uk

2022 Programme Launched

It is with great please that we are able to launch our much anticipated 2022 programme.

Programmes Available in UK & Canada

2022 Dates & Prices

L&E receives prestigious Award

We have been named as Winners of the Go Overseas Community Choice Award 2020…named by the people who matter most — the community (the children and families).

Thank you to all those involved in, what was a very difficult year but one that also had a lot of very special moments. We may not have had camp or travel but we had a lot of fun in other ways…

Highlights:

• Online Language & Life Skill Courses
• Virtual Camp
• L&E Home Launched
• 24 Hours Campfire across 6 continents
• 30 Day Challenge for Save the Children
• New Website
• Global Teen Chats
• Online Dance Classes
• Online Circus Skills
• Online Guitar Classes
• New Podcast

Go Overseas wrote: “We’re thrilled to recognize Learn & Experience as one of the best travel organizations in 2020 through this merit-based award, especially after such a difficult year for our industry.”

30 Day Challenge Blog

What is the 30 Day Challenge for ALL?

Sam Ridgway, the founder of L&E, was challenged to 10 Adventures, 10 Life Skills and 10 Languages in 30 Days…Simple!

There were 2 main aims of the challenge:

1. Raise vital funds and awareness for Save the Children who exist to help every child to reach their full potential. 

2. To inspire young people from all backgrounds and cultures to broaden their horizons, step out of their comfort zone and try something new.

30 Day Schedule

Day 1: Yoga

Completed my first life-skill challenge today! YOGA!! The lovely Harriet was my expert instructor and put me through my paces. Made me realise how un-flexible I am! A little stiff now but actually may try to keep it going as I’m not getting any younger!! 😜

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Day 2: Wild Swimming

This wasn’t planned at all! Having a lovely dog walk with Rosie on the beach getting myself prepared for my language lesson later in the afternoon when an idea struck me! WILD SWIM! Only problem was…I didn’t have any trunks or a towel!. Oh well…I managed to protect my modesty and went for it! Very invigorating but very, very, very cold!! Literally took my breath away! First adventure completed! Language lesson delayed till another day!

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Day 3: Spanish

Today was an incredibly wet & rainy day so the perfect day for an indoor activity. My lovely 82 year old Father used to be a French and Spanish teacher but for some reason I have never learnt any Spanish my whole life. He agreed to give me a Spanish lesson and it was amazing. I am so lucky to have such a great Dad who embraces all challenges including modern technology!! Only a few glitches…😂

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Day 4: Ukulele

Enjoyed today’s session. It was very frustrating and I will certainly blame the quality of my my instrument but all in all I definitely learnt some chords and will be able to bring out the ukulele at campfires etc. (if only to pass it very quickly to someone who can actually play!!) Thank you Andy for the tutorial! 👍 (ps. remember to tune your ukulele and to know whether you’re doing it for left handed or right handed! 🤦‍♂️)

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Day 5: GPS Art Run

An interesting challenge today. A friend mentioned the idea of GPS Art and how you can draw shapes with the route you run with your running app. It was fun planning the shape and putting it into action. It was an early start but worth it in the end. Pacific Spirit Park is an incredible temperate Rainforest near where we will live and was the perfect setting!! 🏃🌲 Day 5 done…what’s in store tomorrow!!? 🤔 Ps. I have some quite exciting challenges planned in the coming days/weeks but still need some more ideas to fill my schedule!?🤔

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Day 6: Arabic

Today I had the privilege of learning Arabic from my wife, Randa’s mum. She was very patient and very kind. There’s some very difficult pronunciations and I apologise for some of the inaccuracies!😂 Enjoy! PS. Keep the ideas coming…really enjoyed some of the ideas so far! 👍

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Day 7: Singing

What an amazing opportunity to have a singing lesson with an amazing professional like Kathy! (However I think I may have blown it!!😂) Thank you so much to Kathy for giving your time to teach me. I will have definitely been one of the harder students to get a note out of but, nonetheless I really enjoyed it and feel that now I have a technique I have no excuse for the sounds coming out of my mouth! 🤦‍♂️😂 

I really recommend everyone to get a voice/singing teacher. It really makes you concentrate on certain things that will help throughout your life.

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Day 8: Boating

I had a lot of fun today. My friend Mark treated me to a ride in his boat and even luckier I got to drive it! It’s a very different feeling to driving a car and the waves were certainly causing a few bumps! So much fun!

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Day 9: Roller Blading

Oh my Gosh! I am NOT a natural skater/blader! Coupled with my tallness and fear of falling there is an incredible awkwardness when I have wheels or blades on my feet! However, I didn’t do as badly as I thought and really enjoyed the sunshine along the famous Vancouver Sea Wall!

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Day 10: Sign Language

Sign Language has been on the list of things to learn for a long time. I was very lucky for Katie to agree to teach my some BSL (British Sign Language). The expressive(ness) of the language is so fantastic. I loved Katie’s passion for it and I have promised myself that I must carry on learning and if nothing else try to remember the alphabet by heart.

Katie mentions the Alphabet cards you can download from the National Children’s Deaf Society website

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Day 11: Tree Climbing

Find a tree, climb a tree, have a coffee up a tree – simple huh!?

Who’d have thought it would be so hard to find a tree to climb IN A FOREST!!?? Well it was! Try as I might I could find an appropriate tree to climb for a long time but eventually found one on my next outing with outstanding view. All in all it was a successful challenge but just reminded me that even the best laid plans can come unstuck sometimes! 😂

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Day 12: Japanese

Thank you so much to Mitsue for giving me her time to teach me some Japanese. It’s such a beautiful and polite language. I know I didn’t do it quite the justice it deserved but nonetheless I enjoyed learning and certainly will try to remember the basics!

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Day 13: Cooking

Very fortunate to have Dan from Nourish Cookery School give me a lesson on how to make Japanese dumplings, gyoza! They were very yummy! 😋🥟

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Day 14: Snow Day

Yesterday I heard the exciting news that our local mountain (Cypress) was due open early for the ski season. Every year I get incredibly excited by this news and this year (with everything that has gone on) I was even more excited than normal! Just being in the mountains with snow and trees around me is my special place! I decided not to go up the lifts as it was pretty busy and the season is long but I had a lovely hike and ski down and even made myself a coffee with my little stove! Fantastic day!

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Day 15: Malay

Can’t quite believe I’m halfway through! 5 adventures, 5 life skills and 5 languages completed!

Loved learning Malay with Heng. He had gone to some effort to prepare and make it as easy as possible for me to learn and so I’m ever so grateful. Terima kasih, Heng!

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Day 16: Turkish

Thank you so much to Eylem for teaching me some Turkish. I visited Istanbul a few years ago and had the most wonderful time. I would even go as far as to say it’s one of my most favourite cities. Where East meets West! So, I’m excited to go back and be able to use my new found skills. It’s a very interesting language and quite phonetic which makes it easier than other languages. I also loved the body language that is unique to Turkey.

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Day 17: Card Skills

Who could imagine shuffling cards could be so difficult!? I’ve always loved magic tricks and playing card games but been slightly embarrassed by the fact I can’t even do a basic shuffle never mind anything fancy!

I decided to something about it! 🤦‍♂️

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Day 18: Den Building

A great life-skill preparing for my adventure in a couple of days when I get to sleep out in my construction! 

Beware of the coyotes!!😜

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Day 19: Norwegian

 This was quite a special language lesson. 

Randa and I met a lovely couple (Hans, from Norway and Zoe from Canada) 15 years ago in South Africa on a wine tasting tour. We hit it off straight away and had a really fun day together but haven’t seen them since. 

