When Coronavirus led to the cancellation of school trips and tours, our annual Y8 bushcraft trip was one adventure that our Y8 did not want to lose. The solution: bushcraft in the back garden!
On Friday 12 June, our Y8 boys, in locations all over the world, joined together virtually (or in small socially distanced groups) for a day of bushcraft adventures. In their back gardens, under the watchful eyes of their families, the boys lit fires and cooked up treats such as damper (a campfire bread), toasted sandwiches and made s’mores. They tested their outdoor skills creating among other things compasses using leaves, water and pins and identifying plants by their leaves. They built shelters and dens, both in the great outdoors and the great indoors – the ingenuity was something to see! Tents were pitched, and around a third of the boys camped out overnight to make the very most of their bushcraft adventure.
During the day, the also boys created ‘Tribes Got Talent’ videos, filming tributes to their new Houses in those new House groups. The highly-entertaining videos were watched and enjoyed by the whole of Y8 the following morning, and the boys certainly proved that they have many talents.
“I thought bushcraft would be just another day of remote learning, but it was so much more than that. We were able to do normal Bushcraft activities with clear instructions on Google Classroom, and we were able to call our friends and try and do activities with them across Teams. Tribes Got Talent was a huge success as many tribes showed personality and skill when making and editing the video. All in all, it was a great day off curriculum, and I am so grateful for all the teachers that made remote bushcraft so amazing. Thank you”
“Bushcraft was all about leaving the comfort of our homes and branching out and trying new things . . . Bushcraft was a great experience, with the fact we are all at home not taking away at all from a really enjoyable day.”