Thursday
 

Another peaceful night at Thurston with the added bonus of a 15 minute lie in. It’s safe to say we’re getting more organised as the days go on! The forecast wasn’t good but we’ve made the best of it!

The morning started by heading to the lake for some kayaking. After getting wetsuits on, all the kayaks had to be carried to the lake. The winds made life difficult on the lake but the children all did really well and were rewarded with jetty jumping once again. In the afternoon, the group split into two and did orienteering and tree climbing in rotation. Many over came real fears with the heights they were climbing to and Mrs Malley was not only proud of their climbing but the way their encouraged each other so well.

Today, Yewdale braved the elements and tackled the hills. We started our ascent to the top of The Bell, our first hill. Here, the children got a taste of what was to come with our second hill, Brimfell. Along the way, we took in the scenery and listened to the beautiful sounds of nature plus the raindrops. The children achieved a huge amount today, and showed true perseverance, because the weather most definitely wasn’t on our side. The highlight of the day was hearing the cheer of, ‘ we’re on top of the world!’

Langdale had an amazing day! First up, we were tree climbing which is like rock climbing but outdoors on HUGE trees! Some children made it to the top, some children conquered fears and every single group member succeeded! After lunch, we headed to Stickle Ghyll and tackled our most difficult challenge yet! The water was freezing, the rocks were slippery but spirts were high! The children worked together and didn’t leave anyone to struggle! It summed up our week at Thurston! 

Spirit of the Games wristbands were given out to today to the following children for the following values:

Determination - Daisy, Lily 

Passion - Sienna

Self Belief - 

Teamwork - Caleb, Bobby

Honesty - 

Respect - 

Time to get now ready for coming home tomorrow! Our evening time was spent playing games in the barn, spending at the souvenir shop and having a quiz. This quiz was like no other though. We had a ‘this person…’ round and a ‘bring me a…’ round which, as you can imagine, was complete and utter, organised chaos! We’ve had a blast and we hope the children have made memories to treasure forever.

Thanks for loaning us your children for a week, but we’ll hand them back and I’m sure there’ll be some big hugs for you all x

The Year 6 Thurston Team x

Wednesday

Another restful night! We woke to cereal, bacon butties and a big day ahead! 

Grizedale set off for a day on the fells today - Loughrigg Fell was the chosen one. After parking at Rydal, we headed off as a pack taking it in turns to take on the map reading role. The climb to the ascent was a tough one and very steep, but the children were just phenomenal - Mrs Malley was in awe! It was too windy to have our hot chocolate treat at the top, so we had it a little lower down in a sheltered spot. They have seen some of the most beautiful sights today - how lucky are we!

This morning, we (Yewdale) waded our way into the water to embark on an adventure with the canoes. Firstly, we had to attach them together and we learned how to use our paddles. We quickly put our skills to the test in the slalom of draping trees that we had to manoeuvre our way through. After some time on the water,  listening to tales of Coniston and eating flapjacks, we rowed to shore and had lunch. Hopping back in to our canoes, we rowed closer to Thurston for another pit stop, where we did fire lighting and had hot chocolate. Next on the activity list,  we took the the plunge in to the water with jetty jumping, which most definitely woke us all up! The children embraced the cold and had lots of fun! A hot shower at the end was well deserved. Orienteering finished a fun filled day off, which the children worked tirelessly at and covered the grounds and fields of the house in no time.

Langdale tackled the Old Man of Coniston today! Some of the group members didn’t think they would be over come this challenge but every single one of them managed to reach the top. They were rewarded with Pringles and chocolate. Mr Taylor was incredibly proud of the children’s resilience and ability to keep spirits up when things got difficult. After a long day out on the mountain, you’d think it was time to relax… Wrong! They were to the indoor climbing wall for a few games and challenges. Sienna managed to make it all the way around the room without touching the floor!