Through the power of social media we’ve stayed in touch and amazingly Hans got in touch to offer to give me a Norwegian lesson. They now actually live in Canada as well so we will definitely see more of them sooner or later. Thank you again to Hans! 🙏

Back to 30 Day Schedule

Day 20: Sleep Out

This was a tough one for lots of reasons. As well as to Save the Children please consider donating to Covenant House Vancouver who help young people who experience homelessness. https://www.covenanthousebc.org/ways-to-give/

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Day 21: Pig Latin (Kids Secret Language)

Pig Latin (Kids Secret Language). What a brilliant teacher 9 year old Libby is! I learnt so much! She is sooo amazing at Pig Latin! Wow! 😃👏

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Day 22: Foraging (for mushrooms)

I was incredibly fortunate today. Chef Robin Kort from Swallow Tail Culinary Adventures gave me a personal guide to foraging mushrooms. Her knowledge and passion is so infectious and I learnt so much! 

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Day 23: Kayaking

I took a trip down False Creek, Vancouver. 

Loved seeing things that I hadn’t noticed before. I think waterways are such a great way to travel and see things from a different perspective. Also, it’s so quiet in a kayak so you have a great chance to see cool wildlife…I got lucky with a little friend!🦭

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Day 24: Art Class

Day 24: Art Class (with my amazing Mum!).She taught me some cool watercolour techniques and produced an amazing snowy scene in minutes! Thanks to Dad for his stellar video work (not wobbly at all!! )

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Day 25: Skate Skiing

I’m definitely not a natural Skate Skier!! ⛸⛷😩 Thought it would be similar to downhill skiing but it isn’t! Ended up having quite a bit of fun though! 😜😃👍

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Day 26: Welsh

Thank you to my very good friend, Aled for teaching me some Welsh.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 I even got to hear the proper pronunciation of the longest place name in Europe – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!!😅

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Day 27: Ice Hockey

Thank you so much to Coach Emily and Norbert for taking me to try out ice hockey for the first time. 🏒 It’s the national sport and obsession of Canada so it’s an essential life skill to have and I can tell you I was a little nervous! 😅

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Day 28: Mountain Biking

North Shore Mountain Biking is famous worldwide and having lived here now for over 3 years I decided it was time to try it out…I wasn’t dissapointed! Awesome!😃 Thank you, James for being my guide!🏔 🚵‍♀️ 🏔

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Day 29: Luganda 

Thank you so much to Phyllis Kisa from Kampala, Uganda. Phyllis is a surgeon who we met during her year in BC Children’s Hospital. It was also lovely to meet little Adrien – what a sweetie! 🤗

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Day 30: Sea to Sky Triathlon

THE FINAL ADVENTURE!!! 🙌🙌 

From my home to the “Peak of Vancouver” Grouse Mountain by Kayak, Bike and Foot! Thank you to Dave for being expert guide up the BCMC! 🙏

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2020 L&E Programmes Announced

Learn & Experience inspire & nurture Young Global Leaders (8-16) with our award winning World Camps, Teen Travel & YGL programmes.

“Bringing The World’s Youth Together Since 2009”

Message from Sam Ridgway, Director…

I am delighted to announce the 2020 L&E Programme…

2019 has been an amazing year with so much happening.  We have been incredibly proud of all programmes and are so heartened to hear the wonderful feedback we’ve had.

10 years of L&E has allowed us to evolve to become the unique and trusted provider that we are today.   We have a few changes that we are very excited to tell you about.

L&E World Camps, Young Global Leaders and Teen Travel can be combined in 2020 for a 2, 4 or 6 week summer of a lifetime.

L&E World Camps

Our famous World Camp for 8 -15 year olds will again be offering 2 weeks & a 4 week block.  The camp will continue to have the same emphasis of bringing together children from around the world immersed with Native English speakers as well as experiencing true British Culture  (We will continue to limit the amount of any one nationality to keep the camps balanced). 

English is spoken exclusively conversationally and the L&E World Camp environment will create it’s special magic by offering Adventure, Sport & Creative activities alongside our L&E Extras plus our incredible Evening Activities programme and weekend excursions.

The L&E Extra Programme (12 hour specialist coaching) will continue to be available (1 week maximum each):

• Football School
• Tennis Academy
• Horse Riding
• Young Global Leaders & Life Skills (13-15)
• Performing Arts
• English Language Course

Click for more info about L&E World Camps

Future Plan

L&E Camps have always had an emphasis on cultural understanding and developing personal skills however, we have now decided to emphasise the “Young Global Leaders” aspect.  The YGL & Life Skills Course (see below) will be available for 13-15 year olds but there will still be a YGL focus for the rest of the camp.

As our long term aim is to have L&E World Camps in multiple countries around the world we have decided to keep to one venue in the UK for 2020.  It will mean we will be able keep the quality of provision very high with all our experienced staff in one place.  We are delighted to announce our long term partnership with Aysgarth School will continue and look forward to releasing more details about our new camp in British Columbia, Canada for 2021.

Dates and Locations 2020

Aysgarth School, N. Yorks:

• 5th July – 18th July, 2020 (2 weeks)
• 19th July – 1st August, 2020 (2 weeks)
• 5th July – 1st August, 2020 (4 weeks)

New Locations for 2021

British Columbia, Canada (Coming 2021)

L&E Teen Travel

For 2020 we are excited to offer our Teen Travel programmes to 13 -16 years olds both in Spring and Summer.   There will be 3 styles of trip; Intrepid, Voyager & Adventurer visiting UK, Europe and North America.

L&E Teen Travel gives young people the life skills for their future journey.

The focus is to prepare and inspire young people for any travelling they do in the future. It’s a chance for them to step out into the world and learn life changing and practical skills with the freedom of feeling safe with our experienced guides.

Click for more info about L&E Teen Travel

1. Teen Travel Intrepid

Teen Travel Intrepid Trips are like no other… Teens are in charge of their own experience. Exploring in groups of 5-10 with other teens from across the World.  They will be accompanied by L&E Travel Mentors but THEY are in control of:

• their own Budget
• their own Itinerary
• their own Accommodation
• their own Transport
• their own Food

2. Teen Travel Voyager

Teen Travel Voyager will be a scheduled trip where most elements are pre-planned.  There will still be a focus on allowing teens to think for themselves and make decisions on their itinerary but with a more structured timetable.

3. Teen Travel Adventurer

Teen Travel Adventurer is an adventure activity focussed travel experience with the same ethos as our Voyager programme.

Teen Travel 2020

• European Voyager (10 day): 6th – 15th April

• Canadian Adventurer: 4th – 18th April

• European Voyager (14 days): 19th July – 1st August

• UK Intrepid: 1st August – 15th August

• UK Voyager: 1st August – 15th August

*Other dates may be available upon enquiry

L&E Young Global Leaders

L&E World Camps and Teen Travel are designed to develop Young Leaders.  However, we have a few specialist programmes that go a little deeper into what it means to be a Young Global Leader and how we can improve our skills and understanding

YGL & Life Skills Course at L&E World Camps

The YGL & Life Skills Course is for 13-15 year olds and is offered as a 1 week programme part of a 2 week World Camp.

There is a focus on leadership and teamwork as well as recognising vital life skills including:

The course will also include our amazing overnight Wilderness Experience.

YGL Spark Series

• Social Responsibility
• Passion
• Authenticity
• Resilience
• Knowledge

YGL Spark is a series of speaker & workshop events, which will be held at community venues around the world. The aim is to celebrate and connect the very best thinkers, doers and innovators from the world to share their journey and inspire a new audience. YGL Spark is an opportunity for young people to take to the stage and talk about the issues that matter to them.

L&E will be hosting the YGL Spark Series in different cities around the world.  We will be announcing the 2020 & 2021 schedule very soon. Participating cities so far:

• Helsinki
• Hong Kong
• Washington
• Oslo
• Edinburgh
• Vancouver

If you are interested in the YGL Spark Series coming to your city then please be in touch.

YGL School Workshops

L&E is proud to provide classroom workshops for schools (ages 8-16). Focusing on critical thinking, communication, self-awareness, and empathy building.  Our workshops are presented by our charismatic and professional staff who make our workshops entertaining, engaging and fun while catering to different learning styles.

Click for more info about L&E Young Global Leaders

EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT

We are offering our loyal customer Early Booking Discounts across all our programmes. 

• 8% Discount if 40% Deposit paid (Coupon: 2020EARLYDEP)

• 15% Discount for Full Payment (Coupon: 2020EARLYFULL)

This will be available until 31st October, 2019. 

Payment will be due upon registration online. Full Refunds will be available up to 1st June, 2020.

*Bank Transfers can be accepted if you contact info@learnexperience.co.uk for an invoice.

*Children who attend a school within the United Kingdom can apply for a 30-100% Scholarship.  We have limited places for British children

There will be no more discounts available after 1st November.

Due to the fact that we now have only one venue we expect fill places very quickly.   We will be offering a strict first-come-first-serve policy so we highly recommend you take advantage of this fantastic offer.

BOOK NOW & RECEIVE A DISCOUNT

Be in touch…

If you have any questions about our programmes then please don’t hesitate to be in touch…

Warm Wishes,

Sam Ridgway (Director) & The L&E Team

YGL Blog 2019

Monday 15th July

The L&E Young Global Leaders programme is a very unique opportunity for young people from around the world to come together to learn and understand what makes good young leaders.  In our small team we have participants from Hong Kong, Spain, Russia, Italy, Sweden, Germany, France and UK.  Now if that isn’t what Young Global Leaders should be all about then I don’t what is!!?

We started on Monday morning with a brief questionnaire about our expectations and what we felt our strengths and weaknesses were.  We then spent quite a bit of time introducing each other and getting to know one another.  My gosh…these young leaders are so incredibly interesting.  Their dreams and ambitions are astounding but with a firm belief and commitment to achieve them.

We then looked at some well known leaders and discussed their attributes…Trump, Merkel, Messi, Sir Alex Ferguson, Mandela and Greta Thunberg.

It was certainly an interesting discussion as you can imagine!

The afternoon session included some camp fire cooking skills that will hopefully come in useful for the Wilderness trip later on in the week…

Tuesday, 16th July

Tuesday brought some problem solving to the table.  It was a team effort but there were certainly some characters that came to the fore with some astute leadership skills…all with different styles mind you.

You may have heard of Edward de Bono!? A Maltese modern day psychologist who came up with an interesting theory about different ways of thinking within a team.

When making a collective decision it’s always good to have members of the team who behave and look at things differently.  It’s called The 6 Thinking Hats.

Six distinct directions are identified and assigned a color. The six directions are:

• Managing Blue – what is the subject? what are we thinking about? what is the goal? Can look at the big picture.
• Information White – considering purely what information is available, what are the facts?
• Emotions Red – intuitive or instinctive gut reactions or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification).
• Discernment Black – logic applied to identifying reasons to be cautious and conservative. Practical, realistic.
• Optimistic response Yellow – logic applied to identifying benefits, seeking harmony. Sees the brighter, sunny side of situations.
• Creativity Green – statements of provocation and investigation, seeing where a thought goes. Thinks creatively, outside the box.

This was an incredibly rewarding session where the team were given the task of planning a birthday party and designing the Best Summer Camp (pretty tough competition out there I’ve heard!!??)

They were given different “hats” to see if they were able to think differently and also were able to choose the “hat” that they were most comfortable with.

We hope that the skills learnt will be beneficial to them for the rest of their lives.

Wednesday brings a very exciting proposition…The Wilderness Experience.  Plans have been made and now just the expedition itself is there to complete.  We look forward to telling you all about it tomorrow.  Till then….

Click for YGL Photos

North Camp 1 Blog 2019

Sunday, 7th July, 2019

Once the parents had left and the children were checked in, everybody met outside. 

The children were drawn in, as if hypnotised, towards the luscious smell of a crackling BBQ. Burgers that would melt in your mouth were complemented by a beautiful green salad. Many of the children had been to the camp before and were hugging and catching up. Many were new and had never been to the camp before, but got involved in the games straight away and were introducing themselves. We always remind the children to look after each other, especially when they’re nervous. BE KIND, BE KIND, BE KIND.

THEN, the games began…

Stuck in the Mud was the most exhausting game. Everybody was sweating and running for water. I am expecting that all of us will be very fit by the end of the week, even the children that pretended to be tagged so that they could hide from running. This was very funny. We also played some new games like “Captain’s Coming” where children pretended to be pirates scrubbing the decks and had to had to get into groups of 2, 3, 4, or 6. British Bulldog was probably the most fun game. The children had to run between a wall of tutors and reach the other side of the field without getting caught. They were very good at this because many children are very very fast, ESPECIALLY Fred. 

After an evening of fun and games, we were rewarded with hot chocolate and marshmallows. YUM. 

Then, the children went to their bedrooms, got ready for bed and started relaxing together. Some of them were doing face masks, some were reading, and some were just laughing together. I really look forward to the rest of the week. 

Click for more photos

Monday, 8th July, 2019

After a night of getting to know each other the kids enjoyed their first breakfast at L&E! There was lots of choice, including good ol’ English crumpets (an English delicacy). 

To get warmed up, we played a big game of dodgeball while listening to fun music. Lots of dance moves were made. 

Then after, the kids could segregate into the Creative, Adventure, and Sport activities. For Creative the kids could make themselves a superhero and do yoga (as taught by the expert Hayley). For Adventure there was den-making! The kids really got into making their stick-dens as homely as possible. One of the dens had a shelf with plants and decorations. Some of the dens had doors… or even toilets! For sport there was ULTIMATE frisbee and rugby. The kids really got stuck into this and were very quick learners. 

Biscuit Time at morning break was very funny. Some of the children (not naming any names) were using very intelligent tactics to get more biscuits than they were allowed, including creating silly diversions. 

In the afternoon, Horse riding started – which was “AWESOME!”. Dexter was as reliant as ever so Valentina was very happy. Blue is a new horse and Carla feels she’ll be able to jump really well.

For the BIG event of the day there were EPIC Ice Breaker Games. A personal highlight was wearing a pair of tights on our heads that was filled with a ball. We then used the hanging ball to knock over cups. We all looked like hilarious anglerfishes (definitely worth a Google by the way). Sam performed an excellent demonstration. 

Afterwards, lots of pictures were taken with volunteers who were wrapped in toilet paper to look like funny mummies. Chubby Bunny was another highlight. This involved children squishing as many marshmallows into their mouth as possible, while saying “chubby bunny”. There was lots of laughing. The record holder of L&E Chubby Bunny squeezed a ridiculous 22 marshmallows in their mouth! However, the funniest faces were pulled in the Chocolate Challenge where volunteers would have to only use their face to move an After Eight Chocolate from their forehead into their mouth. 

The kids have now had their hot chocolate and are in bed, ready for tomorrow!

Click to see more photos

Tuesday, 9th July, 2019

Day two kicked off with a scrumptious combination of eggy bread and baked beans which seemed to go down a treat. That was followed by an intense, yet friendly game of dodgeball which was perfectly accompanied by the soothing voice of Leona Lewis in the background. 

The morning activity of forest art gave the kids the opportunity to get some fresh air and be creative, while the scuba diving allowed the children to try something new. Due to the slightly damp conditions, football was played in the state of the art sports hall facility for our sportier campers. Nobby the chef pulled out all the stops with a lovely chicken curry to round off the morning activities. 

Hockey and camp fire building took place in the afternoon, alongside another thrilling scuba diving session. The kids then enjoyed a panini for the evening meal, before we all gathered round the camp fire for some hearty songs from around the world with some delicious toasted marshmallows. Finally, the day was rounded off with some hot chocolate which ended the evening on a high before bed time.

Click for Day 3 Photos

Wednesday, 10th July, 2019

The sun rose upon the grounds of Aysgarth for the first Wednesday of camp following an overnight rainfall that could only have been summoned by Thor premeditating his upcoming theme night appearance. A uniquely British serving of a platter of various meats and rolls provided the fuel for the high-octane day ahead.

