Camp Journal

Red and Blue Group ‰ÛÒ Out Into The Wilderness

16th July 2014

The sun was shining on all the campers at Camp Suisse and it made everyone bright and energetic to begin their language lessons.

In the afternoon the Red Group put on their hiking boots and made their way to the forest to begin the Bush Craft Hike. The campers built their own shelters and were taught survival skills with the guidance of the Activity Leaders.

The Blue Group split into groups and rotated around three activities which were: Mountain Biking, Archery and Climbing.  Soon the campers were off out on their mountain bikes and made great progress on the obstacle course, others hit the bull’s-eye up on the Archery Range and the climbers on the Camp Suisse Wall aimed high and reached the top!

Back at Camp Suisse once ‘Shower Hour’ was over, everyone was ready for dinner which was Lasagne and salad – not forgetting Waffle Wednesday (lots of ice cream and chocolate and strawberry sauce to go on top of the waffle!). 

The Pastoral Leaders had a great evening planned of sports on the football field during sunset!

Green and Yellow Group ‰ÛÒ Glacier Day!

The campers were up for an early morning breakfast to leave camp and make their way to Glacier 3000.

Green and Yellow Group caught the 9:00am cable car up the mountain and the views were incredible because the weather was so clear. At the top of the glacier there were the husky dogs ready and waiting to pull the campers on a sled!

Once everyone had a go on the sled, it was time to get some thrills on the world’s highest alpine rollercoaster!

After lunch the campers went back down on the cable car to board the Camp Suisse coach which took them to Villeneuve. Plenty of sun cream was applied and then it was time to splash about in the pool and jump of the diving board into Lake Geneva!

For the evening the campers were ready for a quiet night – and what better way to do this than have a hot chocolate whilst watching a movie?!

Red Group – Reach For The Skies

15th July 2014

Yesterday was the first day of the language lessons for the red group, once again the language teachers made sure that all campers were placed in the right skill group through fun and interactive tests. After this, the first lessons were away with ease and all campers got stuck right in. After the language lessons and another amazing lunch the red group went out for team building games. By using some newly learnt language skills campers developed their cooperation and communication skills, this was evident throughout the whole afternoon but especially in the create climb – stacks of fun! To top it off the group released their creative juices whilst designing their very own treausre hunt maps during the oreniteering task.

Following a French themed dinner in honour of Bastille day, the reds enjoyed playing cards in the one and only Camp Suisse Casino. 

Green and Yellow Group – Trees to Track

The yellows and greens has their first day out of camp today, the first stop, Parc Adventure where everyone was able to enjoy climbing and scrambling among the tress, some campers were even fearless enough to tackle the 700ft Zip Wire. A great morning had by all!

After a packed lunch the campers were back on the road, heading to the Olympic Museum where everyone leant something new about the Olympic movement, seeing some memorabilia up close and find out new information about some of the amazing athletes who have changed the world of sport. 

Outside the museum campers were able to test their speed again Usain Bolt, although unfortunately no one was quite quick enough; Alex and Mark did come very close(!)

After the final coach journey back to camp the Yellows and Greens joined everyone for the French Themed meal and carried on the sporting day by playing football before bed!

Red and Blue Group ‰ÛÒ Up to the Glacier and then a Lazy Afternoon by the Pool!

The reds and blues had a big breakfast and hopped on the Camp Suisse coach early and headed up to to the Glacier 3000.

The campers zoomed up the mountain in the cable car and took in the fantastically sunny views. At the top the campers then got on a chairlift to take them down to where the husky dogs were. Everyone got a turn to be pulled along by the husky dogs on a sled- It was amazing!

Soon after the campers went for a ride on the worlds highest alpine roller coaster!

After lunch the campers made their way to Villeneuve, the sun was shining and it was perfect to go swimming and play beach games. Some of the group went for a swim in Lake Geneva and everyone loved splashing around in the sun.

Tired but happy, we came back to Camp Suisse for dinner and then settled down for hot chocolate and a film. 

A Great day!

