Kristin Camps - Junior School

Camp Week

We had three camps planned for Term 1, giving the classes the perfect opportunity to not only bond with their teacher but also with each other as a group, building on the collaboration, co-operation and leadership they have developed in the previous years.

Unfortunately two separate lockdowns put paid to the Year 6 and Year 3 camps respectively. Somehow, by careful planning and good luck, the Year 4 Camp did go ahead at Huia.

Naturally however, such mere issues as being stuck at home did not disrupt the determination of the Year 3 teachers to give an experience their students would not forget. The children were armed with bags of flour and sugar (for making pikelets), sleeping bags (to sleep overnight in the tent made in their bedroom) and toothbrushes as they watched Mrs Powell give a great demonstration on the correct way to brush your teeth before you go to bed. Year 3 were able to enjoy the highlights of an EOTC adventure in their very own home.

Year 6 thought outside the box too and developed a programme of activities that replicated what they would have experienced at camp. They enjoyed a raft of outdoor experiences in the bush at the back of the school, culminating in a hāngi for dinner. Tree Adventures at Woodhill gave them the high ropes challenge, while time at Parakai and the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre (MERC) provided the bonding experience that camps naturally bring.

The Year 4 classes enjoyed a wonderful experience at Huia. For some it was their first nights away from home; others, the first time sleeping in a tent, catching (and releasing) an eel, working collaboratively to solve an outdoor challenge, or crossing a river by jumping from rock to rock. There is nothing like feeding the locals’ pigs to make you appreciate the finer things in life, like a well-cooked meal.

No matter what form they took this year, the experiences we were able to offer our students once again took them out of their comfort zones, taught them some new skills, showed them something about themselves they didn’t know before and, best of all, were fun.

Rob Hutton