Bucking the age-old L&E dodgeball tradition, we started the morning with a game of musical statues, with shapes being thrown by the campers that frankly defied description. The morning adventure activity was extreme capture the flag, a tactical game which engulfed the campers in physical and mental strategy. In our English lessons the campers were testing their skills of description and communication with various character themed games, before cooperating by following a traditional English recipe and baking a Victoria sponge cake which rumour has it would have earned a Paul Hollywood handshake. Wimbledon fever hit North Yorkshire, as our campers channelled their inner Heather Watson’s and Rafael Nadal’s in a riveting tennis session, whilst the creative stars showed their urban side by producing both indoor and outdoor chalk drawings that would rival Banksy’s finest work.

All the while, throughout both morning and afternoon we had a special off-site adventure activity of canoeing, with campers breathing in the full magnificence of the Yorkshire countryside from an unusual waterborne viewpoint.

After a classic burger and salad lunch, the afternoon got underway, and my word what an afternoon it was. Our creative option was a one stop trip to Karoakeville, with a relaxed and familiar sing song session that everybody got really involved in. The on-site adventurers went scavenger hunting, solving a combination of riddles and anagrams to find an avengers themed solution. The basketball participants had the honour of being mentored by a former North Wales champion, and the level of skill shown in the session resembled Dylan Hughes in full flight.

To conclude another action-packed day, campers further embezzled themselves into tomorrows theme night spirit by watching The Avengers. Movie night provided a calm end to the third day of what has been a brilliant start to our 2019 L&E adventure, and post hot chocolate the campers snuggled in bed looking forward to the exciting possibilities ahead tomorrow.

Click for Day 4 Photos

Thursday, 11th July, 2019

The day began with everyone excited to start the 5^th day of camp! After an early night following movie night, we were raring to go for theme night! But before that, all the days exciting activities needed to take place! Morning began with a scrumptious breakfast of scrambled eggs to help fuel the first decision of the day – Bench ball, Water polo and the chance to make some gorgeous chocolate truffles! 

Bench ball was tremendous fun, being the goalie is boring though! You’re not allowed to move and have to stay on the bench! The kids just want to run around! The kids got to test out their baking skills as well, by making chocolate truffles! They ended up being really nice and fluffy, with exciting toppings like coconut and chocolate sprinkles. Water polo was great too, the kids pushed Jack and Connor in the pool, but it was such a success that we decided to do it again in the afternoon! 

The afternoon began with a yummy roast dinner. It gave the kids an opportunity to try some traditional British food. Honestly, it’s the best!! Badminton provided the kids the chance to test out their racket skills, with Emma, who used to compete competitively, providing her excellent expertise. Excitingly, with the sun shining, the opportunity for the first waterslide of camp! It was so so much fun and everyone got really really wet, and a little bit soapy too! Everyone needed a shower after…

As an alternative to Badminton, there was also the first L&E Strictly Come Dancing lesson! This involved Sophie teaching a Cha Cha Cha, Waltz and Samba to some keen dancers, who had loads of sass and style. Paul and Simon were the star pair, having a Cha Cha worthy of a 10/10! 

All throughout the day, Sam was taking people climbing! It’s a bit scary hanging off a rope that high, but it’s incredible fun.

After a dinner of chicken pasta, we got to participate in theme night, all the tutors were dressed as their favourite Avenger – Jack got painted all purple, he was Thanos, the bad guy of the evening. After competing challenges testing our strength, speed and mind, we proved we were better than the Avengers, and got to throw water balloons at Thanos (purple Jack). After this, a big water fight broke out, a silly end to another fantastic day at L&E!

Click for Day 5 Photos

Click for Horse Riding Photos

Friday, 12th July, 2019

Life is not about the amount of breathes you take, it’s the moments that take your breath away, this was the belief the L&E campers had throughout the day. With the end of the week lingering, the anticipation for the L&E Oscars evening was at fever pitch. The only thing holding back the excitement was the fear of missing out on capturing the grand prize of star camper.

Dodgeball in the morning was naturally not met with any boredom even if it was the fifth session of the week, dodgeball enthusiasm shows no sign of decreasing at this rate with these happy campers. An extreme and very safe adventure activity of tree climbing was only ventured by only the very elite campers.  Creating a better Oscars presented by names such as Chris Rock and Jimmy Kimmel is no easy fetch, thankfully our most creative campers were on hand to create an event with more ambiance than a candlelit dinner. France is known for wine, cheese and weird cricket rules; therefore, it was a shock to see the enjoyment and satisfaction from an interesting game of French cricket.

Another week, another chef, but dinner will never be the same without chef Nobby’s famous curry and charming wit. 

In the Afternoon, the campers evolved into Alastair and Johnny Brownlee, when everyone participated in a well scheduled triathlon, even though nobody has heard of the Yorkshire heroes. This tiering event was a perfect assist to the main event of the night, all the camp needed was a dashing host, stepped up Sam Ridgway.

With many awards being handed to the most deserving nominee, the only thing left to do was to hand out the star camper award. Deservedly Morten welcomed the award with open arms, while the audience were animated with raucous applause.

Click for Day 6 Photos

Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th

What a lovely weekend we’ve had! Trips to York, Lightwater Valley Theme Park and a trip around the Dales villages.

It all happened over an extraordinary English weekend of sport where the very traditional game of Cricket World Cup Final was being held plus The British Grand Prix and The Wimbledon Final.  England became cricket World Champions for the first time in history – a memorable experience for the the children who watched.

We ended Sunday evening with a lovely BBQ sat in the sunshine.

We’re incredibly excited for the week ahead…the Young Global Leaders Course and the Football School starts on Monday!

Click for weekend Photos

Monday, 15th July, 2019

We launched into week two with some eggs on toast and hunger games dodgeball. 

For creative, there was Strictly Come Dancing with Sophie (samba, cha-cha-cha, and more) in the morning. Slowly, but surely the L&E camp is becoming more flamboyant. ULTIMATE frisbee was repeated (due to previous popularity). The most compelling activity (the adventure one) was Campfire Cooking. This was led by the expert fire-maker Jack. Little chocolate-chip cakes were cooked in oranges that we heaved into the fire (that had a chair burning at its centre). I felt epic. 

In the afternoon the artsy kids did some graffiti (wash off – we’re not delinquents I swear). For the more sporty children there was volleyball. This was Very popular. Sardines (a curious form of hide and seek) took place in the L&E building, which was followed by SUMO WRESTLING. 

The Young Global Leaders course started today! We did a lot of teambuilding activities (including detangling ourselves in groups, passing along a hoop while holding hands in a circle and “Two Truths and a Lie”. There was discussion about other global leaders and what it means to be a good one. The kids were also presented with the power of planning the night’s evening activity.

Football camp also started today which, as I heard, went very smoothly. Regarding technicality, dribbling was the centre of attention. The camp tutors leading it (Matt and James) made it known that they were really impressed by energy and commitment that their group had. There was also a fun, competitive game at the end.

Monday FUNDAY was this evening’s activity (as planned mostly by the Young Global Leaders). I may be slightly biased, but this was an really really legendary evening.  There was apple bobbing followed by finding a Malteser in flour. The outcome of this decision was soggy, flower-covered children who looked like small Santas. A binbag fashion show also took place (photos will be on Facebook). The outfits were FABULOUS, but the catwalks were even better. An L&E Egg-drop was the big finale of Monday FUNDAY. We all chanted “scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs”. This was a nice circle ending to the beginning of the day with the eggs on toast. EGGCELENT :,) 

Click for Day 9 photos

Tuesday, 16th July, 2019

As the campers rose on a sunny 52nd birthday of Will Ferrell they enjoyed a classic English breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.  After filling themselves up and running back upstairs to brush their teeth, they pattered down to the sports hall to play the traditional L&E morning warm-up… dodgeball.  All the kids followed the five rules of dodgeball… dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge and the standard of dodgeball in everyone (staff included) has improved massively since the start of last week.

