Merry Christmas to everyone and hope you all have a Happy New Year. See you all on Monday 6th January 2014.

The Last Day of Activities

Once again this week we have had a fantastic and an amazing time at Windmill Hill. The children have also really made us proud to be their teachers as once again the PGL staff have personally thanked the children for their behaviour.  The catering staff wanted to thank us for being the tidiest, quietest children in the dining hall who are always polite and leave their tables spotless after finishing. We also received praise from the instructors and during the morning instructors briefing they are all eager to work with Springfield school children as they know they will be thanked, listened to and most importantly have a fantastic time teaching them.

We have decided to follow the same format as last year where we have asked each child to give us quote of their most memorable experience of the week. Please read them all and not just your own child’s as some will make you laugh, others smile and some even might cause you to shed a tear.

Ruby - “I’ve had a fantastic time, it’s a great experience and my favourite was the giant swing ... actually no ... actually yeah it was.”

Rachael Bo – “Mr Davies’s group is the best. I really liked the canoeing the best especially jumping in even though it was freezing.”

Emily O – “This has been the best experience of my life and the giant swing was EPIC.”

Mitchell – “On the abseiling tower at first I was SO scared I didn’t want to do it, but I did it twice.”

Scott – “It’s a brilliant experience and I’ve learnt lots of new things.”

Alex M – “It has been a great week, I’ve really enjoyed all the activities and my favourite part was being a ‘mole’ in the tunnels.”

Oliver – “I really enjoyed the tunnel trail since I love getting dirty.”

Shannon – “The giant swing was really scary but the thing I enjoyed the most was the abseiling tower.”

Sophie G – “It’s been a fantastic experience, I don’t want to go home, it’s been fun.”

Charlotte – “It’s been a fantastic week, so much to enjoy but the giant swing was best of all.”

Terry – “The rafting was great fun, I thought my legs were going to fall off.”

Ellie – “Even though I bashed my teeth and went flying into the abseiling wall I really enjoyed it.”

Kimberley – “I was terrified of the giant swing, but in the end I loved it and wanted to go again.”

Abigail – “I have to hide – I don’t want to leave!”

Niamh – “I really liked canoeing even though Megan and I fell in!”

Megan – “On the giant swing I was screaming so much the boys said I sounded like and alarm clock.”

Rachel Ba – “The trapeze was scary but I did it in the end.”

Harry – “I loved the tunnel trail because it was dark and exciting.”

Matthew – “This is awesome!”

Joel – “It’s been amazing, I don’t want to go home.”

Naomi – “I love this week this week and I never want it to end.”

Robert – “I am having so much fun do I have to get back home?”

Molly D – “The best week of my life!”

Lisa –“It’s the best week of my life I never want to leave. It will be a memory that will always stick with me.”

Sophia – “I’ve loved the week and really enjoyed all the big challenges.”

Connor – “Epic – can I stay here?”

George – “I was really scared of the abseiling at first but once I tried it I loved it.”

Erin – “I was scared of abseiling but finally got over it! The giant swing was such fun.”

Jordan – “The giant swing was really high and I was scared at first but couldn’t wait to do it again.”

Romeilly – “Today I thought we were all going to be full up after dinner but Emily O proved me wrong  by having two deserts! The thing I liked most was the rafting because we got to soak Mrs Ibbott.”

Toby – “The trapeze looked scary, but I did it and made it.”

Caitlyn – “Screaming on the giant swing, but doing it again.”

Alisha – “Hoe funny it was trying to get Mrs Churchett with our muddy hands.”

Maisie – “Defo the best week ever!”

Lauren – “Before this trip I didn’t know how to do archery – but now I can do it.”

Harrison – “Scary trapeze, but good friend Ryan helped me get over my fear.”

Dulcie – “I’m proud of all I’ve achieved this week. I fought my fears.”

Sophie B – “I conquered my fear of height on the abseiling wall.”

Ryan – “Happy I had a go at everything, don’t want to go home.”

Rebecca – “Fearing the zip wire, but with a shove from Mrs Churchett I did it and loved it!”

Bradley – “Loved the raft building and especially jumping in and getting wet.”

Callum – “My best bit was everything especially the giant swing and I don’t want to come home.”

Liam – “Everything is beasty (awesome) the giant swing is great.”

Lily – “Even though I was scared I did the giant swing and I have conquered my fear of heights.”

Emily L – “I’m really enjoying it and barely missing home. It took me a few tries to get down the abseiling tower but I eventually did it.”

Demi – “Abseiling was the scariest thing ever.”              

Bethany – “I can’t believe I lost my own shoe in my own suitcase.”

Tomisisn – “I conquered my fear of the zip wire and went down it five times.”

