Youth Outdoor Activity Day (20th October 2012)

On Saturday 20th October 2012, we held a Stake Youth Outdoor Activity Day at the church farms. Lucy's school friend Georgia came too, and we picked up Ben Hirst from his Aunt and Uncle's (the Lilleys) on the way.

Loads of kids came, and we divided them into four groups, and they rotated round four activities - First Aid, Fire Building, making giant catapults using Pioneer Poles and knots skills, and Orienteering.

This was Lucy and Jack's group.

Georgia and Lucy in the barn where the Orienteering was taught.

Richard Malachowski taught the Orienteering.

Cadan Stiles taught the knot tying and catapult making. The catapults were a bit rickety, but sort of worked!

Victims from the First Aid Class!

Me having lunch with some of the Kettering girls, Bethany Hough, and Emily and Bethany Winebrenner.

We then split into groups to do a mini hike, which incorporated clues along the way which made us use some of the new skills. I liked seeing various groups of youth wandering round the countryside around the church farms! I'm very fond of and familiar with these fields, as Scott and I lived in a cottage on the church farms for a few months when we first moved to the area in 1997 when I was pregnant with Lucy.

I ended up in group with the older lads, and our hike was somewhat entertaining. Here's Oli Cain and Jared Amos splinting Ben Hirsts 'broken' leg. Our hike got cut short, as we were out of time, and we managed to hitch a lift back with Brother Malzone, who was passing in his car... I will not quickly forget being in the boot (with the door wide open) hanging onto the back seat with Oli and George Farrow, and pulling into the church farm in the middle of all the parents arriving!

Jack's group's catapult.

We finished off the afternoon with some hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows.

Oli and Ben Ryan getting the fire going (under the supervision of Oli's Dad, President Cain!)

I had bought a prize for the best participant in each of the four groups (a knot tying book, a flint lighter, a compass and a First Aid Kit), plus we had some certificates for people. We ended up hanging round at the end for a bit with the stragglers, and Lucy and Ben wangled the left-over certificates out of me... Ben's for him and Jared crashing their bikes, and Lucy for Yellow Welliness... (I'm not sure what those glasses are that she's wearing!)

It was a fun day, anyway!