The morning activities chosen were basketball, den building and papier mâché. In basketball, after doing a few testing drills, the participants were then separated into 4 teams; Dumplings, Team 3, NBA and Ragamuffins.  After a round robin tournament, they then played semi-finals and ended with a final of the dumplings verses the Ragamuffins ending in a sudden death penalty shoot out which lived up to the exciting billing, with the Ragamuffins just edging the contest.  Our adventure team ventured off to the woods to build dens.  The creativity and survival instincts of the campers was inspiring, and they made seriously impressive dens in the amount of time that they had to work with.  Finally our creators made some papier mâché sculptures which rivalled the 7 wonders of the world!

After a delightful traditional roast beef dinner and ice cream, the campers were treated to an impressive range of activities; a final instalment of this weeks campfire cooking where we made the biggest fire yet and today made chocolate muffins with white chocolate chips. This, like yesterday, went down like a house on fire. Our keen sportspeople took on a joint task of rounders and it’s american friend, baseball.  Everyone hit a home run with this activity and caught, hit and threw with great aplomb.  Finally our budding Picassos went to the art room to design and create props and posters for our upcoming theme night; ‘The Greatest Showman’.   

The day ended with the weekly L&E campfire, which showcased the immense talent of all the campers. Many of the campers got up to perform, highlights included some impressive quick rapping, impressions of the staff by campers and even a series of ‘opera offs’.  Ending with the delicious melted marshmallows and hot chocolate, the campers snuggled up in bed, chatting about  the excitement that tomorrow may bring. 

Click for Day 10 Photos

Wednesday, 17th July 2019

Today camp rose yet again with the sun shining, which surely promised joy and happiness for yet another wonderful day at L&E. Breakfast this morning was a treat, with Beans and Sausages on the menu, Connor loved them so much he had 4! The choice for activities was equally exciting with Water Polo, Tree climbing and old style poster making on the cards. 

For those who did Water Polo, they were given expert coaching by Jack. It was such great fun that the kids were given a chance to do it again in the afternoon. Tree climbing was fantastic fun too, it’s exhilarating getting up to those heights, and it’s so exciting that we’re allowed to do it too! The Poster making was cool too, the kids learned how to use a tea bag to make the poster looked old fashioned! Some were so good that they’ll be used for our Greatest Showman theme night tomorrow!

Lunch was delicious as usual, everyone was treated to Hunter’s chicken and little mini roast potatoes. It was so so so good! The Hunter’s chicken was really tangy while the potatoes were super herby. For dessert, we had a chocolate muffin with a whipped cream filling, which was superb too. 

After lunch, along with the aforementioned Water polo, we also were offered the option to do either Tennis or the chance to make our own dream catchers! Tennis was cool to do – with Wimbledon having happened last weekend it was fun to recreate the Finals!! The quality of the tennis match between Andrea, Paul, Connor and Emma L was so high that we had to call in Caroline Flack to inform which couple was announced the winner. Making dream catchers were awesome too, Hayley taught us how to transform a few twigs of wood into a really cool dream catcher. On top of this, Sam was running trips backwards and forwards to a lake to do some Kayaking. This was super cool too, although falling in the water was really cold!!! 

This evening kicked off with a delicious meal of Pasta. We were given 3 choices, Spaghetti Carbonara, a Cheesy bake or Green Pesto Pasta! On top of this, we were given some yummy garlic bread! All this set the scene for watching the Greatest Showman ahead of tomorrow’s theme night. The soundtrack is so so good, we were all singing along!

We’d also like to give a mention to the Young Global Campers, who tonight are out camping. Unfortunately for them, it’s raining tonight, the first time it has done since arriving to camp. Despite this, let’s all hope it’s a fantastic experience for them – and they learn some valuable skills from it all.

To finish today’s blog, we unfortunately said goodbye to Zara today. Zara has added to everyone’s time at camp and really impressed all the tutors here. She was a fantastic student and she will be missed by all her peers, let’s hope we see her again next year!

Click for Wednesday’s photos

Thursday, 18th July 2019

Teen Travel UK Tour Blog

Saturday -Tuesday

We are eleven  people from all around Europe:

Lukas – 15, from Sweden.

Emily – 16, from Holland.

Paul – 16, from Germany.

Serafina – 15, from Germany.

Beatrice – 16, from Germany.

Maria – 16, from Spain.

Marianne – 15, from France.

Gaia – 16, from Italy.

Sam – 15, from England.

Connie – Travel Mentor, England

Julie – Travel Mentor, Scotland

Apart from Sam we all arrived in Manchester airport at various times on Saturday. From there we drove to L&E North camp to plan our trip and get to know each other better. We decided to depart the next day but before we left we all watched the final match for the World Cup and ate at he barbecue with the rest of the camp. After the barbecue big Sam drove us to our first stop in Grassmere where we stayed for one night in a hostel and we all went to the park in the town and we unanimously agreed that we all slept better there than at the camp.

The next day we had breakfast in the self serve kitchen of the hostel and Sam and Lukas made dough balls in the oven. We then took a bus to Brokehole where we went on a treetop trek which ended in a triple zip wire that was 200 meters long! “It was exciting!” – Gaia. Connie had to have her shoe taped onto her foot because it kept almost falling off.

We then took the same bus with a different bus driver who wasn’t as nice to Windermere where we had lunch which was pleasurable. After that we booked the accommodation for Glasgow the night after, furthermore we found a train connection from Kendal to Glasgow that was also affordable for the next day. We then took the bus to Kendal where it then started to rain on our walk to the hostel we were next staying in. After a break we went to Booths to buy food for tonight and the next morning. Sam and Gaia cooked a delicious meal for dinner – pasta with cheese sauce.  Lukas told some ghost stories (not that scary) and we all sat and chatted until bed time. 

Tuesday – Thursday

After a lovely breakfast in Kendal we took the train to Glasgow. It was a long journey and we had to stop and change the train – at the intermediate station Julie had to pretend to be a dog because of a dare!

Since this morning a fun game had started ,where everyone has to “kill” someone else in a specific place and way, two people were already killed.

We arrived at the hostel around 5 o’clock and we ate at Wetherspoon. The evening was full of talks and bonding and we also started to see Shrek

Deaths of the day:

1. Connie – singing the national anthem on a train, in the morning.
2. Marianne – smelling something in a shop, in the morning.

Wednesday 18th

The next day started slowly. We woke up at around 10 am and after a good breakfast we took the bus to Glasgow centre. After a short trip to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and the park everybody was allowed to go of in groups of at least and discover Glasgow on their own. Most of us went to a burger and than make a short shopping trip.

Back (in at) the hostel Marianne started making crêpes – Sam as chef in training. We than went to bed “in time” because the next day would start very early.

Deaths of the day:

1)  Paul – reading a book on a playground, at midday

2)  Beatrice – singing the national anthem (german) in the bathroom, at lunchtime

Thursday 19th

To day we had to get up at 6.30 am to get the bus to Loch Ness at 7 am. Because of the early time we didn’t eat breakfast, so we had packed (a lot of) (many) snacks for the bus. The bus trip to loch ness took us about four hours but we had a few stops at beautiful places to make pictures and get a pass from the sitting.

When we arrived at Loch Ness we had two options. We could either go and see the castle and than make a cruise on the Loch or only do the cruise. 

• Spent the day in Glasgow (shopping, eating, a pigeon poop on Lukas…)
• Tastes good
• Take bus (discover scottland)
• loch ness
• Take the bus back (strange songs)

Friday…

In the morning we arrived in Edinburgh. Making our way through the streets in the rain, we found a bus to take us to the hostel, not far from the city centre. Sam was in charge of directions and we followed him (cautiously) down several side streets off the main road. Despite a slightly scary looking front door,

we walked through into a travellers paradise; a ping-pong table, PlayStation, comfy sofas and relaxed, friendly staff awaited. The hostel was made up of converted shipping containers, neatly arranged with every amenity. We felt at home right away. 

No time to relax though; we dropped our bags and went straight into town to explore. We picked up some lunch on-the-go, and made a beeline for the Royal Mile. It was hard to miss the incredible architecture as we wound through the streets; the National Gallery of Scotland and the Castle were particularly impressive. Reaching ‘Camera Obscura’ – a museum of oddities, illusions and mind games – we were were happy to get out of the drizzle. It full of bizarre, interactive activities and we emerged later on, giggling on to the streets. Straight on to a restaurant for food, we then just had time for a quick walk up to Calton Hill for the sunset. It did not take much persuading to get everyone to sleep back at the hostel after such a jam-packed day.