Spirit of the Games wristbands were given out to today to the following children for the following values:

Determination - 

Passion - Louie

Self Belief - Ruby

Teamwork - Freddie, Eirini, 

Honesty - 

Respect - 

We finished off with a classic night time activity: another round of hide and seek! The children would happily play this for hours but, unfortunately for them, it’s time for the children to settle down for the night! Speak tomorrow,

The Year 6 Thurston Team x

Tuesday

Morning arrived and EVERYONE slept through the night. We’re super proud with how sensible the children settled down last night. We had to wake up each room up at 7.15 for a breakfast of cereal and toast to set us up for the day!

Grizedale were joined by an extra team member (Mrs Burns) this morning to take a short walk to a very fast flowing ghyll. The ghyll scramble was tricky to say the least as it was flowing so quickly but the children took it all in their stride listening carefully to all the instructions. After reaching the top, we walked back to the lake and all jumped off the jetty! I don’t think any of us have ever enjoyed a warm shower so much! In the afternoon we went to Cathedral Quarry where the children experienced complete darkness and many overcame some real fears as they navigated tunnels in the pitch black. What a day!

Yewdale started the day with the old residential favourite: ghyll scrambling! It was a challenging day due to the weather but Mrs Anderson was really impressed with the determination and resilience of her group. Some children overcame fears and achieved more than they thought they were possible of. In the afternoon, they were off to Cathedral Quarry where they learnt about the history of the area and found themselves in pitch black!

Langdale explored the caves and quarry in the morning. At one point, they were in complete darkness and had to find their way out of the tunnel. Luckily, they all made it! After that, the children had to guide themselves back to the minibus before lunch back at Thurston. In the afternoon, it was the activity that all of Langdale had been waiting for: canoeing and more importantly, jumping in the lake. The children worked well together and quickly got the hang of paddling and how to turn. Finally, every member of the group jumped into the lake from the jetty despite the freezing cold water! A well deserved, hot shower awaited…

Spirit of the Games wristbands were given out to today to the following children for the following values:

Determination - Paige, Cameron, Ava

Passion - Matilda

Self Belief - Noah

Teamwork - Fynn

Honesty - 

Respect - Harrison, Michael

Tonight’s activity was an orienteering game with a Leigh Centurions/Leopards twist. The children had to find cards around the site with a name and 8 digit code and return it to an adult correctly. The team who collected the most name and number combinations would win… Ben and Lucas and Eirini and Cameron were our winners but each pair displayed great teamwork skills! 

Mrs Burns joined us for he day today and she was thrilled to see every child being kind, showing resilience and just looking out for one another. Now, time to relax! Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

The Year 6 Thurston Team x

Monday 

We have arrived at Thurston safe and sound! After lunch, a show around the site and a kit check, we were on our adventures! The groups are as follows:

Grizedale (aka The Leigh Jaguars)

Harrison, Michael, Cameron, Freddie, Joe, Louie, Lily, Eva, Ava, Lola, Sarah and Mrs Malley

Yewdale (aka No Name as yet!)

Daisy, Paige, Eirini, Skye, Caleb, Bobby, Noah, Ben, Joshua, Finley and Mrs Anderson

Langdale (aka The Hammerhead Eagle Eye Dogs of War)

Declan, Oliver, Frankie, Jacob, Sienna, Jess, Lucas, Fynn, Ruby, Matilda and Mr Taylor

Grizedale were straight out onto the lake. They attached their canoes together, which was a military operation, and off they went! The lake was like a mirror today - perfect conditions for canoeing. Superb teamwork and communication were on display which made Mrs Malley very proud! Luckily, nobody fell in! 

Both Yewdale and Langdale explored the woods opposite the site. Both groups climbed small waterfalls, tackled the nightline obstacle course and even slithered through a narrow tunnel under a bridge. It was lovely to see the children working so well together and making an effort to help each other through the tricky conditions.

After a hearty tea of fish fingers, chips, peas and cauliflower cheese AND cake and custard, it was time for our evening activity… Hide and seek around the grounds in the dark! The children had great fun and it’s safe to say, they’ll definitely sleep tonight! Time to chill out and watch a bit of a film before bed! All is well x

Mrs Malley, Mrs Anderson and Mr Taylor x