Elizabeth Moir: Day 1!!!

The day started for the 24 children arriving from Elizabeth Moir at 8:15 when they pulled up to Borderlands base camp. The third group from Elizabeth Moir quickly jumped off the bus for five minutes around camp before heading to the put-in point for the first adventure filled activity of the day: white water rafting.

A quick lesson in river hydrology ensured they would know what to do in order to lead the raft down the river (with some reassurance and help in case of panic from the guides), then everyone was kitted up in life jackets, splash guards, helmets and paddles – the last quickly becoming a tool to gently hit people over the head with.

Following the safety briefing, all students leapt into rafts and began to iron out the kinks in the teamwork, such as paddling all at the same time and not hitting each other in the face with paddles, and leadership was shared amongst the teams.

The first rapids were easy for them; the students were in charge of figuring out which lines to go down on the river. There was more than one occasion of approaching a rapid with students questioning every single move until hitting the first wave.

Killer Falls brought the first swimmer…or two. Named for the tiny gap that the raft needs to fit through before dropping back to the river, the lurch forward brought two students plus paddles into the water, where they safely floated to shore. No flips before lunch and the extremely team oriented students brought the group to lunch break earlier then planned.

After hungry students devoured their lunches, everyone went on a short hike up to the canyon. Many students had gone canyoning before with previous Elizabeth Moir groups, and their challenge was to develop their leadership skills through helping other students down the canyon. Suffice to say everyone was amazed by the students trust and rising to the challenges presented!! Sliding down the smooth rock and doing back flips into deep pools was encouraged by everyone who cheered for each person!

Finishing the canyon with time to spare, the decision was made to take the enthusiastic students down the extended canyon. The students’ teamwork was brought to a whole new level as they supported each other from pool to slide to jump to pool, not letting each other fall, and let their leader qualities shine through as they directed less experienced individuals through the difficult spots.

The group gathered at the end exhilarated and sped through the short hike back to the river for rafting the lower section. As students took even more control over the steering and direction of the raft, their confidence in their team, them selves, and their leadership capabilities grew.

The final river float back to camp was filled with games, trying to get the boats to do “wheelies,” and seeing how many people get pushed off the raft. Pulling into camp, the tired students took another leadership role with cleaning up and organizing all the gear, before retreating to their tents to shower and get changed.

Dinner was a relaxed affair, filled with laughter and fun. Students picked up a guitar and singing to various tunes could be heard from across camp. Avicii’s Wake Me Up was heard more than once. Students went off to bed exhausted and ready for another fun, adventure filled day. Sleep well Elizabeth Moir students!

Day 3: Hitting the River

The last day with British school is here, everyone is in a good mood however as today is the day of the white water rafting!

We started early again, approximately 7 o'clock, with a morning jog up to our relay square and after a warm up and a few morning stretches the five teams swiftly got ready to go head to head. The race happened fast, everyone ran there hardest and it was so close. After much discussion it appeared "Black Jaguars" came out on top!

Breakfast was a quick affair as all the kids, and the adults, were excited for the day, then tent inspections where all teams were much improved from the previous day.

After the tent inspections we split the incredible excitable children into two groups, one group stayed with Nirmal and Gwen where they took part in the Crate Stacking Challenge - a ropes activity which some of the kids really excelled at with a impressive 11 crates stacked up being the record. 

The second group got kitted into a life jacket and helmet then paired with a paddle before jumping in the trucks and a quick walk to the bridge site where the rafting would commence. Since rafting is a dangerous 

sport a safety brief was essential and all the kids did their best to listen whilst itching to get on the water. 

Then it started, the children in the rafts and 3 big rapids ahead of them! The boats smashed down drops and hit waves hard. Lots of screaming happened as everyone was enjoying themselves! After the rapids were done all the children and guides had a gentle float back to camp to cool off.

With the morning activities finished all that was left was to have some lunch and say goodbye. It was a sad affair with many hugs and high fives but we believe they left with a difference; as leaders, team players and with added confidence.

Good Bye Year 6 - thanks for sharing the Adventure with us! 

Day 2: A Day at Belilena Cave

For most students last nights was a peaceful evening, however there's usually a bit of excitement on the first night, and indeed a few of the boys thought it would be a good idea to have a WWF session at 4:30am - no harm done, and a stern word from Mr Malaka meant the kids were soon back asleep - at least until sunrise at 6am!

Some morning stretches and a refreshing river bath is a great way to shake off the cobwebs

A tent inspection followed breakfast which surprised most of us as to how tidy most tents were - the boys could work on their presentation though for sure!

The hike to Belilena through the rubber plantations and past tea field, was under sunny skies  - with the students divided into their 5 teams we hiked for around 2.5 hours with surprisingly little complaining, and by the time we got to Belilena the kids were ready for lunch, a few games which tested the students' sensory skills.

The obligatory cool-down in the waterfall which spills over the mouth of the cave ended our time at the cave

This evening we were entertained with skits the kids had devised themselves along the theme of what does Leadership and Responsibility mean at Borderlands?

Followed by a marshmallow roast and then a fabulous array of tunes by One Direction and Katy Perry (!) to end the night with a party that the kids really didn't want to end when it got to 9:50pm!

The end of another really great day for everyone at Borderlands!

Welcome Back Year 6 BSC

Our 5th year running the British School of Colombo's Year 6 Outdoor Education Programme started with a bang, with 54 excited kids (22 girls and 32 boys)  along with some familiar faces among the teachers (welcome back Sylvana and Dinali) and some new faces too.

The day started off as a hot and sunny morning, with some games to introduce the kids to camp, as well as a session to come up with a Code of Conduct which all the students came up with between them, and which they agreed to abide by during their stay with us.

The spider web activity provided lots of fun and a big challenge - but some creative methods of working through the challenge

The afternoon was spent in the canyon -usually the favourite activity of the kids - a chance to enjoy an adventure in our natural water park with multiple slides and jumps in the most pristine environment. Needless to say the kids loved it, the staff loved and the teachers loved it!

A wonderful day and a happy group of kids who were well and truly exhausted by the end of the day.
Rest assured parents that the kids will have another fun packed day again tomorrow.