We awoke to a sunny day ~ yes, the sun does shine in Scotland! We all headed to the motorbike and music festival we had booked a few days ago, it was on the same side of the city as us which was good. It was very cool – lots of different styles of motorbikes, we even got to sit on some of them!!  We also had a shot on a theme park ride – Sam has been on so many his facial expression didn’t change at all but all of the girls hair was going round and round and round!  

After we got back to the hostel we collected our bags and headed back into town to try and get some onesies for the bus journey. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any we liked so we bought some blankets and some neck pillows which turned out to be invaluable. We went to a restaurant to get some food and to also make a plan for the next part of our trip. Our big map came in handy – it’s good to have a visual of the UK to see how far away each place is from the other. We all worked very hard to plan the next part of our trip – we were getting very tired which was good as we knew we were about to spend the next 9hours on the overnight bus to London. 

The bus station wasn’t far from the restaurant which was great as we were all quite tired and ready to try and sleep. Although the bus was a little cold we did manage to get some sleep. Next stop – LONDON!!!!!!!

North Camp, Week 3, 2018

Monday, 23rd July

A little poem written by Harriet (& Paul) to start off Week 3…

Week three began
with crumpets and jam
and a lively game of dodgeball.
Campers old and new
they dodged and they threw
soft balls in the great sports hall.

Much fun was had
playing capture the flag
in adventure this Monday morning.
Sports was lacrosse
origami was boss
and none of the children were yawning.

The afternoon came
football was the game
while our artists got messy with paint.
The adventurers built dens
whilst making new friends
and behaviour was that of a saint.

The afternoon sun
Brought out more fun
With our sumo suits and water slide.
Slipping and sliding
the campers went flying
down the hill they did glide.

Icebreakers began
we thought and we ran
through a range of unusual games.
We tried fancy dress
and did our best to impress
as we learned all new faces and names.

As night time adorned
our campers all yawned
with hot chocolate our nice evening treat.
We looked to tomorrow
with excitement not sorrow
today’s fun we’ll be sure to repeat.

Click for Monday’s Photos

Tuesday, 24th July

Tuesday morning started with a delicious breakfast of eggs on toast and there was a huge buzz for SCUBA, SCUBA! The campers got to test their skills in the pool as the ducked and dived for pool toys and played underwater frisbee.

The rest of the campers warmed up with dodgeball, which got incredibly competitive as the tutors tried to claw back a game, from their numerous defeats this week. This morning the campers had a choice of beachball and netball or friendship bracelets and stop motion videos.

Bench-ball was fierce as the ball whizzed from one end of the court to the next with campers running after it. The two teams fought hard, and enjoyed the competitiveness of the game. After the break they tried their skills at netball and Tutor Bonnie shared her interception skills with the children. It was a great morning for them and they arrived at lunch with red faces, full of energy.

In creative it was a much calmer affair as the children moved whole from one gap in their card to another to create some lovely friendship bracelets and others moulded clay into wonderful characters and creatures.

The English group ventured into Bedale to buy the ingredients for Harriet’s birthday cake. They found the recipe online and had to decipher the instructions to make sure it was fit for their English teacher.

Lunch was curry to refuel before this afternoons activities.

In the afternoon SCUBA continued, with the addition of whittling, miniature gardens and indoor hockey.

Indoor hockey was great fun, first they learnt some skills of passing and after that did a tournament with 3 teams. Ion creative the children scavenged for decorative nature materials to design their own miniature garden and the adventurers spent their afternoon by the campfire whittling pieces of wood into different shapes.

It was campfire this evening and it would have to go down as one of the best in L&E history. There were some incredible singalongs and some individual performances by both staff and students. The all important toasting of marshmallows occurred and then it was time for hot chocolate and bed. With warm tummies and big smiles on their faces, the campers went to bed, excited for what Wednesday will bring.

Click for Tuesdays Photos

Wednesday, 25th July

It’s the middle of the week and our campers have had a fun filled day of activities! We started off the day with a simple breakfast of toast but our campers were ready and rearing to go for the morning activities.

Our sport option was an exciting game of Ultimate Frisbee played on the large cricket green; just as well, considering we had just received our newest purchase of awesome frisbees! The sun was shining and spirits were incredibly high. Unfortunately one of our tutors was a bit TOO excited during ultimate frisbee and managed to injure his ankle when taking an action dive to catch the frisbee…
For those creative creatures amongst us we had a wonderful session of music video making. All of our campers dressed up in our endless array of fancy dress costumes and made up dance routines to George Ezra’s popular song ‘Shotgun’. The clips for this will be displayed in our week recap video during Oscars night on Friday.
The adventure option for today was a firm favourite; canoeing. The campers have the opportunity to travel off-campus to Ellerton park to take part in many fun team building actives on the water as well as the opportunity to canoe in their teams on the beautiful lake in the sun.

Lunch was a great old British summer favourite of burgers and chips, accompanied by a plentiful supply of salads… So not to worry, they are all getting their 5-a-day! After lunch the next set of adventure campers went canoeing, whilst the sporting campers were treated to a lovely session of tennis on the tennis courts at the front of the school; enjoying the sun and even teaching some of our tutors how to play tennis as well as them! The creative campers were feeling musical again after lunch and took part in some karaoke in the theatre. There was an array of singing abilities… but everyone had a great time working in their teams to put on a performance to remember.

After a dinner of pizza, the evening activity was a relaxed movie night in the theatre. Blankets, pillows and even some sweets were brought down and the campers were able to watch a newly released movie ‘Jumangi rebooted’ which was enjoyed by everyone. Some of our tutors might have even enjoyed it more than the campers!

So now everyone is off to bed, excited and ready for tomorrow. The sun is on course to be shining as brightly as today followed by our famous L&E theme night tomorrow evening… stay tuned!

Click for Wednesday’s Photos

Thursday, 26th July

Then morning kicked off with a breakfast of crumpets and toast and cereal to fuel the day of activities. The sports activity for the morning involved the traditional British sport of croquet with a small number of keen and dedicated players. Morning adventure on campus took on the exciting challenge of archery learning basic archery skills and honing these on two targets. At the end of the session commencing a rapid fired competitive round involving tow teams with one shot per member. The delicious task for the creative morning group was the baking of muffins. Specifically these were iced with a time old favourite chocolate.

The off camp adventure option that spanned the day was rock climbing in the old quarry groups taking the challenge of four ropes. These ranging in difficulty from following cracks to grasping onto finger and toe holds to surmount the challenges. Many campers 


The afternoon session sport activities initially began with a intense match of rounders both teams sending it far and fast and far into the outfield. Though one team did have breakaway before the afternoon break. The other option voted unanimously by campers was a free swim session to escaped the oppressive heat of the day. The creative option for the afternoon involved optical illusions drawn on paper and created from cardboard for mind bending effects enjoyed to much delight to the campers.

With Thursday comes theme night and on this night we had a Disney murder mystery. Initially beginning with a fake Oscars with special guests from multiple Disney movies , but the as the introductions came to a close a scream and Mickey the Mouse had been murdered. Each the campers where given the task to commence a investigation into the motives and alibis of the Disney guests. Each of the Disney characters spread across the camp and were interview giving many stories and contradicting evidence and hints while offering campers activities. Bobbing for apples with snow white, pool noodle fights with general Chang and Giraffe stretching with Rafiki. While the rest of the characters where located around campus. The finale culminated in the interrogations and extra evidence presented by Sherlock Holmes. The the murder weapon being poisoned hair spray. Each character was voted against form the campers to who was the murder the prime suspect being Captain Jack Sparrow followed by prince charming. Though through DNA testing the true culprit was found to be Prince Charming himself wanting the Disney throne. Campers seized him as he tried to run and justice was served.

