Class 1 and 2 enjoyed a fabulous two days at Escot Park, near Ottery St Mary. The children slept in yurts, cooked and ate outside…even showered in the outdoor washing facilities! They all experienced a day as a Saxon in the Saxon village. They were able to work with a blacksmith, grind grain, make a fire, make necklaces and even cook a squirrel!
The children were also able to role-play in authentically built saxon houses. The village was very realistic and the children all commented on the smell and atmosphere of the village. One child commented, “it was hard work being a Saxon”.
One of the leaders took groups of children out into the forest to forage for herbs and spices,they came back to camp with the leaves and made herbal tea. Some of the children used the flour they had ground to make bread and this was served with honey harvested from the Escot site.
To round off our first day the children were able to play in the maze and explore the Escot woods. After a hearty dinner we had a sing song around a camp-fire.
On the second day we had a bright and early start…..4am! The resident cockrel made sure no-one got a lie in. By 6am everyone was up and about and playing in the maze waiting for breakfast of scrambled egg and warm croissants. The morning was spent on survival skills in the local woods, the children made fire, sharpen sticks and built shelters. The afternoon was a highlight for many the children had the opportunity to go on a swamp walk. Many braved the muddy water, it started as ankle deep ending ina shallow pool. For those daring enough the deeper swamp went up to some children’s necks! It was an excellent experience and staff were shocked at the bravery and fearlessness of some of our younger girls in class 2!
Exhausted and dirty everyone had a wonderful 2 days…the weather had been kind and the children all came away with some great memories.
