A residential song for a bit of fun!

🎵 The Twelve Days of Residential 🎵

On the first day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
A campfire to end it perfectly.

On the second day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the third day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the fourth day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the fifth day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the sixth day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Six arrows flying,
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the seventh day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Seven rafts a-sinking,
Six arrows flying,
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the eighth day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Eight fires burning,
Seven rafts a-sinking,
Six arrows flying,
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the ninth day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Nine rifles firing,
Eight fires burning,
Seven rafts a-sinking,
Six arrows flying,
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the tenth day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Ten challenges conquered,
Nine rifles firing,
Eight fires burning,
Seven rafts a-sinking,
Six arrows flying,
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the eleventh day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Eleven shelters standing,
Ten challenges conquered,
Nine rifles firing,
Eight fires burning,
Seven rafts a-sinking,
Six arrows flying,
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And a campfire to end it perfectly.

On the twelfth day of residential, my teachers gave to me…
Twelve teammates helping,
Eleven shelters standing,
Ten challenges conquered,
Nine rifles firing,
Eight fires burning,
Seven rafts a-sinking,
Six arrows flying,
FIVE LOST TEETH!
Four caves to crawl through,
Three hot dogs,
Two climbing walls,
And…
Ex-haust-ed teachers fast asleep!

Runways End 2025 Day 5!

Our final day meant a slightly earlier start than the previous days to make sure that the children had time to pack their final belongings and sort their rooms out. The children worked together to stuff sleeping bags away, sitting on suitcases to make sure everything fitted with the zip done up!

The children had to bring their suitcases out into the corridor before their 8am breakfast so that we knew they were ready to leave after their activities and that we could check their rooms for any stray socks (why is it always one sock and never a pair that we find?!). We had our final breakfast of bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, beans, mushrooms and toast (there was also a selection of cereals available) before going out to the games field for a run around before our first activities at 9.30. 

The groups merged for the final activities, with groups 1&2 doing land buggies and groups 3&4 doing egg drop challenge first. As with the raft building, the children were given a set of instructions to follow to build their land buggy. These instructions included where to put the different logs and how to tie various knots such as a clove hitch and square lashing. The children had to work as a team which some found challenging on the final day after an exhausting week. The teams who completed their buggies were able to ride them across the grass. Mrs Morris and Miss Lane both had a go but Mrs M felt her age when she made a Flintstones reference of 'Yabadabadoo!' and nobody appreciated it and just thought she was rather odd!

The egg drop challenge involved building a secure capsule for a water balloon (to replace the egg). After designing their capsules on a whiteboard, the children had to do a series of activities such as running laps of the grassy area, telling a joke, winning a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, singing a song or solving a riddle, in order to win points which they could then spend in the 'shop' to buy resources for their capsules. There were some puzzled faces when they were given a riddle to solve but most children were successful at doing so after a bit of thinking time. The adults also appreciated the jokes which the children provided to earn their points. Items such as cardboard, bubble wrap, plastic bags, string and tape were used to build the capsules ready to put the water balloon safely inside. Once completed, we went to the 'Egg Drop Zone' where the capsules were winched up a tree, one at a time, to then be dropped to the ground where the children eagerly tried to find out if their 'egg' had survived. Before dropping their capsules, the children were encouraged to give their 'egg' a name and a reason why they were falling from height. Reasons ranged from getting stuck in a tree to jumping out of a plane and many other crazy ideas! Groups 3&4 had 2 of their 'eggs' survive whereas groups 1&2 had 3 survivors!

Once the activities had finished, we had time for a quick lunch before getting onto the coach. Whilst the children were completing their activities, Mr Lock and Miss Lane got their steps in by helping to load the coach with all of the bags, walking them from the lodge to the car part multiple times!

We were hopeful for a quiet journey back to school but the children decided they wanted to sing for most of the journey. This ranged from the chants from campfire night to a variety of songs, many of which were from K Pop Demon Hunters! When we arrived onto the school estate, the children broke into 'Shakespeare's Coming Home' (to the tune of Football's Coming Home) and they were very excited to see their families waiting to give them a 'welcome home' hug!

Year 6, we are incredibly proud of how brilliantly you have done this week. You've improved so much, showing more teamwork, communication and even tidiness, taking pride in (and responsibility for) your bedrooms and the dining hall! We received many compliments on your behaviour and the way you represented our school! Your teachers are exhausted but that's only because we've had so much fun with you all, watching you embrace the challenges and enjoy yourselves.  Very well done to all of you!