With the mystery solved and hot chocolate drunk all collapsed into bed after a eventful and enjoyable day.

Click for Thursday’s Photos

Friday, 27th July

Fridays at L&E can only mean two things, triathlon and the Oscars!!! Today began with a filling breakfast, which in turn pumped the campers up for their final dodgeball game of the week. To this date, the tutors have not yet managed to win in the classic dodgeball game of ‘tutors vs campers’, but there is still hope for the final week at north camp, fingers crossed!
Water polo proved to be the most popular activity this morning, as almost half the camp opted to play and prove their amazing water polo skills. The campers were dedicated to the game to the extent that they chose to play throughout their break, and in the end, following a tense stand-off of a 20-20 score, the game concluded with a decisive golden goal.
The creative session this morning was extremely successful as the campers drew portraits and in turn embraced their inner ‘Leonardo da Vinci’s’. The activity was enjoyed by all of those who took part, and hopefully we will be seeing some of the campers’ artwork in museums or galleries in the future!
Friday morning also witnessed the apparent arrival of Cupid, as there was love in the air in the English class. The campers took part in ‘Speed Dating’, which proved to be an excellent opportunity for them to get to know their fellow campers, but also to practice their English skills.
The main event of the afternoon was without a doubt the traditional L&E triathlon, where all the campers threw themselves into each activity. They split themselves into teams of three, where each person would either swim, complete the obstacle course or run laps of the field. The campers all completed the triathlon out of breath but with huge smiles on their faces, which is what we like to see!
Ultimately, the night concluded with the highlight of the week – the Oscars!! It was wonderful being able to acknowledge the success of the week as well as how amazing all the campers have been! After the awards ceremony, the campers danced the night away in a disco filled with excellent tunes before enjoying their hot chocolate and going to bed in high spirits.

Click for Friday’s Photos

North Camp, Week 2, 2018

Monday, 16th July

The children began their first day of week 2 North Camp with a hearty breakfast of delicious British crumpets and toast. Afterwards they partook in the iconic L&E tradition of morning dodgeball, in which a small tournament was established, and the children fought to take their team to the top. The children then chose one of three options for the morning activities, netball, den building, and papier mache balloon making.

Although it did start to rain (in typical English fashion), this didn’t dampen the spirits of our campers one bit, as the den builders raced to construct a shelter and the netballers fled to the sports hall, the activities continued without interruption. Campers partaking in our creative class got stuck into a messy session of papier mache, whilst others got to grips with friendship bracelets, the poor weather posed no obstacle! Those studying English braved the rain and ventured into Bedale for an exciting scavenger hunt

Having refilled our engines, the groups then chose their second activity of the day. Hockey was very popular, however somewhat overshadowed by an excellent scavenger hunt created by Harriet, where the children had to solve a riddle in order to get all the clues to find the hidden prize. The children in creative let their imaginations run wild when creating pompom hairbands and mysterious characters.

After a dinner of fish fingers and chips, the children prepared for arguably one of the best nights of camp (amongst others), icebreakers! The campers were split into teams in order to take on a series of exciting and hilarious icebreakers, which ultimately ended with determined campers yelling ‘chubby bunny’ in an attempt to win the final game. After a great evening, the campers settled down with hot chocolate before bed, concluding the first day of north camp week 2.

Click for Monday Photos

Tuesday, 17th July

With a hearty British classic of bacon ‘sarnies for breakfast, some very energised campers with made their way over to the sport’s hall to commence the morning with an exhilarating game of dodgeball. The tutors verses campers match saw the tutors quickly annihilated, soon realising that winning against 72 campers is quite the challenge! The day opened with scuba diving, which continued throughout the day to ensure that all campers got the chance to snorkel with the infamous Scuba Steve. Those partaking in creative embarked on an incredibly enthusiastic session of karaoke, accompanied by some gorgeous solos and choreographed dances. Those opting for adventure got involved with some archery (a special shout out to Sara who scored a perfect bull’s eye!) which proved very popular. Regardless of some rainy outbursts in the morning, sport continued with a game of five aside football in the sports hall which resulted in sweaty faces all around!

With another stereotypically British meal of beef stew, our campers returned to their afternoon activities. Scuba diving continued, whilst some sunny outbreaks allowed for a fantastic game of tennis for those opting for sport. The creative session ran with a variety of options – continuing papier mache, creating photo frames and ‘ancient’ art pieces fashioned into treasure maps, there was an option for everyone! Activities were concluded with some free time in the pool, exhibiting some fabulous pool-acrobatics and water fights.

Evening activities consisted of a warm up game of catch the flag and a series of competitive team games, prior to our greatly anticipated weekly campfire! Having chanted some of our campfire classics, groups took to the stage to perform, many of which featuring national anthems, whilst others sung solo pieces, seeking reward for some coveted marshmallows. With marshmallows toasted, and hot chocolates finished, our very happy campers go to sleep content and tired after yet another busy day at North Camp, in anticipation for the fun to be had tomorrow.

Click for Tuesday’s Photos

Wednesday, 18th July

As we come to half way through week 2, the new campers have really settled in to life at L&E, tried lots of new activitities and found new friendships. After the jolly singalongs at last night’s campfire the kids woke up bright and full of energy ready to take on another day of fun. Fueled by boiled eggs and toast, dodgeball got everyone working together before splitting off for morning activities.
Creative was outdoor chalk drawings and we added lots of colour to the basketball court and walls. The sport option was rugby and with an enthusiastic bunch of campers, the game was very close. We had a delicious adventure option onsite, making muffins in oranges on the campfire, and as it was so popular we offered it again in the afternoon. The English group also had a chance to bake after discussing food, restaurant role play and exploring menus – their jam tarts were scrumptious!
With canoeing an option in both morning and afternoon lots of campers had the chance to give it a go – some for the first time. We had a slalom course, a couple of games of water polo and even sang head, shoulders, knees and toes while standing and jumping in the canoes. We had a couple of kids falling/jumping out and we all went swimming at the end before heading back for lunch.

Filling up on bangers and mash, salad and fruit the campers then had a little free time before afternoon activity choices. After the horse riders and canoeists set off and the campfire was relit the rest of the camp had a choice between sport and creative. Ultimate frisbee was the sport option with just the right amount of competive spirit to keep it interesting. For creative, the campers were also up and about with a dance session then a yoga class. They were taught a piece of choreogphy, some floor work and had the chance to freestyle and work in pairs. The yoga session left our brains and bodies feeling calm and rested with some giggles when our balances didn’t quite work out. With some free time before dinner, lots of the campers chose to go to the pool to squeeze in a little more fun before a dinner of pasta and garlic bread, with most going for seconds.

After a very physical day, we were happy that movie night gave us a chance to chill out in our pjs. With this week’s theme being Spy Games, our movie of choice was ‘Johnny English’, which the campers thought was hilarious. It was soon time for hot chocolate and a good nights sleep ready for tomorrow’s adventures.

Click for Wednesday’s Photos

Thursday, 19th July

This morning we had breakfast as normal at 8:15 followed by a game of dodgeball between 9 and 10 am, to warm us all up for the days activities. The sport activity for this morning was waterpolo which was held at the swimming pool. A group went out rock climbing as the mornings adventure activity, and the rest of the adventurers played a game of capture the flag and the creative group had a morning of nature art. This concluded the morning activities before lunch.

The afternoon activities consisted of a second group going out rock climbing for the adventure activity, and the rest of the adventure group going out to do some tree climbing. A small group of 8 had an afternoon of football out on he field which was very enjoyable session even though the number of players were limited. The waterslide was a whirlwind ride of opportunity and adventure which was run by a few of the camp tutors while the rest prepared for the evenings theme night.

The theme of this week was ‘Spy Night’ and was a huge evening event which took place at various stations around the school. We had a number of mysterious yet fun and energetic games and activities set up by our L&E staff. Games like, Water balloon target practice, Interrogation room and a small casino where the campers could bet skittles on the games they played. Tonight was a great success for all the staff and campers and there was no better way to end the night with a cup of hot chocolate in the dining hall with the whole group before bed after an exhausting day.

