Archive for September, 2017
Gilwell 2017 – Part 3
Yes. That’s right. We’ve come to the end of another exciting Gilwell visit. It’s been fantastic watching the children take on new challenges and grow in confidence and independence this year.
Thursday was another fun filled activity day with three activity slots during the morning and afternoon. After the activities, the Peter Harrison lodge had a shop visit whilst the Branchet lodge had some cocoa. After this it was our final meal in the big meal tent! A sumptuous bbq chicken and chips or a broccoli and cheese pasta was followed with milk and white chocolate magnums. The children gave the catering team a richly deserved round of applause, which was lovely to see. The food has been excellent this year!
After dinner, we had another visit to our campfire and sang long into the night. Luckily, we had George and his guitar and he lead us in singing various Beatles classics, We Are the Champions, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, You’ve Got A Friend In Me and the Ben Jonson hit Ocean Blue. These were interspersed with Alex leading Everywhere We Go, Boom-chic-a-boom and (of course) The Bungalow. The highlight however was a group of children from Mediterranean Class who had written a song about a doll called Sheila!
Friday opened with a brioche breakfast, followed by the children tidying and packing up their rooms. We went on a lovely walk with a stunning view over to London city centre. The way there was a bit challenging due to the mud but the children showed great resilience in making it. All that was left to do now was have a final lunch and get on the coaches back to Ben Jonson!
The children have been magnificent. The adults have been superb – both those who were with us and those providing support from school. I would like to thank everyone for making Gilwell such a success once again! Roll on Gilwell 2018!
Alex
Gilwell 2017 Part 2
Tuesday ended with popcorn and the Lego Movie in the Peter Harrison lodge! It was a lovely way to end the night. The children had a long sleep after a very energetic and fun day!
Wednesday began with a classic breakfast dish: beans on toast! In the Branchet lodge we had another superb game of cricket! In Peter Harrison there was an exciting round of room inspections! Then we were off to do our first activities! Bullseyes were hit in archery, laps were raced in the pedal go karts, crates were stacked in… Crate stacking. Some of the groups worked on their map skills whilst finding codes in the orienteering. A fantastic time was had by all.
There was a few changes in the adults today as we bade farewell to Ebru, Shireena and Shara but welcomed Emily, George, Louise and Xanthe to the team! The Branchet lodge visited the shop after the activities, whilst the Peter Harrison lodge had some free time (they will be shopping tomorrow!) Dinner was sumptuous tonight – meatballs with pasta or a chicken korma with a dessert of apple crumble with custard. Mmmmmmmmmmm!
Because rain was in the forecast, we have postponed the camp fire until tomorrow. Instead we are having a cinema night with the new BFG film! Tomorrow is another busy day as the children enjoy their final round of Gilwell ran activities and hopefully we will be having round two of the campfire!
Gilwell 2017 Part 1
It has been a wonderful Gilwell visit so far with some very excited children, amazing activities and sumptuous food.
We arrived on Monday as the sun was sinking towards the horizon. After a quick unpack and briefing we made our way to the brand new catering tent to have a lovely meal: lasagne or sweet and sour chicken with chocolate cake for dessert. Mmmmmmmmmmm! From there it was straight to the campfire and some riotous singing of Everywhere We Go, Kumala Vista, I Sailed Away To Sea, Campfire’s Burning and the ever popular Bungalow! LET ME SEE YOUR BUNGALOW! It was then a hot cocoa and a nice early night!
The children were up bright and early on Tuesday ready for a breakfast of toast, eggy bread and cereal. In the Branchet Lodge we had a superb game of cricket before the children showed off their presentation skills and tidying skills in the room inspection. We then went to our first round of activities. I (Alex) was with Group One on the rock wall where the children showed great resilience to scale the heights! Everyone enjoyed their first round of activities. We’ve just had a beautiful Gilwell lunch complete with caramel shortcake! Mmmmmmmmm!
We now have two more activity sessions, followed by dinner and a cinema night! And tomorrow is another busy day with three more activity sessions and another visit to the campfire. The children are having a fantastic time and the weather is getting better and better! It could be the best Gilwell yet…
Eid Lunch 2017
Our Eid lunch for children and families is an eagerly anticipated annual event in the Ben Jonson calendar. On Friday we welcomed 200 family members into school to eat with their children. This was such a joyful occasion; many parents were quick to share their appreciation. The photographs below show the enjoyment and pleasure of everyone who attended. Lamisi and the team in the kitchen  were fantastic; they cooked over 800 meals and the food was delicious. The midday meal supervisors worked hard to keep water jugs replenished and the tables clean. The inclusion team, led by Dee did a great job in organising the whole event. My thanks go to all these teams (and the rest of the staff who helped out) who made the Eid Lunch a special occasion. Thank you to all of you who came to join us for lunch. I am sorry that we cannot invite all of you as the kitchen cannot manage to cook over 1000 meals!
BJ Blog 