Youth Challenge

When one pupil from St Egwins School was asked "What is the Youth Challenge"?, she replied that it was taking part in activities that are both new and take them out of their 'comfort zone'... I have no idea whether they went out of their 'comfort zone'; they all looked very comfortable to me and worked together well.  However, they all did some new activities and seemed to enjoy themselves.

During week 1, they went for a walk on the farm, picked some wheat, which was left on the side of the field, and some buckwheat, then visited the chickens to collect eggs. When they returned to the meeting rooms, they separated the seeds from the chaff, ground some wheat to make flour and then made some Scotch pancakes. Some were made from their wholemeal flour and some with white flour bought from the shops.  Both types were enjoyed and there was not a clear preference!

On week 2, the pupils were given a challenge.  In pairs, they had to make up a bird box from the kit they were given.  They had no instructions, but were shown a completed one to look at.  The kit consisted of 6 pieces of wood which were labelled, a hammer, nails, tacks and roof felt. It was very interesting watching and listening to their thought processes.  With very few mistakes, they all completed the challenge and produces excellent boxes. Next week, they will decorate them and take them back to school to put up for the spring.  They also made some bird feeders out of logs which they drilled large holes in and stuffed with a fat/seed/flour mixture.