Monday 23rd July

Monday 23^rd July

What a fantastic and energetic start to the Holiday Scheme!

We began our day by walking to the Xcel Centre in Canley to do gymnastics and trampolining led by three brilliant coaches!

The leaders and managers were so proud of all the children for trying their best and, for some, learning a brand new skill. Well done Hanchen for doing a brilliant forward roll and leaders were very impressed with Imogen’s back-hand spring- amazing!! To finish the morning we had our lunch under the trees and the children played on the park before we started our walk back!

This afternoon the under 8s took part in a newspaper fashion show we saw some fantastic designs and good team working skills- well done to Jessica’s team for winning the show! Meanwhile, the older group had a slam dunkin afternoon as they made a basketball net.

To finish our already busy day, the children went outside for some more sports! The younger group took part in an obstacle course whilst the older group played capture the flag.

The Holiday Scheme Team

Rachael Snell : 23 Jul 2018 17:04 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Wednesday 30th May 2018

Wednesday was packed with performing arts, and even the weather performed...well, just about.

We kicked off the day’s programme with some stage design, creating backdrops for our chosen plays. One of those activities that kids get down on the floor to do as they work their way through the scenery. Mixed ages worked together as they decorated their costumes and props, including masks 🎭 and swords ⚔️.

After lunch it was drum time 🥁 for the younger group while the older group went outside for an open-air talent competition (it was dry enough by then).

The children selected judges, presenters and of course performers. There were superior circus skills, excellent dance routines and stage fighting choreography on show, alongside funny commentary and story-telling.

Back in the room, the rigorous drumming and synchronised rhythms entertained everyone.

The groups swapped mid-afternoon, and now it was the younger group’s chance to practice drama, miming and improv in the fresh air. On route children shouted regular warnings like “Watch out, goose poo!”

It’s a good job we had another fruit snack time towards the end of the day but still we won’t be surprised if our parents find their offspring tired 😴 and ready for bed at the end of the day.

See you tomorrow for another cool 😎 day.

Rachael Snell : 31 May 2018 15:55 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Tuesday 29th May 2018

Tuesday 29^th May 2018

End of day

That was a great start of the May holiday scheme. We found old buddies, we made new friends and we enjoyed ourselves outside drawing with chalks on the university’s pavements. We made them look colourful and we are sure the campus residents will appreciate it! J

We also had an amazing animation workshop with Gemma. We created our own figures and we placed them in different sceneries provided by Gemma! We video recorded our short films and the links to them will be available to view in just over a week. How exciting, we can’t wait to watch our masterpieces!

Tomorrow we are going to learn how to play the Djembe drum with Ansou, we promise to be loud!

The Holiday Scheme Team

Rachael Snell : 29 May 2018 16:48 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Holiday Scheme– day 5!

February Holiday Scheme- day 5!

What an incredible finale to this February Half-Term Holiday Scheme!

Friday morning was kicked off in style with a birthday celebration, featuring a piñata, stuffed with medals as well as sweets, chorus singing and one lucky girl turning five. Happy Birthday, Katie!

Forest School was something a lot of kids were excited about. And it surely delivered. First, the younger age group went to the woodland, hunting for sticks and making mud pies. Have you ever tried roasted marshmallows? They did, and loved it!

In the meantime, back in the room, the older age group were busy putting their business ideas to test in front of a very demanding panel of judges – their own peers. It was wonderful to watch them work in groups, noting down ideas, building models and making up jingles for adverts. Among the fantastic array of business propositions were an animal shelter with a difference, a universal attachment to vacuum cleaners, a healthy ice-cream making machine, and an eco-friendly sewing workshop.

In the afternoon, the groups swapped places, and the older-aged team went to the forest for a challenging task: pick a patch for your tribe, build a den, build defences, and much more, with whatever you can find in the wild. Have you ever made paint in the wood? Clue: you use water to wet the soil and much mud ensues! Meanwhile the younger children were making necklaces, bracelets and ninja warriors.

We are delighted to report that every single child seemed to be enjoying themselves, with some having made firm friends with one another. It’s been a pleasure to look after them and we hope we helped make the week easier for you, parents and carers.

Looking forward to the next school holidays, when we’re planning to have as much fun.

Rachael Snell : 26 Feb 2018 10:24 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Lego workshop– day 4!

Rachael Snell : 23 Feb 2018 10:25 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

February Holiday Scheme– day 4!

Holiday Scheme- day 4!

What a full and fantastic day we had today! In the morning, we used all of our talent to create some hand-made kites with paper straws, glitter and colourful wool! We then got hungry and made some monster cupcakes, which were ‘dressed’ with blue buttercream icing, white chocolate buttons and biscuits! We saw the white cream turning into blue with some magic liquid and we secretly tasted some of it while decorating the cupcakes!! Yummy!!!

Is if this was not enough, in the afternoon we met the Create, Build and Learn team! They brought with them many different boxes full of Lego pieces and figures and we created many different constructions in groups! This was our first time to see so many different types of Lego!! Our projects turned out to real masterpieces!! After all this, we needed some fresh air and we played games outside!

Yes, we all feel tired, but sooo happy now! Counting the hours until the forest school tomorrow!

Rachael Snell : 23 Feb 2018 10:20 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

February Holiday Scheme– day 3!

Wow! Can’t believe day 3 of the holiday scheme is nearly over! What an amazing time we had! We had a minor change in our programme today, the lady from the Hawkwise Falconry was unwell and joined us only for the morning session and not for the whole day as we planned. The holiday scheme staff would like to sincerely apologise for this change. Still, we had a fabulous time with the birds! Children had the chance to learn more about the habits of different types of owls, play with them and hold them in their hands! The lady made the birds fly in the room and fed them in front of us and we were all amazed!

In the afternoon session we went out in the woods and we had a scavenger hunt, where we had to look for the ducks in the lake, count branches and collect flowers and leaves. We ended our day by drawing owls in a step-by-step process, we then painted and decorated them in various ways!

Looking forward to tomorrow’s session, where we will create our own kites, do some cooking and have a Create Build and Learn workshop!

Rachael Snell : 21 Feb 2018 16:53 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Steve the Juggler

Rachael Snell : 21 Feb 2018 14:41 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

February Holiday Scheme– day 2!

February Holiday Scheme-day 2!

Our second day at the Holiday Scheme was full of diverse activities. In the morning we designed and painted our unique canvases. The children came up with their own ideas and we had some really wonderful masterpieces featuring from Mickey Mouse figures to sharks and robots! After practicing our art skills, we spent some time outside. We were split in two groups and created assault course for the opposite team using hula hoops and cones.

After a well-deserved lunch and rest, ‘Steve the Juggler’ arrived with bags full of goodies for everyone to explore. Steve started his workshop with a brilliant show demonstrating some superb tricks and the children spent the afternoon practising their circus skills. We saw magic tricks, juggling, diablo, stilts and cup tricks (just to name a few). To complete the afternoon, the children performed in front of everyone at the Holiday Scheme. A massive well done to everyone for positively trying to combat these tricky skills!

Can’t wait for the Falconry Experience tomorrow!

Best wishes,

The Holiday Scheme Team

Rachael Snell : 21 Feb 2018 14:32 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Pop Art creations from 19th February!

Rachael Snell : 20 Feb 2018 11:36 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem