Cranedale Day 1
We set off from school
just after 9.00am and made very good progress up the A1 towards
Yorkshire. Despite the positive weather forecast, Mr Britten was a
bit perturbed by the appearance of a few rain drops on the bus
window.
The driver announced at
11.00am that we were only 2 minutes away – a new record! The only
problem was that we were in the middle of an industrial estate and 8
miles from the Cranedale Centre. The Sat-Nav was the culprit. The
postcode to the centre ends with the letters BD, the driver had
entered DB. A simple mistake which ended up with us being in the
wrong location. Luckily, he had typed YO and not OY or we may have
ended up lost in Germany.
After arrival, we had a
quick tour of the centre. The children have four locations to
remember – bedroom, dining room, common room and classroom. There
are other minor locations such as bathroom, drying room and boot
room. If your child come home dirty with wet clothes, you will be
able to work out which rooms they failed to find.
Lunch had been
pre-ordered. It was a picnic lunch of sandwiches, crisps, doughnuts
and fruit. All was quickly consumed and we were able to unpack and
get prepared for the afternoon session.
The afternoon was spent
locally. We started off with an orienteering lesson. An
understanding of maps and compass points was of utmost importance.
The children worked in pairs, following a series of letters hidden
around a large area of fields, woods and paths. James and Jessica
formed a formidable partnership and were victorious. Everyone else
worked very hard and improved their map reading skills. Maybe the
coach driver could do with a week at Cranedale.
The second part of the
afternoon was spent on a low ropes course. The children have to work
as a team to navigate across a series of obstacles. Communication
and cooperation are the key skills needed to be successful. “I'm
the only one working as a team” claimed a voice. After about an
hour of falling, laughing, swinging and more falling, the children
began to appreciate the importance of team work and finally began
making progress.
Evening meal
One of the many
highlights of coming to Cranedale is the superior food on offer. The
children have a choice of breakfast and lunch that can please even
the fussiest of eaters. Evening meal is a four course affair.
Starter – Leak and
potato soup with a roll
Main – Jacket
potatoes with a variety of toppings (butter, cheese, tuna, beans,
sausages, vegetable curry, salad)
Dessert – Pineapple
upside down pudding with custard
Cheese and biscuits
The evening activity
was a picture trail. The children were given photos of different
locations around the centre. They had to find the location the
photograph was taken and answer a question related to the location.
It was a lot of fun and gave the children the opportunity to become
better acquainted with their surroundings. Rosemary and Max answered
the most questions and were promised a prize sometime later in the
week. Maybe an ice cream at the beach tomorrow!
The weather forecast
continues to promise a rain free week. However, Mr Britten is sure
the infamous purple cagoule will be making its annual appearance...