Green and Yellow Group – On the climbing wall and on their bike!

The sun was shining down on the Campers yesterday.

In the morning after a nutritious breakfast the campers in Green and Yellow Group began their language lessons.

After some hard work and serious lingo practice, it was time for lunch. The Camp Suisse Chef had cooked up some paninis, jacket potatoes and hotdogs! Everyone re-fuelled so they were ready for the afternoon activities.

The Activity Leaders were instructing the Green Group on the indoor climbing wall and the Yellow Group were being taught skills in mountain biking.

It was a great afternoon for the campers! There was great improvement and success on the climbing wall within the Green Group and there was some serious skills within the Yellow Group!

Finally, to finish up an exciting day the campers enjoyed an evening of playing Countdown, a game styled on the TV show in the UK which is based on numbers and words.

For now, it was off for an early night so everyone can wake up early for the next adventure! 

Red and Blue Group ‰ÛÒ Lost in a Maze to Running the Racetrack!

13th July 2014

After a hearty breakfast, the campers in Red and Blue Group embarked on their first activity at Camp Suisse. 
To begin with it was all aboard the Camp Suisse Coach to make their way to the world’s largest natural labyrinth, there is a garden maze with lots of hidden treasure within and an amazing playground!
Once all the campers had navigated their way out of the maze it was time for lunch (a packed lunch specially prepared by the Camp Suisse Chef!).
In the afternoon it was time to learn about one of the most iconic sporting events at the International Olympic Museum. The exhibition is interactive and gives the campers an exciting way to learn about the progression of the modern Olympic games. 
Soon it was time to head back to Camp Suisse in time for ‘Shower Hour’, so the campers could freshen up and have some quiet time to have a chat on the phone with Family and Friends. 
After dinner the Pastoral Care Team had a great evening of sports planned for everyone and then it was time for lights out. 

Yellow Group ‰ÛÒ Orienteering time!

In the morning the campers in Yellow Group were busy learning the lingo in their language lessons. The campers are proactive and showing real enthusiasm during the lessons!
Soon after working hard, the campers had worked up an appetite and it was time for lunch, Camp Suisse style! There are four stations to choose what each camper would like for lunch, this could be a filled baguette or a nice warming jacket potato! 
In the afternoon the campers were given the opportunity to draw their own maps of the area and then afterwards put it into practice and do orienteering! The Activity Leaders were on hand to share their knowledge and make the activity enriching and an adventure! 
After ‘Shower Hour’ and dinner the campers enjoyed a night at the Camp Suisse casino, a great evening activity for all! 

Green Group ‰ÛÒ Language and Bush Craft Hike!

During the morning the campers in Green Group were working hard in their language lessons. The tutors took special care to make sure everyone was grouped in the right language level by using assessments – it is all done it an innovative and exciting way!
After lunch the campers put on their hiking boots, filled up their water bottles and made their way into the forest to begin the Bush Craft activity. 
The campers spend their time putting up hammocks and making shelters, its great fun to try and camouflage the shelters with leaves and branches. The Activity Leaders then took the campers on a trail and gave a talk on how to filter water from a stream and other survival hints and tips!
Back at Camp Suisse the campers enjoyed a delicious dinner and then had a great night playing games in the Camp Suisse Casino!

A huge welcome to all our campers who arrived yesterday for Session Two!

12th July 2014

Well here we go! Let the adventure begin!
Our campers arrived and there were some faces we recognised and some new ones too! Everyone got the chance to see their new rooms and meet their roommates, not before long everyone was having a good chat and enjoying some ‘getting to know you’ time.
The Activity Leaders had some of the campers climbing up the indoor climbing wall or playing some sport in the hall. Other campers were exploring the Camp Suisse site or playing a tune on the piano!
At 18:30 it was time for dinner and the Camp Suisse Chef had made a delicious pasta dish. After everyone had finished their dinner it was group meetings all around so everyone could play some ‘team building exercises’. 
There was an early night for the campers after their long journeys and to prepare for more to come!