Runways End 2025 Day 4

Can somebody please tell us why so many children are losing their wobbly teeth?! It must be a new record because 6 children have lost a tooth this week through natural causes, not caused by accidents or too many sweets! We have explained that there are too many beds in the rooms at Runways End, which confuses the Tooth Fairy, and therefore the children must bring their teeth home with them to pop under their pillow once back somewhere more familiar to the Tooth Fairy!

A quick note to add that Mr Lock's ipad cable broke so he has been unable to share any of the photos taken on it this week - prepare for a mass upload early next week.

After another good night's sleep, the children were full of energy this morning and raring to go. The children loved climbing again, this time with auto belays where they didn't have to help each other up and down the wall. This meant that 3 children could climb at any one time but we had to remember to stay out of the 'squish zone' in case any climbers were coming down when we were walking past! Many children managed to climb further than they did with the other wall on Tuesday and were rightly proud of themselves!

Team tasks involved a mixture of different challenges for children to complete in their teams. The Tower of Hanoi made many of the children scratch their heads and use their brains to solve. Other challenges included arranging ourselves on the bench in various ways such as birthday or first initial, without falling off the bench.

Low ropes was fantastic for the children - Runways End has recently had a new low ropes course put in so it was great to complete. The children had to 'spot' one another at different sections. Some groups played a game on the course with a Mr Happy toy and weren't allowed to move if they were holding said toy. This added extra challenge for the children and they had to work hard to communicate with one another to succeed. 

Shelter building was very popular and involved a lot of teamwork and communication. The children worked in teams of 3 or 4 to complete a shelter and had to complete the challenge of sharing a joke / riddle / fact with the activity leader to earn either a rope or a tarp to help build their den. We were really impressed with the children's efforts building their dens and the teamwork that went into it. 

We enjoyed a dinner of pulled pork fajitas with the added option of chicken, rice and various salad items. This was well received by the children because there were no seconds available other than salad. You will be pleased to know that many of the children still went up for leafy seconds!

This evening was the highlight of the evening events: campfire night! We ventured over to the campfire area where Mr Lock had got the fire going with the help of 3 of the boys. We sang some songs and chants before enjoying toasting a marshmallow over the fire. We then finished with a few more songs before heading back to the lodge to finish packing, showering and heading to bed.

The children are looking forward to returning home to their families but have coped really well being away from home. Many of you may even notice that your child has become more independent whilst being away. We know they are very good at clearing tables and sweeping floors as well as keeping their bedrooms tidy! 

We will let the office know when we are on route home so please look out for their message! The children will be allowed to go straight home once we are back at school. If they have younger siblings in the school, you are welcome to collect them as well to save you two school runs in quick succession!

Runways End 2025 Day 3

The children all got much more sleep last night as they settled to bed earlier than night one, much to the relief of the grown-ups! A few of the children actually needed waking up this morning although one room did manage to disturb Mr Lock at 4.30 this morning!

The children were excited to go to breakfast this morning with many choosing the hot option (and then eagerly waiting for seconds!). Room inspections took place again, with the rooms gaining extra points for overnight behaviour but a few lost points for unflushed toilets and stray socks!

Today’s activities consisted of canoeing, raft building, rifle shooting and fire lighting. These activities made the children show great perseverance and, for the raft building, teamwork. Canoeing involved many games and a trip further down the river. Some of the children took a while to work out that they actually needed to paddle to make their canoe move!

Raft building involved a lot of teamwork to build a raft secure enough to carry their team on the canal. Each group was given a set of instructions to follow which proved tricky at first but they all got there eventually! The rafts weren't as stable as the canoes but everybody stayed dry (except for the odd soggy foot!)!

Rifle shooting was a new activity for most and the children all listened carefully to the instructions - there was a lot to remember! We had to wear goggles to protect our eyes and some of the children chose to wear ear defenders too as it was a little bit loud. The adults were all very impressed with the children's accuracy. We played a few shooting games and challenges which the children all enjoyed.

