Camp Catastrophe

Our Deconstructed Role Play Area has been many things this year but this term it has proudly been turned into an expedition basecamp by our intrepid FS1 and FS2 explorers .(With a handful of reversions back into Arandelle for our Frozen Superfans!)

Whilst your children were busy with their phonics and funky fingers learning something catastrophic happened to 'Camp Lister.'

A tropical storm had hit and destroyed our homely base. All of our treasured building materials were strewn across the playground. Tents were flung atop mountain peaks and the much important pegs had been tossed to different corners of our outdoor classroom.

A plan had to be made! Lucas was quick to bravely search the playground and compile a list of the materials scattered from the main base.

Finlay drew a picture of what he thought happened. ''It must have been a hurricane. it only hit one part of the school and we didn't notice.'' His circular scribbles and spirals showed the damage.

Not one to rush into anything, Lucas drew a design for the new base. It needed to be ''stronger and waterproof.''

Unaware of Lucas' design plans, some of the other children got to work on constructing a new tunnel that would keep them dry. Fabric was draped over the willow tunnels and securely pegged in place. An escape route was expertly built. A commando crawl through the willow tunnel and a quick scurry underneath a balance toy would keep any camping survivors safe when the next storm hit.

While all this was going on, some of the children noted a critical design flaw. Although the expertly draped fabric would keep the children sheltered from the sun and dry in a light drizzle it was terribly exposed for the more tropical of thunderstorms. A removal team were elected to safely transfer the structure to underneath the covered area.

 Being under the covered area meant closer proximity to the remaining building materials. This access to the tarpaulins and building blocks was all that was needed for Jack, Kerron and Chloe to put their structural engineering skills to good use and creatively attach a clean and cosy camp to the escape tunnel.

The camp builders remembered what Bear Grylls had told them about keeping a clean and tidy camp to deter any unwanted animals and set to sweeping the whole base camp.

A door for visiting adults was kindly built by the designers and tested by Miss Sullivan.

After a good sweep through, the children got to making it homely and practical. Bookshelves were fashioned out of blocks laid on their sides and an upturned block was turned into a most stylish broom holder.

As with all of our Deconstructed Role Play Areas the children's base camp will continue to evolve and change as new children decide to take their play that way. Having these open ended resources and giving the children the freedom to direct their own play has led to some fascinating role play and quality talk.

Keep an eye on the camp as you come into school...play a game of spot the difference.

We never know what direction the children will take their learning. What we do know is that it is always purposeful and directly linked to the children's own interests.

Mission Survive...Never Give Up, Never Give In.

Mission Survive ----Lister Style!

After a team talk about staying hydrated and the importance of sun safety when surviving in tropical conditions, our little explorers bravely made their way out to the field. Waiting for them  under the shade of his shelter was none other than Bear Grylls! As he directed us to sit around him we eagerly anticipated the rousing team talk we had come to expect from the motivating, positive survivor. We were not disappointed.

We were reminded of the importance of team spirit and working together to survive the challenges ahead. We were taught what to do if we were the victims of a surprise bear attack. Ask your children if they can remember what to do!

Bear taught us why he was called 'Bear'. It is an acronym for:

B - Bravery

E - Enjoyment

A - Adventure

R - Respect

All essential elements of survival.

Just like Bear, we had to learn how to blend into our surroundings just like our Dads' do when they go on exercise. To do this we carefully applied cam cream to our noses and cheeks. Mrs Lewis and Miss Sullivan were used as examples of how NOT to apply it! (Thanks to Mrs Cox and her over enthusiastic face painting skills!)

After being introduced to Bear's team of survival experts, we were ready to get going and face the challenges that lay ahead. We knew that a true survivor tackled challenges with determination and a 'can do ' attitude, if we felt unsure or uneasy we would let our friends words of encouragement help us but we knew we wouldn't be forced to do anything we didn't want to .

Crossing the shark infested waters.

Balancing across fallen trees to traverse a rocky ravine.

Testing our balancing skills further...could we balance across just one tree?

Working as a team to lift vital supplies off the ground to prevent the real bears from getting their paws on them.

Words of encouragement were given freely by the survival experts. We felt proud of our achievements and celebrated them with lots of high fives.

Some of the children decided to commando crawl to their next challenge!

Honing our orienteering skills and listening to a safety brief. Look after the team and the team looks after you.

Water is a vital necessity for survival. It is important to keep hydrated at all times. We had to work together to move our precious supply from one camp to another avoiding deadly obstacles and a very hungry crocodile.

Learning mountaineering skills with one of Bear's trusty survival experts. He told us to never look down and taught us the importance of knot tying.  

Look at that hand over hand action!

All the while we were keeping a careful look out.

Next, we navigated our way across many tricky terrains. Our balancing skills were put to the test on the wobbly bridge.

A sneaky poke around Bear's camp. We found his hidden ration packs and cooked them up for a tasty energy boost...much more appetising than the woodland creatures he offered to catch for us!

Taking it in turns on the night watch. Catching up on some well needed R and R.

We survived!!

We have proven that we have the 'Bear necessities' to survive and were congratulated by a Bear handshake, a certificate and a gooey campfire treat of 'Grylled' marshmallow. 

Thank you to 'Bear' and his expedition team, we wouldn't have survived without you all.

What a Bear-illiant day!!