IoW 2024 blog
Expand each day to find out what our year 6 have been doing on their residential.
Monday 20th May 2024
We all set off from school at 7am with a rowdy cheer and lots of excited faces. The sweets were immediately opened and in some cases, finished before we reached the A13! Unfortunately, we had a very tricky journey involving the closure of the M25 which caused a very long delay, but all the children were really patient and stayed upbeat and excited about the trip ahead.
By the time we arrived in Portsmouth we had missed our ferry, but the amazing Mrs Hebden worked her magic and quickly got us booked on another one later in the day.
To make the most of the unexpected extra time in Portsmouth, we travelled to Southsea for a lovely picnic in the sunshine before going to the hastily booked, but nearby, D-Day Museum. This was a fascinating experience that the children thoroughly enjoyed, especially given the fact that we are just a few days away from the 80th Anniversary of D-Day itself.
It was smashing, I enjoyed looking round all the exhibits!
It was really interesting!
We did some great learning about D-Day.
I'm proud I didn't trip when we boarded the landing craft!
The tapestry was really interesting - it was fascinating to see how they chose to tell the story and to see the detail they put in.
Whilst at the museum, we were delighted when a member of the public commented on how respectful the children were being as they were going round the exhibits.
As a consequence of the traffic, we missed out on the sea sports activity today, but have re-arranged this for Friday morning before we come home.
We crossed over to the Isle of Wight just after 5pm and went straight to the hotel for dinner. Later, we will settle into our rooms and have a quiz.
We're looking forward to great day visiting Osbourne House and going to Dinosaur Isle tomorrow.
Tuesday 21st May 2024
Everyone slept really well and woke up feeling refreshed and ready for action! After a hearty breakfast - cereal, toast and a full English - we got ready to go to Osbourne House.
When we arrived, we made our way through the beautiful gardens to start our tour of the house. The stunning rooms and fascinating story of the house were really interesting, especially the Durbar Room.
The children's behaviour was again impressive during the visit; members of the public commented on how respectful they were, especially when they were even whispering so as to not disturb other visitors. Several children also asked the guides excellent questions to deepen the learning they did at school last week.
Very cool!
A million out of ten.
It was enormous!
Many intricate designs.
It was really interesting to find out about Queen Victoria
Epic!
A good experience.
After lunch, we travelled to Sandown to go to Dinosaur Isle. We had an informative talk about the geological history of the island, a look at the brilliant exhibition and a chance to visit the shop where the children purchased an array of delightful souvenirs. After, we went along the beach to have a go at finding some fossils for ourselves. Sadly, we didn't come back with the T-Rex heads we were hoping for, but did find a number of different fossils that the guides kindly explained.
The guides were really helpful and explained all the charts and where each fossil came from.
I didn't like the smells that the dinosaurs made!
Brushing the sand away to uncover the fossils like a real palaeontologist was fun - it made my year!
The dinosaur names are so hard to say.
My mum is going to love the fossil I'm taking home!
We returned to the hotel for dinner where everyone ate heartily - the enormous portions are certainly going down well.
We're off to Lazer Tag this evening where it's expected to get a little competitive - and that's just Mrs Hebden and Mrs Holland!
Wednesday 22nd May 2024
It has been widely agreed that Laser Tag was awesome! A definite highlight of the week so far. Set in a soft play centre, the children had a brilliant time climbing and sliding with their laser guns.
It was really funny - there was always someone shooting me!
It's so crazy and so hard to hit them when everyone is moving!
The slide was so fast it's like levitating!
Very unexpected - you never knew when someone is going to shoot you!
It's really hard to climb and shoot at the same time!
I didn't expect it to be in the dark!
I just love it!
It was a great experience and really worth it!
After such a brilliant time, the children went off to sleep quickly and still looked quite sleepy when they came down for breakfast this morning.
Mr Brierley can you help me? I've lost my hat because there's too many things on the floor on my room.
After a slightly slower morning, we set off for Tennyson Down at around 9:30.
We all wrapped up in warm jumpers and raincoats and embarked on a windy and rainy climb to the top of the hill where a spectacular view of the whole island was waiting for us. A quick snack later followed by a stroll back down had us back on the coach and on our way to Allum Bay and The Needles.
It was a challenging walk up but it was fine coming down.
