This week the girls have all been away enjoying the British Countryside in their annual Expeditions Week.
Year 7 had a glorious time tree climbing, paddle boarding, air rifle shooting and axe throwing in Somerset. On arrival the girls settled into their homes for the week in the beautiful setting of Duddings Country Cottages before being split into three groups. The activities took two groups off on adventures throughout the day, whilst one would stay on camp to bake, swim and enjoy the surroundings. It was a fantastic trip that asked them to try new things, with the Esoc team encouraging the girls to find mature ways of coping, whilst testing their own limits in a safe and supportive environment. True grit was shown by Sophie who suffered a broken nose but returned to camp in high spirits. Excellent courage from Gaia who battled her fears to conquer tree climbing and a phenomenal sense of humour from both Sophia and Andrea in their presenting of the Cabaret show! All the girls showed real Francis Holland School spirit and their teachers: Miss Rinck, Miss Ivison, Dr Hayes and Miss Arlington were very impressed by their brilliant behaviour and resilience.
Year 8 spent a wonderful week in Moat Wood in Essex, getting well and truly stuck into camp life. The girls stayed in bell-tents in a gorgeous woodland area, with plenty of space to roam and explore. The activities on rotation were a hike through the countryside followed by banana boating one day, canoeing on a beautiful lake with swans and dragonflies, and a day of learning how to build shelter in the wild, make a fire from scratch and how to use what is in nature around us. Every evening the girls cooked their delicious, and by evening much-needed, meals on open fires and found it so satisfying to build their own fires and cook their own food! The girls had a great time and despite the many pesky mosquitoes they returned with so many new great memories!
The Year 9 girls spent 5 days camping at Stonewall Park. The private park was a perfect location for outdoor and water activities. The girls enjoyed a variety of activities such as den building, axe throwing, archery, knife work, whistle making, and a range of field games. With the beautiful and hot weather, the lake was most appreciated and the girls enjoyed kayaking, slack line over the water and swimming in the gorgeous lake to cool down. The girls were encouraged to get out of their comfort zone and they learnt how to light a fire in order to cook their own food. The girls enjoyed being outside, in a different environment, and most of them decided to spend at least one night outside, in a den, a hammock or under the stars, and had a fantastic night sleep.
Year 10 went to the Norfolk Broads where the girls spent five days exploring the beauty of the surroundings, learning how to sail, as well as how to become autonomous in terms of cooking and controlling our daily required resources, such as: water, electricity and food. As a result, this improved the group working skills and taught them to rely upon each other when help was needed. During the trip, there were a number of entertaining activities including a cooking competition, a sailing race, a game called Buccaneer, a quiz night, a talent show and other evening games. The cooking competition lasted three nights and it encouraged them to give their best attempt and consequently, gain experience in preparing different meals. This competition allowed the girls to demonstrate their abilities to decorate the boat, properly set the table and simultaneously cook the best meal possible- in order to impress the member of staff, when he or she would come to inspect the food. In addition, this formed a stronger bond between the girls, as they all had to work together in order to create the best dinner experience for their visitor.
The game played on the penultimate day, called Buccaneer, was very exciting and fun. It was a pirate themed wide-game, where they tried to seize each otherÂ’s treasures by attacking the boats of the opposite teams. All these thrilling activities brought unforgettable memories. Overall, this trip provided the girls with a unique opportunity to learn sailing techniques and how to master these skills in an independent sailing experience. It was extremely fascinating and interesting to work cooperatively and sail across the Norfolk Broads.
