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What another fantastic day we have had in France.  After another delicious breakfast we set off for Fougeres Castle.  When we got there we were amazed at the size of it.  We were incredibly lucky to be given a guided tour of the castle and learnt a little bit about its history.  We saw where they used to entertain and where they would cook the food.  The children all eagerly climbed the winding steps inside the castle's tallest tower and we were greeted with a fabulous view when we reached the top!  After climbing the tower, it was time for the Park tradition of medieval dancing.  The children had a great time learning a traditional dance that would likely have taken place in the castle's heyday.  There was a lovely gift shop next to the castle where we shopped for souvenirs before heading to another park for lunch and a play.  After a short drive back to the Chateau, we excitedly began our activities.  Today's activities were the climbing wall where children eagerly climbed two different types of climbing wall, fencing, where children learnt some key skills and improved tremendously from the start to the end of the session and finally, the blind trail., where again, the children excelled.  There was then time for a deserved shower before packing.  Dinner time soon came and the children were all very excited as after dinner would be the eagerly anticipated talent show and disco!  The talent show saw a range of acts from very clever finger dancing to singing ducks! Again, the children showed each other huge support and encouragement throughout.  At the disco we all enjoyed some old classics as well as some new French dances! There was just time for hot chocolate before bed.  The children are all really looking forward to seeing their families tomorrow.

Unfortunately we are still having some technical issues with uploading photos to the website.  Photos will be uploaded as soon as possible when we are back home so please check back then.

Day 3! - The children all had another great night's sleep and woke up excited about the day ahead. We had a good breakfast before packing our backpacks and boarding the coach for the market.  We arrived at the market and could tell it was going to be another warm day.  The market was busy with lots of exciting and colourful stalls for the children to look at.  After looking around the stalls, some of us sampled some crepes and practiced our French when asking for it.  The children were amazed by the differences between a market in Wellingborough and the French market, there was a wide variety of cheeses, seafood, breads and olives for them to look at and many different smells to smell.  Once we had purchased some souvenirs we headed to the park to play the traditional French game of boules as well as have a play on the equipment.  We then had our baguettes for lunch before heading back to the Chateau for the afternoon's activities.  This afternoon the children all participated in three different activities.  Initiative games where the children practiced a variety of teamwork skills to solve problems, archery and zip wiring.  Fantastic team work, courage and resilience were shown by all the children throughout the afternoon.  Next it was on to French night, the children all dressed up in fantastic outfits and some were even brave enough to try snails and frogs legs....there were a number of children who really enjoyed these typical French foods!  After the rest of our dinner we visited the tuck shop and then it was time for a French quiz.  Each correct answer in the quiz won a team a piece of building equipment for later on.  Once the quiz had ended, each team used the materials they had won to build The Eiffel Tower.  There were some very creative designs!  Finally it was time for hot chocolate and bed.  Another brilliant day.

Due to technical issues we are unable to upload pictures tonight but will try again in the morning.  

What a fantastic day we have all had in France.  We enjoyed a gorgeous breakfast of croissants and pain au chocolate and then boarded the coach ready for a fun day ahead.  Our first stop of the day was the World War II cemetery where we were fortunate enough to be given a guided tour by a former American marine.  He told us lots of information about the war being fought on French soil and some very interesting personal stories about the soldiers buried there.  The children were a credit to themselves, behaving in a respectful and interested manner throughout our visit.  After leaving the cemetery we headed to the beautiful town of St.Malo.  The mist had cleared and we were greeted by a gorgeous blue sea.  We ate lunch and then had a lovely few hours playing in the sea and on the beach.  There was just time for a walk through the town for some delicious ice cream before heading back to the Chateau.  We had time for a quick shower before dinner.  Tonight's menu included chicken, wedges, vegetables and stuffed peppers.  Our final activity of  a busy day was the Chateau Olympics where we had a great time participating in a variety of team games such as tug of war, three-legged races and egg and spoon races.  The children have gone to bed tired and happy.

We have had a fantastic start to our French trip.  We arrived at school bright and early (while it was still dark!) and set off for Dover.  The children chatted quietly while some slept as we drove through the early hours of the morning.  After a great journey we arrived at Dover in time for the 8:25am ferry.  The crossing was superb and the children enjoyed their breakfast and a look around the ferry.  We had a great view on deck of both Dover and Calais in the distance.  After a few hours of driving through France we stopped at a beautiful spot near the River Seine for lunch.  We even had time for a short walk around a nature reserve then it was time to hop back on the coach for the final leg of our journey.  Again, the children were an absolute pleasure on the bus and passed the time nicely.  We were very excited to arrive at Chateau Beaumont and after a quick visit to see our rooms for the week, we gratefully headed for a fantastic dinner of spaghetti with chocolate eclairs for pudding.  After tea, there was time for us to sort our rooms out and have a play before we began the treasure hunt.  What a fabulous first day in France.

MORE PHOTOS!

Hello all,

We are having an amazing time and the visit just couldn't be going any better.  Full of fun and laughs.  We all had a great night's sleep and just set off for our mountain walk.  As you can see from the photos, the weather is still lovely.  Sun hats still needed.  

We are still having major internet issues and can only send messages from near the top of the hill where we get a signal!

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

 

Year 4 Ilam

 

Please find a selection of photos of the amazing time we are having.

Good evening all.  Unfortunately we have very little internet access so can't upload any photos this evening.  Many apologies but we are hoping this will be sorted tomorrow.  It has been an amazing day and the children have done themselves proud.  The journey was excellent although the coach took a wrong turn and got stuck on a small bridge.  Nobody was poorly on the bus and everybody enjoyed the journey.  

Upon our arrival the children were amazed at the picturesque Youth Hostel.  The children quickly ate their packed lunches and were ready for their first activity of a trek to the 'Stepping Stones'.  This was a lovely walk in very warm weather through fields of sheep and cows.  No one fell into the water going over the stepping stones and everyone had a very well deserved ice cream at the end of the walk.  

Upon our arrival back at the Youth Hostel we organised our bedrooms and got ready for our gorgeous evening meal.  Everyone ate really well especially the delicious pudding.

This evening we have made clay owls and geckos.  

The children are now nodding off after an action packed day.  They are thoroughly enjoying themselves and can be very proud of their efforts so far.  

Looking forward to tomorrow's orienteering......

We have had another fantastic day in France, our last full day! We began this morning with a trip to Chateau de Fougeres.  We had some sunshine as we climbed the towers and walked along the walls, enjoying the view.  The children learnt some history of the castle with a fantastic audio tour as we walked around.  After a visit to the souvenir shop outside the castle, we set off home for our lunch.  After this we were excited to try our activities for the afternoon.  We got to try archery, the blind trail (and thankfully then a shower!) and the climbing wall.  The children have again been fantastic and have achieved fantastic things while we have been here.  They have grown in confidence when ordering their dinner in French and are, tonight, looking forward to a disco and talent show.

We have woken up to some blue sky this morning so we are hoping for a bit of a drier day than yesterday! The children have all slept well and are looking forward to breakfast followed by a trip to Chateau de Fougeres this morning.  This afternoon we have more activities to look forward to!