Fire lighting was great fun. Many of the children had remembered fire lighting from doing Forest School and enjoyed using the fire lighters to light their own mini fires to boil a Kelly Kettle full of water. The water is in a tube which goes around a chimney that has the fire inside. The fire then heats the water to boiling point, which was then used for making hot chocolate and warm up the washing up water (much to the delight of the children who didn't realise they had to wash up their own cups at the end of the session!). The children also loved toasting a marshmallow over the main fire. Mrs Morris' group went last to the fire lighting activity and she played a prank on the group, saying they'd run out of marshmallows. The activity leader went along with the prank and kept stringing the children along until finally revealing that there were enough marshmallows for all to enjoy!

Lunch today was sub rolls with a selection of fillings along with crisps and party rings. Dinner was hot dogs and chicken drumsticks with chips and corn on the cob. There is always a selection of salads for the children to help themselves too. We then had waffles and squirty cream with chocolate sauce for pudding.

This evening, the children were able to watch a film in the dining hall. We cleared the tables and benches and the children brought in their sleeping bags and pillows and chilled out to watch Mufasa. There was popcorn available for the children to snack on. Some of the children relaxed so much, they fell asleep during the movie! If the children weren't keen on the film, they could go back to their rooms to relax and do quiet activities with their friends. 

Bedtime has been another calm one this evening and we're hoping everyone has a good sleep before climbing with the auto belays, team tasks, low ropes and shelter building.

Runways End 2025 Day 2

Another successful day at Runways End. The children were up early and raring to go - some at 5am this morning (which was a bit of a shock for the teachers!). Breakfast was at 8am and much needed bacon, hashbrowns, beans, mushrooms and toast was eaten, along with a selection of cereals. Room inspections happened at 9am, with children earning points for a tidy room and extra points for their behaviour at bedtime last night. The winning room, which was announced at lunchtime, got some sweets as a reward.

Lunch consisted of sausage rolls (or cheese and onion rolls), crisps and cookies. These were popular with the children and snapped up in seconds.

The activities of the day included climbing, caving, archery and nightline (an obstacle course whilst wearing a blindfold). The children took on all of these activities with a positive attitude, with many trying activities for the first time. When climbing, the children were encouraged to set themselves a target and the majority met that target and even went past it! Caving was a new activity for most, with children squeezing through small tunnels. We were really impressed with the children's accuracy in archery, with the children taking care to follow the safety rules. Nightline was all about communication, which many of the children did well at, although Mrs Morris was left stranded on a couple of occasions!

Dinner tonight was burger night and the children enjoyed a choice of beef or chicken burgers, chips, rice and sweetcorn. The children get to choose what they would like and many also go back for seconds if the chef announces that there is food left over.

We went out onto the field for some games this evening and the children loved the letterbox game. They had to find a card of their team's colour from one of the teachers, find another teacher to get a stamp on their card and then find a third adult to post the card in the box. Unfortunately for the children, the adults kept bumping into one another to trade what they were carrying around. At one point, Mr Lock was lying low in the undergrowth and Mrs Morris was sheltering under a picnic table!

Bedtime has been calmer this evening, with many children begging us to turn their lights out so they could go to bed. We just hope they sleep in tomorrow! We're looking forward to canoeing, rifle shooting, raft building and fire lighting tomorrow, ending the day with a film night.

Runways End 2025 Day 1

We arrived safely at our destination with only a small handful of children having already delved into their lunchboxes before 11.20am.

We had a safety briefing and fire drill before going off to play on the games field before lunch. After many questions of "How long til lunchtime?", we eventually had lunch at 12.30 in the dining hall. 

In the afternoon, we had a mixture of team challenges and orienteering, with two groups working on each activity at once. This led to lots of competition between the groups with encouragement and cheering.

Dinner had an Italian theme, with pasta, meatballs, garlic bread and pizza. As you can see from one of the photographs, many of the children agreed to have some salad on their plates!

After dinner, the children had time to sort out their rooms before going outside to the games field to play a variety of games: Sardines (like reverse hide and seek) and Man Hunt, with a variety of playing in the dark and playing with torches which added to the excitement.

At 7.30, the children returned to their rooms for showers and settling down time before lights out at 8.30. We've been really proud of how well the children have settled into residential life, especially settling to bed (even if there was a bit of chatter before they went to sleep).

Tomorrow, we're looking forward to climbing, caving, nightline and archery.

Welcome To Year 6

Topics:

Autumn Term - Mayans

Spring Term - Rainforests

Summer Term - Ancient Civilisations

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