A series of adventures!
Spring camp 2019
Survival training, civilisation game, themed hike, climbing, raft building, kayacking, SUP and beach games – an action packed week for Imagine’s spring camp.
With a landscape as exciting as Taiwan’s it’s well worth experiencing a variety of stunning natural scenery including mountains, forests, rivers and beaches. A week’s camp is great opportunity for a unique experience outside the classroom and on any adventure learning is a natural outcome.
Day 1&2 survival training and Civilisation Game
We carefully choose the locations we go to, considering safety as well as aesthetics. One thing we can’t choose is the weather… On a day of the civilisation games the heavens opened, a bit of rain didn’t discourage these outdoor enthusiasts though, and actually its quite fun to play out in the rain. After the civilisation’s shelters were built, they were challenged to create an irrigation system to share water between them. Each civilisation came up with some creative ideas:
~ Split the bamboo in half with an axe and channel the water from one to the other.
~ Cut the bamboo with a saw to make buckets and create a pulley system between the two camps.
Raft building and setting traps
It was great to see both ideas tried and tested, and despite the rain, they made the most of their time in the forest. We also discovered a shrimp caught in one of the traps they learnt to make during the survival training the day before. On the first camp the weather conditions were perfect for raft building so after learning a few key construction concepts, like lashing bamboo together with rope, the rafts were tested out on the river. They seemed to float pretty well!
Themed hike with games
Sometimes it’s difficult to get kids excited by the idea of a hike… But hiking is a free activity and reason to escape the city that will be available to them their whole lives. We believe getting kids excited about going on walks, especially out in nature, is important so they understand this option is always available to them. This is something that’s easy to forget, even in adult life…
Climbing
For the morning hike on day 3 we chose a particularly exciting trail filled with bamboo groves and rocky outcrops to scramble over. On this spring camp we chose a Jumanji themed hike and where group had to discover clues, answer riddles and complete challenges on the way. Once they had completed the ultimate challenge ( return the jaguar stones to the mountain top ) we went to a climbing centre to monkey about and practice climbing skills. For some this was a great opportunity to overcome fears and develop trust in their abilities.
Kayaking, Stand Up Paddle and beach Games
During the last two days of the camp we had fun at the beach, went kayaking, stand up paddle boarding (SUP) and played some games on a giant blow up raft. It was awesome to share this adventure with such an intrepid group of kids!
Like the story? Find out more about our SUMMER CAMP.
