Thames Young Mariners. Year 6.
Day One
We excitedly arrived at Thames Young Mariners (TYM) with the rain cloud clearing, we jumped off the coach and began to investigate our surroundings.
After our packed lunch, we prepared ourselves for our first water sport activity of the trip. We split into groups with some of us enjoying kayaking and some canoeing. We soon got the hang of paddling to get ourselves across the lake in the right direction! We played many games on board our kayaks and canoes, including swapping places. Needless to say, many of us fell in!
Following a busy afternoon, we were delighted to be served up a delicious dinner of meatballs, pasta and garlic bread. We managed to squeeze in pudding too! As the sun began to set, we went for a beautiful walk along the Thames Path towards Teddington Lock. On our return it was time to settle down in our teepees for the night.
Day Two
Despite the earwigs, most of us had a good sleep! After a huge cooked breakfast, cereal, fruit and yogurt, we were set for our morning's activities. We swapped activities from the day before and developed our skills on the water further in the kayaks and canoes.
Lunch was a welcome break to rest and recharge.
In the afternoon we all spent time on the water mastering the importance of balance on paddle boards. We jumped and rolled across the boards, raced and played ball, along with racing! By the end of the session, we all had the hang of it!
With another magnificent dinner in our stomachs, we collected fire wood ready for our camp fire. Then some of us relaxed in camp whilst others went for a walk in the opposite direction towards Ham House. In the evening, we happily toasted marshmallows over our roaring camp fire, whilst reminiscing about our year 6 memories.
Day Three
Before breakfast, we had to pack up camp. Our bags were not as well packed as when we arrived!
For our final activity, we were split into three teams to build our rafts. Once built, we boarded our rafts and raced them across the lake, along with playing many games during our races, we all got very wet!
Once lunch was eaten, we boarded the coach. The journey home was very quiet, except for the gentle snoring of tired but happy year 6 children who have been left with memories which will last a lifetime.
