Camp Journal
Session 1 – Day Four – Yellow Group
30th June 2016
The campers awoke to another bright and beautiful day, perfect weather for mountain biking! After breakfast they went up to Plan De Croix with Katie, Steve and Adam, got kitted out in helmets and gloves and then allocated a bike each. We practised riding on the tarmac, cycling around different courses, before taking to the trails to make their way back to camp. They all arrived back at camp exhausted but really happy, excited and very proud of themselves.
After a much needed and very filling lunch, the campers were ready for another round of language classes. They all behaved perfectly and were participating well. They are all improving a lot and growing more confident speaking their respective languages together.
They enjoyed socialising at dinner and spending the evening rock climbing on the indoor wall or playing sports outside. Another busy day at Camp Suisse has come to an end!
Session 1 – Day Four – Green Group
On a very sunny morning the Green Group had sports and games scheduled. After breakfast we made sure we filled up our water bottles because we were going to need them. We walked through the forest path to the football pitch and there we spent the morning doing all sorts of sports and games like the traditional English school sport ‘Rounders’. Then very hungry and exhausted we headed back to camp for a nice lunch. Once lunch was over it was time to boost our language skills so everyone headed to their language class. After this we had a delicious lasagna for dinner and then headed to our evening activity of either rock climbing or more sports.
Session 1 – Day Four – Blue Group
Blue Group began the day with some fun and interactive language lessons. All the campers are doing very well and have already improved a lot! The afternoon saw the Blue Group play sports at the football pitch. We played games such as football, dodge-ball and rounders. The children competed with high energy and enthusiasm. The weather was great and we had so much fun.
Tired but very happy the campers returned to the centre for dinner and an evening activity of ‘Forest Fun’ in the local woods.
Session 1 – Day Four – Red Group
Today Red Group spent the morning in their language lessons. They are all making great progress! After class we all enjoyed an enormous lunch which set us up for an afternoon of sports. After trekking to the football pitch we enjoyed a series of games such as rounders, football, splat and dodge-ball. After a jam packed day the campers were brave enough to venture into the forest for a range of activities. The campers worked really well together to achieve all of their goals.
Session 1 – Day Three – Red Group
29th June 2016
Today the Red Group woke up bright and early to head to the glacier. After seeing the sun rise over the alps, Red Group took two cable cars to get all the way up to the top of the mountain, climbing over 2,000 ft in total! After trekking through the snow, our campers were greeted by the huskies and everyone got to have a turn on husky sledding. Our campers really enjoyed cuddling the dogs!
Afterwards, our campers got to ride a roller coaster through the snow! When they got back to camp, the kids enjoyed some fun arts and crafts, and some even watched an exciting game of football!
To finish off the busy day, Red Group got to relax with a film and some tasty Swiss hot chocolate! They will definitely sleep well tonight!
Renee and his training dogs in action!
Getting up some speed!
Yum!
Session 1 – Day Three – Green Group
Today was another beautiful, sunny day in the Swiss Alps. The first thing on today’s agenda was a hike to Lake Taney. After applying liberal amounts of sunscreen and packing away their lunches, our campers headed off at 9am. The sunny weather put everyone in good spirits and our campers cheerfully walked onwards, at one point even travelling through a herd of cows! After that experience, it was decided that we would stop so that our campers could regain some of their energy, before one last push to complete the final leg of the journey.
Green Group reached Lake Taney at 2:30pm. There, they were met with beautiful views of the cyrstal-clear water of the lake. Despite the weather cooling off somewhat, some campers and staff took a swim in the lake. Some of our campers even had ice cream!
The buses picked everyone up and on the drive home, almost everybody slept. After a nice, hot shower, a delicious dinner and two hours of making a film in groups, all of the campers happily went to bed, exhausted from the long day.
Green Group, ready to hike!
Our first glimpse of Lake Taney!
Some of our campers were brave enough to take a dip!
Session 1 – Day Three – Yellow Group
Yellow Group woke up to lots of sunshine and an exciting day ahead. After checking that they had the essentials (water, suncream), our campers jumped on the bus to Geneva. First stop: the Palais des Nations, headquarters of the United Nations.
There, our campers followed a guided tour of the different rooms and learned about the history of the United Nations, as well as the different organs of the United Nations, and their functions. Excitingly, there were a few committees in session! The tour ended in the General Assembly hall, where many important decisions regarding world peace have been made since 1936.
After the tour, our campers made their way through Geneva, stopping by Lake Geneva in a park for lunch. Our campers threw themselves on the grass in the shade of the trees to get out of the hot sunshine.
Our campers crossed the Mont Blanc bridge, saw the incredible fountain, and even stopped for a quick ice-cream and shopping spree along the main shopping street.
Our campers continued their cultural visit with a self-guided tour of Geneva’s Natural History Museum.
After a long bus journey back to camp, our campers got back just in time for Shower Hour and a Thai-inspired dinner.
After dinner, Yellow Group made 3 minute films, in which they had to sum up the plot of an entire film. Our campers demonstrated that they can be very creative! These films will be screened next week at a general viewing- we can’t wait to see what they’ve come up with!
Making our 3 minute films!
3 minute film directors hard at work!
Session 1 – Day Three – Blue Group
Today Blue Group started the day with lots of sunshine! Our campers left, bright and early, for Glacier 3000 at Les Diablerets. The journey up to the glacier began with two cable car journeys up to 2900m, followed by an exhilarating trip on the chair lift. Having tackled the lift with ease, our campers had their first encounter with husky sledding. They chose a partner, and got to go sledding with Renee and his training pack.
Our campers were thrilled afterwards, as they had the opportunity to meet the dogs and have their picture taken. There was a lot of belly-rubbing and many bear hugs were given. Renee answered questions about the dogs- sadly, when asked by the campers if they could take the dogs home, Renee said no!
Our campers were then allowed to have a go on the alpine roller coaster- which goes from 2900m to 2750m. Everyone, including the staff, were particularly excited to have this opportunity!
After a delicious lunch, our campers began a ‘peak to peak’ walk, where they had the chance to cross a custom-built suspension bridge to a viewpoint overlooking the entire valley. The viewpoint offered a spectacular view of the alps, including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn (or the ‘Toberlone mountain’ as we call it!).
Our campers visited the gift shop to buy some souvenirs and then they returned to camp for a choice of sports at the football field, or a quiet afternoon of glacier collages.
All in all, an outstanding day was had by everyone!
Renee and his training dogs in action!
Taking a break to capture the moment!
Session 1 – Day Two – Red group
28th June 2016
This morning started off with lots of nutella and lots of fun. Language lessons began and everyone had a jam packed, information loaded morning with lots of games in the sun.
Everyone then packed for their afternoon at the adventure park and hurried off to the coach. Base camp was set up in the shade next to the huge slides and we split into smaller groups that we explored with for the afternoon. Games and activities ranged from giant inflatable areas to ramps to slide down in rubber rings and a maze that seemed to go on forever!
After a few hour we refuelled our energy levels with some snacks. We then headed back to camp for a tasty dinner of burritos. After this we had our evening activity and then headed off to bed for some much needed sleep!
Session 1 – Day Two – Yellow Group
Day two at camp and the campers have started to get into the swing of things! Breakfast started at 8 am and we all filled our stomachs ready for the day ahead. After morning meetings, we went to the climbing wall and played a few warm up games. We ended up being sheep on the floor whilst the farmer and wolf turned the children over. We also played colour run and the gear game to get our bodies warmed up. We then went into the climbing wall . The safety rule were explained and we played a game of Shark Attack – it was awesome! We then learnt how to belay and then in groups of three climbed with one climber, one belayer and one smiler (to make sure the climber was extra safe). After that we had a break where we had a penalty shoot out and a football match before heading back into the climbing wall for more games climbing. We switched to the auto belays and set the kids different challenges such as climbing with one arm, one leg, blindfolded and with a cone on their heads. All the campers were involved and helped each other to achieve the challenges which was great to see.
The group was very excited for lunch which was a buffet of paninis, jacket potatoes, salads and sandwiches. The kids were then divided into groups based on their chosen languages and their level and they went off to their first language lesson. These were different for each group but comprised mainly of introducing games, basic vocabulary and oral games. They all seemed to love it.
After burritos for dinner, the campers were ready and full of energy for evenings sports. After this it was time to get a good nights sleep and get ready for another action packed day at Camp Suisse.