Beautiful views but it was cold!
There's chalk everywhere.
Our time at The Needles was a very wet experience. Despite the rain, the sea had remained surprisingly calm, so we were able to take our boat tour out to The Needles and the Lighthouse. The downpour that arrived while we were on the water bought an unhealthy amount of driving rain, but added an extra piece of excitement to the experience. After, we went to watch the demonstration at Allum Bay Glass where we learned all about how they create beautiful glass bowls, vases and ornaments. This was very interesting, but also provided some much needed warmth as it's a very hot room.
The children then had some time to do some shopping at the Allum Bay souvenir shop and famous sand ornament shop.
They embraced this opportunity with enthusiasm and bought some more wonderful items.
It was really cold and wet but a great experience.
It was a memorable experience.
The Needles had spikes like a needle!
Thursday 23rd May 2024
Thankfully, we woke up to stunning sunshine this morning, looking forward to a ride on a steam train at The Isle of Wight Steam Railway, Blackgang Chine in the afternoon and a party tonight.
We arrived at the beautiful Havenstreet Station and listened carefully to a talk about the history of the railway and its origins in 1862, how the trains are maintained and how they run the railway as a heritage line today. We then went on a ride pulled by a steam locomotive, in the fabulous Victorian carriages.
Miss Luckett, why are we in 3rd Class? Were there any first class seats available?
It was really funny when we went in the tunnel and it went pitch black.
We returned to the bus to cross the island to go to Blackgang Chine. All the teachers felt relieved that the coach chants were just as loud and full of energy as ever; a good sign that the children had lots of energy for an afternoon of brilliant fun. After a picnic lunch in the sun, the children went on loads of exhilarating rides, went upside down, climbed pirate ships, played snakes and ladders on a giant network of slides and enjoyed water rides, all while the teachers practised their bag holding skills.
Before we left, some finished off the shopping spree they began yesterday, topping off their superb collections with a few final choice items, ensuring they didn't leave a single penny of the money, they'd been given, unspent.
It was so funny when we rung the doorbell of the haunted house - everyone jumped!
The ride Extinction was really fun, especially when you can see your friends.
Your head went up but your stomach stayed at the bottom.
I could see the the whole of the Isle of Wight upside down!
This is hilarious to watch (people getting out of the maze)
Great fun - loads of things to do!
The pirate barrels spun you round really fast!
I totally flew on the Extinction!
It's so much fun because there's rides for everyone.
I'm so pleased with my harmonica; it's great that so many of us bought one so now we can play them together.
After having an amazing time, we head back to the hotel for dinner and to pack our suitcases.
Tonight we're looking forward to a dance and sing at the disco before a well earned rest before sea sports and the journey home tomorrow.
Friday 24th May 2024
We woke up early this morning feeling tired after a brilliant party and to the teachers relief, well packed and ready for an 8:30am departure for sea sports.
We walked along the seafront in the morning sunshine to Wight Water Sea Sports and got changed quickly.
After a safety briefing, we made our way into the water. We started by playing some splashing games to get ourselves comfortable in the water before moving on to a hilarious game of running into the sea and sliding across massive surf boards on our tummies into the water. Then we attempted an obstacle course which involved a lot of falling in.
Finally, the session ended with all the children climbing onto the enormous surfboards and attempting to be the last person remaining onboard. What followed was 10 minutes of falling, splashing, laughing and shouting; a perfect, very well spirited end to our session.
The instructor threw me in!
I swallowed a wave while floating on my back!
Mr Brierley threw me in four times and I will get my revenge.
Miss Luckett threw me off the board - it was hilarious!
I started a pushing war with an instructor and managed to push him in twice, but he got me back!
I was the last person standing!
The sea was cold but a great laugh!
Once we were changed, we made our way back to the coach and to the port to catch our ferry and start the journey home. We're exhausted but really happy, having had a brilliant time.
What an excellent trip with amazing activities.
It was really fun to hang out with your friends for a whole week.
A great experience.
Absolutely phenomenal!
It was really fun and the view from the hotel was spectacular!
If you're not sure whether to go, just go - It's really fun and you won't regret it!
Worth every penny - thank you Mum and Dad!
It was spectacular and I'm grateful to my parents for letting me come along.
A vibrant week!
See you soon!
