Stubbington - Day 5

Today was our last day at Stubbington Study Centre. We spent the morning playing the Stubbington fox game - we were foxes and the teachers were farmers. If they caught us they had to put a stamp on our face! Some of us were really sneaky and hid well; others were collecting lots of stamps!

After lunch we collected our things (we had to sit on a few suitcases) and boarded the coach. We were excited to see on friends and family again but sad that the trip was now over. This week, we have created memories that will last a life time and learnt a thing or two along the way, too!

Stubbington - Day 4

Hide and seek in the dark last night was really fun! We worked in teams to hunt for the adults and collected clues along the way to answer tricky questions. 

We also went to the hide to watch for badgers. We saw two badgers and a number of foxes, too. The teachers were more excited than the children were - this is the first time Mrs Parsons has seen a badger at Stubbington and she has been eight times before!

After such a busy day, we all got a good night's sleep and woke up refreshed ready for breakfast and another inspection. Well done to owls who won today with five bonus points. 

Group A and B's first activity this morning was to collect their mammal hotels. Well done to these children who managed to find a furry friend!

 Here is one of our furry friends (Charlie the wood mouse) and the children's reaction when he first came out.

After looking at the mice in more detail and taking some measurements, we were able to tell the sex and type of mammal that we had found. Emily S and Presley were turned into mice as we spoke about the different features. 

We then did some sketches before setting our mammals free.

After lunch, Group A went pond dipping...

... and Group B did earthquake.

Well done to these children who won certificates for great team work during the earthquake challenge. 

And the final winners of the Stubbington fox awards are: Keanu O'Donnell for always smiling and taking part, Amy Waller for organising her team in earthquake and Mrs Bucksey for going over and above the call of duty with a smile on her face! :D

This evening we also took part in The S Factor. We have been practising Stubbington songs all week and really enjoyed performing. Well done to the Owls who were scored the highest by the judges!

As we turned off the lights this evening, we reflected on all the brilliant times we have enjoyed. We are sad to be leaving tomorrow but are excited to see family and friends again. We will give you one last update tomorrow - we will be playing the Stubbington Fox game. 

Stubbington - Day 3

It's day 3 at Stubbington Study Centre and everyone is a little more rested - all children were asleep by half past nine without any fuss!

This morning, Mr Harcombe joined us for the bedroom inspection - we think he was impressed by our tidiness. Well done to kestrels and badgers for winning the most points this morning.

Group A's first activity this morning was earthquake - this is the one we have all been waiting for.

After stocking up with handy equipment we made our way around a tricky assault course, being careful not to drop anything (or anyone) in the lava and rescuing people along the way. This really tested our teamwork skills and we had LOTS of fun!

Towards the end, we had to make it over lava leap by swinging on a rope. Some of us were really successful...

...some of us were not so successful!

Miss Simpson had a go too. She fell in but we couldn't snap it in time!

A big well done to Owen who demonstrated excellent communication skills and Charlotte who was excellent at encouraging the rest of her team. 

Meanwhile, Group B took part in the 'egg'streme challenge we told you about yesterday. Can you guess who is in this picture?

Well done to these two groups whose egg survived the trebuchet flight!

These two groups did not care for the egg quite so well but did try extremely hard and worked really well as a team. 

After lunch, Group A and B joined together to search for animal tracks and signs. We found some interesting badger holes, some pine cones that had been nibbled at and even and badger's paw print in the mud. 

Amazingly, one child even spotted a hedgehog?!?!

We then built mammal hotels in the hope of finding some furry friends. We stuffed our mammal hotels with hay, apple and seed to make it more welcoming. 

We then left them in tubes on the ground and camouflaged them to blend in with the scenery. We will return tomorrow to see if anything decided to check in. 

And now for the big reveal... the winners of the Stubbington fox awards this evening are: Ellie Murrell for being brave and trying new things; Matthew Gamblin for being well organised; Lauren Guest for having and 'egg'cellent attitude in the he 'egg'streme challenge; and Edith Millson for being a true friend to everyone. Well done!

A minute ago, Mrs Holt, Mr Jones and Mr Pople arrived to visit us - Mrs Hadlow is on her way too. 

We are all about to play hide and seek in the dark and then go to the hide to watch for badgers. We will let you know how it goes tomorrow!