Activity ideas suggested by the Walney and Bulwell school clusters

Low cost residentials

Involving young leaders Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Keen older children. Overview: We brought in a group of volunteer students from our feeder secondary school to lead a morning of problem solving activities.

Pitch your own tent Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Walney cluster

Recommended Key Stage: Any Equipment: tents, pegs, mallets. Overview: The students pitch their tent after instruction and advice on how to us the tools safely.

Breakfast outdoors Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Breakfast. Overview: We find the children often need a big breakfast after a busy day and a night under canvas. Two bowls of cereal, a piece of fruit and some juice or water are just the job!

Pond dipping Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Nets, magnifying glass, collection pots, pond. Overview: The children all enjoy this activity. It does need several adults; 1:5 is the ratio we use. Go over the safety rules beforehand.

Stories around the fire Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Story teller, fire. Overview: In the past, we paid a professional storyteller about £50 to come for an hour. Now we tell our own stories using a teacher who comes in to the camp ‘fresh’ just for the storytelling session.

Toasting marshmallows Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Long sticks, marshmallows, camp fire. Overview: The children all look forward to and enjoy this. Long sticks help keep children a safe distance from the fire. Try not to burn the marshmallows!

Survival skills Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Walney cluster

Recommended Key Stage: Any Equipment: Provided by the activity leader. Overview: A local bushcraft expert works with the students in the woods. They learn a range of survival skills including how to make shelters and light (and safely put out!) fires without matches.

Orienteering Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: An unfamiliar location, maps of the area, resources to record where children have been. Overview: Children work as teams to find markers and clues using maps. It is possible to buy expensive digital stampers for orienteering, but to keep it cheap, use felt tip pens and milk or juice containers to hold the position markers.

Learning map skills Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Hoops, rope, different coloured shapes. Overview: Children’s orienteering skills were developed indoors to escape the endless rain!

Problem solving Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Blindfolds, assault course. Overview: There are so many variations of this game; the children always enjoy it, particularly when they are the blindfolded partner. In the photo example, one sighted child leads a blindfolded child along a rope in the woods, telling them where to put their feet and warning them about any obstacles.

Problem solving Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Rope, bottle with some water in it. Overview: This game is always fun and really teaches the children to work together. The aim is to work out how to lift the bottle together without tipping it and spilling the water – harder than it looks!

Team building activity Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Walney cluster

Recommended Key Stage: Any Equipment: Crates, bricks and small mats to be used as stepping stones. A rope to show the width of the river. Overview: In this activity the students cross a ‘river’ using the ‘stepping stones’ provided. There are fewer stepping stones than students. The students work together to make sure everyone gets across without falling into the river.

Quiet time in our tents Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Tent, sleeping bag, friend. Overview: We always make time for the children to play quietly in their tents before it gets dark so they can try out their sleeping bags for the first time and get used to be under canvas.

Making new friends Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: None needed. Overview: Children will enjoy having time to explore both day and night. We give them the freedom to do this, within agree boundaries of space and time. The students taking part in our camps are often from different schools, so they choose free time to play and get to know one another better.

Exploring the grounds Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: None needed. Overview: Children will enjoy having time to explore the venue during the day and at night. This informal free time helps children to bond and make new friendships.

Playing in the woods Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Woodland area. Overview: Children make their own fun when given the time and the freedom to explore their surroundings.

Using our senses Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: An unfamiliar place. Overview: Children are very familiar with the sounds and sights of home and school. By covering their eyes, children are able to really concentrate on listening to all the intriguing new sounds in the woods.

Night games Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Walney cluster

Recommended Key Stage: Any Equipment: Blindfolds, ropes, trees or obstacles to attach the ropes to. Overview: Team building games in the dark, including blindfold rope walk.

Making clay bugs Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Bulwell cluster

Recommended Key Stage: All Equipment: Woodland area, air drying clay, sticks for modelling. Overview: All children love manipulating clay. We make creatures from clay to fit in with the environment we’re in.

Climbing Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Walney cluster

Recommended Key Stage: Any Equipment: Climbing wall, sports shoes and harnesses (supplied by the venue). Overview: A climbing wall session with an instructor at the local leisure centre is a low cost option to enable the students to experience climbing.

Treasure hunt Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Walney cluster

Recommended Key Stage: Any Equipment: Clue sheets, clipboards and hidden treasure. Overview: The students follow clues to find the treasure hidden in the school grounds.

Enjoy being outdoors Low cost residentials: activity ideas presented by Walney cluster

Recommended Key Stage: Any Equipment: None needed. Overview: Some children will never have had the opportunity to simply sit outdoors at dusk and enjoy a beautiful sunset. Take time to really appreciate the environment you find yourself in.