Event - Frank Chapman Residential

7 to 9 November 2012

On 7th November, Years 5 and 6 visited the Frank Chapman Centre in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

Mr Frank Chapman OBE was born in Smethwick in 1881. In 1922 he was appointed as Smethwick Town Clerk, and in 1927 he gave 90 acres of beautiful ancient oak woodland, and the surrounding fields and buildings as a gift to the children forever. In 1928 the Frank Chapman Centre was born.

Mr Chapman's legacy has resulted in this centre being the fourth oldest in the country, providing generations of children and adults alike the opportunity to experience and appreciate the forest and its wildlife.

One of the first activities the children took part in was building shelters. The children had to work as a team and decide what type of structure they were going to build to protect them from all elements, like the wind and the rain.

The shelters were tested! Some children might have got slightly wet!! A good effort was made and fun was had by all.

Another bush craft skill learnt was fire making! The children thoroughly enjoyed this activity.

Earth Art – Children had to use their artistic skills to create pictures using only natural items found in the forest. Can you guess what these are?

Night Line - This activity concentrated on team work and trust. Children were blindfolded and had to be guided by their partner, following specific instructions.

Rock Climbing - This was one of the favourite activities! Once strapped into their safety gear the children were encouraged to climb as high as they could. Everyone had a go and personal achievements were made.

At breakfast time, the food was excellent and children were encouraged to not waste their food (as this was weighed!).

We had an amazing experience and are very grateful to the centre staff for their hospitality. The children were a credit to the school, showing excellent manners by being polite and respectful at all times. We look forward to our next visit!

The Frank Chapman Centre.		Building shelters.
Working as a team.		Shelters were checked to see if they were rain proof!
Protection from the elements.		Starting a fire.
Collecting natural items.		Artwork made using natural items.
Can you guess what this is?		The nightline activity.
Blindfolded, and being guided by a partner.		Rock climbing.
This was one of our favourite activities.		Breakfast time.
We had a great time!