering to get up the slopes they faced!

All groups made it back safely….although having ventured through the ‘river crossing’ Casey ended up with a puncture which our instructor Amy dealt with very well!

Canoeing: Challenge 1: Buoyancy Aid. Challenge 2: Helmet. Challenge 3: Paddle! Challenge 4: Get in groups to work with in the canoe.

It was a little rougher today and so the group had to work hard, especially when going up stream! But they made it and had a great time.

After lunch and a bit of a rest two groups were biking, two were skiing and one went to take part in Archery. This is always a favourite with some and is a real test of skill and individual perseverance. Some love the challenge of trying to get better and better with every set of arrows they have.

After this some of the pupils got the chance to go to the shop and the rest will go tomorrow. Tea was at 4.30pm and included soup (perhaps the same as yesterdays with a different name???) and a choice of chicken with rice and sweet and sour sauce or with baked potatoes and salad. Pudding was a choc ice. The children all had good portions and the physical exertion was creating an appetite.

Tonight three groups were raft building and two were problem solving. It was cold and as both activities don’t include a lot of movement they had to be well wrapped up.

The problem solvers did indeed turn out to be problem solvers and did really well with some of the set challenges.

The rafters built their raft and then got life jackets, helmets (again) and paddles to hit the icy…..to hit the loch once again. As they got their rafts ready there were screams as they walked in to the water! It was…..c….c….c….c…cold! But they did it and set off with screams and shouts and laughter. They made it out across the bay and then paddled round for 360 degrees before the instructors ‘tested’ their rafts by bouncing them from side to side to see if they would remain intact! Well, they did and they were a great success.

After hot chocolate it was time for showers and an earlier bed time tonight.

Lets hope for another great day tomorrow and they say the weather  might be a bit warmer!