A Week of Adventure

[Daisy]

My GD2, who will be 10 at Christmas, has just been on a residential trip with school - her first one. It was an outdoor adventure week with everything from tracking animals and making fires to abseiling, wall climbing and what looked like scary times in high trees.

She has loved every minute, and clearly entered into the spirit of adventure. On Wednesday it was pouring with rain. The group leader queried how they felt about the high ropes exercise and GD's group were adamant "Why not"!!

She arrived home yesterday, complete with the broadest grin on her face and a bag full of wet and dirty washing! Cooper was delighted to see her back!

After dinner and a long soak in the bath she said to her mum "I will sleep well in my own bed tonight"!

[Gemini]

What a brave and happy girl!

It looks as though doggy has missed her.

I presume my GS1 will have residential trip this year, which will be his first.

[Oma]

Daisy
She looks like she’s being pinned there so she can’t move again , Cooper wants her to stay home 😁
These children have no fear and rain isn’t goint to stop play is it 😁
Its wonderful when they come back with smelly wet dirty clothes and soggy bags , you know they’ve had a good time though ,
Bless her I bet she did sleep well in her own bed 🥴🤣

[Plantaholic]

What a lovely active time she has had.

[Daisy]

Daisy
She looks like she’s being pinned there so she can’t move again , Cooper wants her to stay home 😁
These children have no fear and rain isn’t goint to stop play is it 😁
Its wonderful when they come back with smelly wet dirty clothes and soggy bags , you know they’ve had a good time though ,
Bless her I bet she did sleep well in her own bed 🥴🤣

Cooper is making sure she gets the Full Cooper-Hug Treatment! . It's so true about the dirty washing - they've had a great time and lots of fun out of doors.

Gem, I'm sure your GS1 would love a residential trip with lots of activities.

Plant, I went as the parent helper on one of these types of residential trips when my DS1 was a similar age, and I can remember how full-on it was, but the children loved it. It was great to see the shy, cautious ones grow in confidence as they were gently encouraged to participate.

[Sum1Ls]

Just brilliant. My idea of a wonderful trip too. We must be soul mates.

[Daisy]

In a way it's a sad reflection of today's society though, where children have so little freedom to 'run wild'. Experiences like these residential trips are important and I feel sad that the cost puts them beyond many families' reach. When we were children we were able to play out till it went dark, and I was lucky enough to have fields, woods and a river as my playground.

[Sum1Ls]

In a way it's a sad reflection of today's society though, where children have so little freedom to 'run wild'. Experiences like these residential trips are important and I feel sad that the cost puts them beyond many families' reach. When we were children we were able to play out till it went dark, and I was lucky enough to have fields, woods and a river as my playground.

Daisy, this echos conversations I’ve had with so many. My own grandsons don’t ‘play out’ because of the traffic. It’s all play dates which are arranged by their parents. They do get to mix but don’t get that free experience of negotiating relationships and finding their place in a group,

[Oma]

I agree , you just don’t see many children playing out and I don’t think it’s just because of technology,
It seems that Children only go to parks or football pitches if there is a accompanying adult these days ,

Wehave lots of wooded areas around us and my children would play and make dens in there , not now you wouldn’t dream of letting your children do that now.

Sad isn’t it , I was talking to my GD when they were here last and telling her the games we played and going to the park with sandwiches and a bottle of water and not coming back till the street lights went on ,

She said her other Grandmother had told her the same but she thought she was kidding ,
Couldnt get over the fact we did things like that at her age .

This generation is missing out on so much freedom, but it’s the world we live in now isn’t it sadly.

[Daisy]

My sons were lucky enough to have similar childhood experiences to our generation. We lived with woodland and a very good play area jut at the end of our road in Surrey. The cinema and swimming pool were just across the road as well. When we moved here to the Forest, they were able to play out with their friends with the main risk being falling off home-made rope swings into a shallow river! When DS1 went to uni and fellow students talked about their childhood he was shocked that they hadn't had those freedoms because they lived in cities or areas with busy roads. It's so sad and I wish it was different for today's children.

[Plantaholic]

I had a lot of freedom when I was a child and so did my children when we moved to this village aged 7 and 6. Sadly my GGS and GGD do not.

[Daisy]

Plant, it is very sad. I wish it were different for them.