Mt Evelyn Camp
Last Wednesday morning, there was a lot of excitement in the gym due to ninety-five grade 3 to 6 students preparing to leave for Mt. Evelyn Camp. As they said their goodbyes to their parents, there were many hugs before everyone hopped on the bus and headed to the YMCA recreational camp. The bus journey was loud with laughter and a few songs, although some children fell asleep, probably because they couldn’t sleep the night before, thinking about the camp and fun they were looking forward to. (Hazel – 6B)
Arriving at Mt. Evelyn Camp
Once we arrived at Mount Evelyn YMCA recreation camp, we were all seated comfortably in the cafeteria. Everyone was introduced to the recreation camp crew and leader, Victoria. Victoria told us the basic rules and boundaries for the three camp days. There was so much excitement buzzing through the air as students were put into their activity groups. Shortly after that, we got run downs of the amazing activities we would be doing in these great days filled with laughter and happiness. (Maddison and Phillip 6B)
Giant Swing
Making our way down the hill to the most exciting part of camp, we were all racing with a thrilling sensation in our minds… We ran through puddles and mud to the giant swing. This swing must have been many metres tall as students one by one got lifted into the air harness by their chested, the suspense taking over their head as the kids of the floor, heaved the rope with great strength, as the person at the top yanked the rope and got launched over hills and rocks. As we completed the giant swing, we felt accomplished and shocked after this amazing activity came to an end. (Maddison 6B and Phillip 6B)
Crate Stack Activity
Crate stack was an intriguing activity and contest that most people enjoyed, although a few were a little nervous about it at first! The activity was in an area where kids had to harness themselves to a rope and keep building crates higher and higher until they reached the maximum height, or the creates collapsed. There was a timer for two minutes and thirty seconds to build the highest. The highest you could go was 12 crates high but if you had a better strategy, you could go at least 15 crates high. Everyone got to have a chance to ‘buckle up and reach the stars’, which means building crates as high as they could. (Ben 6B and Atlas 6A)
Disco, Bush Cooking and Risky Kids
At camp, we had many outdoor activities and one of them was bush cooking. We made damper by mixing some flour and water in a bowl with our hands and wrapping it around a stick. There were logs to sit on and they were all different shapes and sizes. We cooked the damper over a fire (lots of people burnt their damper). After it was cooked, we took it off the stick and spread some jam and butter over it.
In Risky Kids, we learnt the tornado kick (indoor activity). We started off kicking the air and learning how to do a backwards roll. We then put all the movements together to perform a routine. Some people learnt new things like doing cartwheels.
On the first night we had a disco party in the gym (before bed, indoors). Everyone brought their torches out and flashed them while others where dancing (it’s a fun kind of trend). We listened to music and danced in groups. We did the ‘Hokey Pokey’ with Miss Stephanie and lots of people joined in! We also did the ‘Waka Waka’ (just dance version) and ‘Macarena’ dances. Everyone was giggling and started singing when the Encanto song, ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ came up. Mr D started singing and lots of students started to join in. (Talia 6B, Isabella 6B)
Archery
For archery, children were challenged with their skills in accuracy and strength. We were given 3 shots to hit the targets on the white, black, blue, red, or yellow sections. We played mini games in teams to test are accuracy we were given one turn each to hit the targets. Some of the mini games we played were “pizza” where whatever section the arrow hits is what topping your team gets, and YMCA where you would run up to the target range and shout ‘YMCA’ to aim at the target. We all had such a great time practicing archery and playing the mini games. (Nikki 6A and Marcus 6A)
Wild Life
Campers experienced visiting taxidermy animals on display. We found out how the animals are created for display, then we got to see some of the living animals and how they live and what they eat. The animals were extremely interesting up close and we learnt about their habitats. At the end of the viewing, kids were able to touch or look at frogs and turtles as part of this wildlife experience. (Shenay 6A and Raphael 6A)
On Friday morning, everyone had to pack their bags, tidy their cabins and vacuum the floors! We had chicken wraps for lunch and played games with the teachers. By Friday afternoon, all campers felt very tired, so they didn’t mind getting back on the bus to travel back to school. All campers had a BLAST at the camp. It is a memory that we will never forget. We hope to go on more camps in the future, even at secondary school! (Hazel – 6B)