Bush craft

This morning we did bush crafting and we had to build shelters to protect us from the elements. There are two different types of shelters such as: an A frame and a lean to shelter, we decided to go with an A shelter. We began construction by putting a Y frame and a skeleton then adding the spine. We then gathered lots of foliage and placing it on the outside to make it weather proof. Once we finished the den part we constructed the stone wall outside our den.

Jacobs ladder
This is where you climb up a giant ladder that get further and further Apart the higher you go. At first look we felt quite confident that we could achieve this but once you got to the middle it got much harder. Before we got on we all had a target height lots wanted to reach the top – most of us made it half way but Emma incredibly made it to the top!!!! This is higher than some of the instructors had been. This task is easier when you work as a team and help each other up. This has really reinforced out team work skills and taught us to try different techniques to overcome different challenges.

Fencing
This is a combat skill using foils (swords) you wear safety equipment – a tabard covers your body and a mask with a metal mesh and neck protector. We were taught taught the correct footwork (you can only move forwards and backwards – not left and right) and how to hold the foil. Finally we got to fight each other. This was pretty exciting although it was slightly nerve racking and some people were watching.

Canoeing
This morning group I went canoeing this was really fun. There were three people in each boat and we all had a paddle each. You had to follow a certain pattern when paddling to make the boat move smoothly. We learnt to paddle forwards, backward and how to turn the boat around. We all tried to stand on the boat and paddle – this didn’t always work sos well! We played a game called fruit salad where we all different fruits and had swap onto other people’s boats.