Tudor-tastic Residential Trip to Dorset

16 May 2018

Written by Daisy E and Daisy H, Year 4.

On 30 April our adventurous class, Team 4D, went on a Tudor-tastic residential trip to the addictive Hooke Court, the educational residential activity centre in Dorset. On the coach to Hooke Court, we watched the film ‘Paddington 2’.

When all of our Year 4 class got off the coach, they were buzzing with excitement. Then suddenly, Isla couldn’t find her suitcase … There were lots of offers of sharing clothes ! Luckily, it was on the back of the coach. Phew, the first obstacle of the day was over!

The first activity was team building. We did relay races and puzzles. We re-enacted the river using mats as stepping stones to get from one side to the other.

Thirdly, we did the ammonite challenge. What we had to do was get into teams and get some gutter shaped tubes and roll a tennis ball (ammonite) to the other side of the concrete safely via 6 other tubes.

At the end of the day, we had a camp fire and sang songs, danced with a ball and we roasted mega, mega marshmallows! It was extremely fun! After that we were exhausted and went to our dormitories, where we had bunk beds that were a bit cold, but comfortable!

In the morning we got into our Tudor costumes and went down to breakfast, which was delicious! After breakfast, our tutor, Susan, escorted us to the rooms where real Tudors would have actually stepped! When we got in the Tudor Room, Susan talked to us about the Tudors and showed us things. We learnt about potage and ale and that they did not waste anything.

After we learnt loads, it was time to give our brains a rest and start cooking! We got split up into groups so we could make different things and try other foods. There were tarts, twisty biscuits and royal ginger bread – they were so good! Then we made candles and played Tudor games!

Finally, we earned a break to make our teddy displays in our bedrooms and soon we were back to work again. We did writing with a quill, made Pomanders, did weaving and made a pocket. Then, we went back to our little house and prepared for the banquet.

On our final day, in the morning, we met up with a man called Alan, who took us to the forest for den building. Everyone was great at making them and we worked well as a team. When our dens were finished, they were displayed as cosy cottages with features such as: central heating and a nice garden.

Team 4D had lots of fun, met new challenges along the way and performed everything with a smile on our faces. We would like to thank Mrs Darlington and Mrs Walker for taking us and giving us this #UnforgettableExperience.