Year 6 Bushcraft Residential Trip
Posted: 15th September 2023
On Thursday 7th September, Year 6 set off from Kew College Prep in the glorious sunshine to spend two days in Blenheim Woods, Oxfordshire, for their Bushcraft residential. The pupils were welcomed by Kyle and his team and, after quickly being split into three tribes, got to work immediately by learning how to safely light a fire without the aid of matches. Once the fires were lit, children cooked their own burgers which we all agreed were delicious. The warm weather, coupled with the heat of the fire, meant that the suggestion of a water fight was extremely well-received, and it was a ‘staff versus children’ battle with both teams getting thoroughly soaked.
During the afternoon, children learnt how to make shelters, foraging in the woods for appropriate wood. The finished shelters were certainly sturdy and two brave children decided to spend the whole night inside one. The next task was finding out how to make clean drinking water and children did this by learning how to filter dirty water and by creating solar wells which were left overnight to ensure maximum water was collected.
Following dinner, it was time for songs around the campfire and s’mores made by toasting their own marshmallows. Then it was time to brave the lurking spiders and head off to tents. The warm evening cooled quickly as night fell and the children were glad of their sleeping bags!
After a good night’s sleep, everyone woke refreshed for another busy day. A full English breakfast ensured children had plenty of energy for the tasks ahead. This included learning how to safely cut with a variety of tools, including knives, which the children used carefully when making tent pegs. The final task of the day was to set traps and Kyle and his team helped the children to create craftily cunning traps for the Kew College Prep staff to be lured into. Needless to say, more water was involved and several people got more than a little wet!
A late lunch of wraps along with an informative talk on animals of the forest was the last thing before staff and children boarded the coach to head back to Kew. It was a magical adventure with perfect weather, wonderful camp leaders and a terrific group of children!
