Pirates

The purpose of this day is the personal development of the individual child combined with an element of team building. It is an extremely popular activity and can be successfully used as a half-day or full-day activity.

The day begins with your group receiving safety instructions before the activity begins. (All safety equipment is checked and then double checked by an AOEC instructor to ensure that it is correctly fitted and worn).

The ropes course stretches many of the children but uncovers hidden talents in others – often the quieter members of the group. For those who can perform the task easily, there are optional harder tasks. No child is ever forced to participate but we are extremely skilled at getting even the youngest and most timid children across. Their pride and sense of achievement afterwards is self-evident! We also operate a buddy system where the children look after each other and give encouragement.

Other activities – the bosun’s chair, walking the planks and shelter building rely on good teamwork – with bushcraft being an opportunity for survival skills. Emphasis is placed on good communication, co-operation and encouragement and this is continually reinforced throughout the day.

For the extension activity on the full-day option, groups are given a treasure map to follow a simple route through Felbrigg woods looking for clues. On their return, with the necessary information, the map is swapped for an AOEC site map showing the location of the treasure chest. This contains the prize (although sometimes a little surprise as well).

This is an exceptionally good activity for increasing self-confidence.