Alex R – “On Thursday I went on the abseiling tower and it looked really high but I did it and it was awesome.”

Tiegan – “I conquered loads of fears this week and it has been loads of fun, thank you PGL.”

Marvin – “My favourite bit was the abseiling tower because at first it was to tricky and I have made some new friends.”

Thursday - Pictures of the Day

Team Kola Kings

 



Team Wacky Wombats

 

Team All Stars

 

 

Team Rainbow Family

 

Team Jumping Jelly Beans

 

 

 

 

 



The PGL Alphabet

A – Is for Team All Stars abseiling like Spidermen.

B – Is for buckets and buckets of rain, which didn’t dampen the spirits of anyone.

C – Is for capsized canoes, one very wet instructor and the children soon discovering there is no underwater heating in the lake.

D – Is for dirty clothes hanging from every available space.

E – Is for exhausted staff trying to keep up with energetic children, but loving every minute.

F – Is for food, food, food, food, food...

G – Is for the giant swing, giant wedgies and some choice vocabulary heard.

H - Is for hair-raising happy moments, but safe.

I – Is for incredible achievements of children reaching their individual goals and exceeding them on many occasions.

J – Is for Jumping Jelly Beans whose leader has mad hair styles in this wind!

K – Is for Kola Kings “Who’ve had a bumper day!” quoted Mrs Faulds.

L – Is for limbo dancing and children defying the laws of gravity.

M – Is for many miles walked to and from the dinner hall and masses of memories for life being made.

N – Is for not knowing what the weather will be doing next.

O – Is for orienteering and running around with new found friends.

P – Is for PGL instructors commenting on how our children are polite and well behaved.

Q – Is for quotes coming from all children tomorrow night.

R – Is for the Rainbow Family making Mrs Ibbott proud, but embarrassed whenever their name is called.

S – Is for sweets bought from the gift shop wiping the store clean.

T – Is for tweeting, please follow us in @SpringfieldPri

U – Is for underground tunnelling and children making good impressions of meerkats.

V – Is for the valley of the sight of the gun.

W – Is for Wacky Wombats

X – Is for the two dyslexic teachers who try and write this blog every night.

Y – Is for yawning parents wanting to go to bed, but stay up to wait for the blog.

Z – Is for zip wires that end in the massive puddles and children modelling interesting tide marks on their trousers.

Wednesday - Pictures of the Day

Team Kola Kings

Team Rainbow Family

 

Team All Stars

 

Team Jumping Jelly Bean

 

Team Wacky Wombats

 

 

 

Tuesday Pictures of the Day

Team Photo (some were hiding from the wind and rain!)

 

 

Team Whacky Wombats

Team Jumping Jelly Babies

 

Team All Stars

 

Team Rainbow Family

 

Team Kola Kings

 

 



Day 1 and Day 2

To begin, sorry for no blog update last night, but PGL had updated their security and blogs were blocked unless approved. Ours has now been approved and we can access it.

Our journey down was uneventful all though slightly damp – a sign of things to come. We arrived and were allowed to leave our bags outside our allocated chalets and made our way to the sports hall for lunch and games. A competitive game of football rounders was eventually won by team Sapphire 24-23.

Last night was spent with much parading up and down, but the children were way too excited to go to sleep for hours. The last cabin finally succumbed at 12.30 am and first voices were heard at 5am. However, there were many bravado stories of midnight feasts and no sleep all night long.

Today’s Recipe for Making Memories

1 x massive rainstorm from 10a.m. till 12.30pm to suitably soak little children, but not wash the smiles from their faces.

4 x activities completed with loads of team building and new friendships made.

260 x puddles jumped whenever we have walked to the hall and back

51 x pairs of saturated trainers drying outside the chalets.

45 x toothbrushes unused.

1 x pair of waterproof trousers worn with only pants on underneath

102 x beaming eyes through the grey weather.

8 x impressed instructors who have all commented how polite the children have been.

1 x wild head of hair belonging to Mrs ...............

1 x groupie called Sophie who has taught them a new handclap - arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

1 x kilometre of rope pulled to get all the children to the top of the giant swing.

46 x onesies worn by the children.

11 x children decided that the best way to stop at the bottom of the zip wire was to sit in a puddle.

100,000 x calories of food consumed (by the children alone!)

51x children fast asleep.

12x cabins where you can no longer see the carpet!

66x tweets sent - @SpringfieldPri

18x replies off parents.

1x shoe lost

36x unexpected swims in the lake.

23x layers of clothing worn on one child.

16x boys who badly needed a shower.

Put all into a bowl and mix to ensure a cake full of many happy memories of fun and laughs.