P.6T Trip to Shannagh-More 2015

On Monday 19th October to Wednesday 21st October P.6T pupils are very excited to be heading off on their first residential trip together to Shannagh-More Outdoor Pursuits Centre.  We hope to keep everyone informed about all the fun we are having - so keep checking the website and we will try to update it regularly. :-)

Pupils are due in school on Monday at 9.45am - leaving at 10am and they will return to school on Wednesday at 2.15pm.

Day 3

We all slept well last night and got to sleep a bit faster because we were so tired.  This was a good job as we all had to get up a bit earlier to strip our beds and ensure all of bags were packed and out of the bedrooms, ready for P.6S’s arrival.

For our last activity Mrs Turley’s group went canoeing at Castlewellan Lake. It was a bit of a struggle for some of us to get into our wetsuits but we got there in the end!  Our instructor Pete showed us how to paddle and because it was a bit windier today we had to paddle harder into the wind.  We had to work as a team to carry the boats and had to try to paddle together in order to control the canoe.  At the end everyone jumped in the water and got very wet!!

Mrs Whan’s group headed out on their Adventure walk in Tollymore Forest.  They had great fun putting mud camouflage on their faces, walking through rivers, under bridges and through tunnels.  Arnold tricked everyone by pulling out a log to open up a waterfall to soak everyone!   Trying to get out of the sticky mud patch proved to be quite a challenge!  Lots of fun was had by all!

Mrs McKiverigan’s last activity was rope climbing.  The high ropes course was a real challenge for many who were a little afraid of heights.  Some children managed to get the whole way around the course, whilst others travelled as far round as they felt comfortable with.  This group also attempted to climb the leap of faith.  All of the children persevered and had a really good go and felt proud that they had faced a fear! 

Our final challenge at the end of the trip was to ensure we left the changing rooms tidy, returned all of the centre’s gear and eat our final lunch together.

A huge thank-you to all of the staff at Shannagh-More, especially our leaders; Val, Trevor, Mark, Pete, Arnold and John who ensured that P6T had such a fantastic experience!

All of the pupils embraced the challenges and experiences with enthusiasm and determination and their behaviour was excellent so well done and thank-you boys and girls for making our trip one we can all treasure and remember!

Day 2

The children had a good night’s sleep and got up full of energy, ready for their second day of activities. Mrs Whan’s group climbed the low wall to develop confidence and basic climbing skills and then every member of the children pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to complete a high ropes course. They then showed off their climbing talents and improved confidence by completing a low ropes course with ease.

Mrs Turley’s group went on an adventure walk to Tollymore Forest Park. They had lots of challenges to complete along the way including, crawling through tunnels, under bridges and squelching through lots of MUD! The children pushed themselves to reach level 6 – Legend adventurers! Too many questions or any moaning meant the whole team had to do five push-ups – whether you were in the mud or the river it didn’t matter – you still had to do it!! Very muddy and happy children were glad of a nice warm shower back at the centre!

Mrs McKiverigan’s group went canoeing on Castlewellan Lake. The children enjoyed learning how to paddle and even had fun standing whilst paddling. The leader set them some challenges like standing on one foot and going over an invisible waterfall! They paddled around an island before jumping in the water to get nice and wet!

In the afternoon we all went to Castlewellan Park, where the children had great fun mountain biking, orienteering and enjoyed exploring the maze. The children had to work in teams to search for the orienteering clues and many found getting out of the maze without cheating a challenge.

Day 1 

All of the children have settled down for the first night's sleep after a fun-filled first day.  The children were very excited and couldn't wait to get started on the activities.  Pupils helped each other to get their gear and bedrooms organised - putting on wetsuits proved quite a challenge, as did keeping their lockers tidy! :-)

For their first main activity Mrs Turley's group enjoyed trying out the high ropes course and the climbing wall.  Mrs McKiverigan's group got wet and muddy during their adventure walk, whilst Mrs Whan's group proved themselves to be super paddlers - canoeing across Castlewellan lake. Leaders and teachers were really proud of the great teamwork that was displayed by the children as they encouraged and supported each other.

A lovely night beach walk at Murlough Bay was followed up by eating some sweets and lots of chatting before everyone settled down for the night!