Click for Thursday’s Photos

Friday, 20th July

What a day to finish off the second week of Learn & Experience North camp! It has been an epic week with plentiful laughter and kindness at the abundance.

Can’t be more proud of the group of young people that have attended this week. They have risen above all tasks and taken on activities like absolute professionals.

We started the day with a wholesome cooked breakfast, a select few were picked to go on the outdoor adventure to Brimham where they were able to clamber across rocks and be true outdoor explorers.

While they were away the others were able to let loose in the dodgeball hall. Some for the last time.

Then teams were split, one for creative to create masterpieces of art and crafts! The others were sent out to fiercely battle on the rounders pitch!

Lunch was consumed and the everyone joined in to feast on a rather quality spread of cooked food and salad.

Soon enough, after some free time, we regrouped as a whole to see which group could create the ultimate bin bag extraordinaire outfit. A catwalk was set out and 7 fabulous looking individuals strutted their stuff in their bin bag masterpieces. Finally Albane and Fergus were the winners with their strut and truly creative outfits!

Everyone sat around for what was the final supper for many, afterwards packing their bags and preparing their Oscar outfits!

It was an excellent evening!! Oscars took off with a wham and a bam.
Music – Fergus
Kindest – Theo
Helpful – Nina
Creative – Elise
Happiest – Paul
Sports – Sven
Adventure – Alexandre
Rising star – Karol
Star -David

We had a trio of gymnastics, a piano recital by Zoe, the polish national anthem (lead was Karol, taking a magnificent stand whilst backed by a dozen enthusiastic fellow campers), Zoe-Marie lead a French solo, Fergus and Simon lead a chant!

We finished the evening with a quality montage of the week in photos and videos and a raving disco where the campers were cutting shapes and showing their skills!

Hot chocolate and off they all went to bed with high spirits!

Click for Photos from Friday

Weekend

This weekend the L&E North Camp, happy campers travelled to Whitby. A lovely countryside town where the streets a lined with fish and chips shops and old sweet shops, with ice cream stalls dotted in between. It was a cloudy but warm day and the children roamed the streets enjoying what the town had to offer. Some of them braving to feel the temperature of the sea and others climbing the 199 steps to get a panoramic view of the town.

In the evening the campers settled in with some popcorn to watch The Avengers and then it was hot chocolate and bed.

North Camp, Week 1, 2018

First Sunday Night, 8th July

With the sun beating down on yet another (surprisingly) gorgeous July day, the commencement of North Camp 2018 could not have started on a sweeter note. As the students bounded into camp, the tutors excitedly awaited their arrival. 

With some strenuous exercise carrying some rather heavy suitcases up the seemingly never-ending four flights of stairs, we were all rewarded with a wonderful barbecue, allowing campers both old and new to catch up and familiarise themselves with their fellow campers.

With the sun continuing to defy the odds and shine down on a happy bunch of campers, appeased and content with full tummies, the famous L&E games began. The evening commenced with a very fast paced game of ‘Splat’, followed by fruit basket, 40/40 and an old classic; British Bulldogs, we all saw a glimmer of the amazing fun to be had for the next four weeks. As a gorgeous sunset drew to a close, the campers slowly left the field and filed into the school for another annual camp debrief, concluding on a chant of our infamous mantra, ‘Be kind, be kind, be kind!’

As the chatter in the rooms slowly softened, the lights dimmed and the hubbub of the school eventually drawing to a close, North Camp 2018 looks to be our best year yet.

Click for First Night photos

Monday, 9th July

This morning started with a hearty breakfast of crumpets and honey which went down a treat and filled the children’s bellies in preparation for their first full day of camp. The warm-up was, the ever popular, dodgeball and as usual the children were victorious!!  The morning activities to choose from were basketball, canoeing and den building and, with the sun high in the sky, the children were keen to get started. 

After a wander through the extensive grounds the den builders found the ideal location for their grand designs.  Not only did they manage to build some amazing structures they also managed to decorate them.  The children showed some awesome teamwork and reminded us that in fact – teamwork makes the dreamwork!  Tim’s insatiable ability to get the basketball from ANYWHERE was quite outstanding but little Miguel was able to swish the ball from left, right and rhubarb.  

The canoeists spent the day on the water both in both the morning afternoon and again, we were lucky with the weather.  There was some falling and jumping in the water at the end as always!

The afternoon’s creative session was decoupage flower pots and tissue flowers to decorate their new rooms, adding lots of colour across camp. We also introduced the campers to this week’s World Cup theme and learned a bit about each other.  Today’s sport continued with an afternoon football tournament, in the penalty shootout Mani was amazing – his tenacity earned him “Person of the Match”.

Monday night means only one thing – ice-breakers!  New records were set in many categories.  Issac has obviously been practicing since last year and crushed the old chubby bunnies record and managed to get 17 marshmallows in his mouth whilst still being coherent.  Harriet (tutor) managed to catch an egg which was a new record for her, unfortunately the egg broke all over her!  We finished icebreakers with the egg drop where each team designs the safest way to drop an egg while keeping it intact……..3 out 8 eggs made it to the bottom! 

With new friendships made, everyone got into PJs for hot chocolate before bed.

Click for Day 1 Photos

Tuesday, 10th July

As the sun rose on the 2^nd full day of camp this year, campers woke up bright and early, prepared for another action packed day. Breakfast offered up the treat of some bacon, tomatoes and toast, the perfect fuel for the following dodgeball session. The kids dodged, ducked, dipped and dived through the mornings warm up activity, and left the dodgeball hall raring to go for the plethora of activities on offer for the morning session.

The morning activities were varied, but all proved popular amongst campers. For the English lessons a paper plane making, fact finding mission, all with the focus on the past and future tenses, transitioned into a summer themed singing activity with the focus on adjectives. Our sport enthusiasts tackled the challenge of touch rugby, our adventure campers had the exciting experience of scuba diving in our very own pool with a professional instructor, and the creative group were focusing on making flag and bunting (it’s almost as if there was a big game coming up.

The afternoon activities of campfire preparation, ultimate Frisbee and creating friendship bracelets were short, but immensely popular, as we needed to fit time for our first giant water slide session of the summer. The old favourite L&E waterslide was back, and oh boy was it back with a bang! Who’d have guessed that a hill, tarpaulin, washing up liquid and sumo wrestling could be the ingredients for the perfect summer afternoon?

After a dinner of enchiladas, it was time for the inaugural campfire of 2018. We boochickarooed our way through multiple campfire classics, and were then treated to some magnificent performances from campers and tutors, with a particular shoutout going to Greta for her superb rendition of Shawn Mendes’ ‘Stitches’. Finally, we had the big screen up and the seats in place, it was time for the game, the big one (or warm up for tomorrow), France vs Belgium. A great atmosphere, largely created from having campers from both nationalities, ensured the game was cheered on in a friendly but competitive spirit.

After the match ended we finished with some hot chocolate, and all tired after such a fun filled day, retired to bed, looking forward to continuing with the L&E adventure tomorrow.

Click for Day 2 Photos

Wednesday, 11th July

Today, yet again, we had beautiful weather in sunny Yorkshire. After a a delicious breakfast of fresh bread rolls and toast with cheese and ham we embarked on the morning warm up of dodgeball! The game was very intense and as the balls wizzed and whirled around the sports hall children dove and rolled out of line of fire.

The morning activities were very exciting. The adventure option was canoeing and the children basked in the glorious sunlight as they paddled through the lake. In the spirit of the ‘Word Cup’ they played football on the water, manoeuvring their canoes around some tricky turns to score goals against each other. However, the children spent more time in water capsized rather than in their boat and ended their trip with some dives and flips into the lake. It was so clear that they could see the fishes swimming along the lake floor.

Our sport option, was a game of kickball which is a cross between football, rounders, and baseball. The children rally enjoyed the competitiveness of the game and there were some outstanding sportswomen and men amongst them.

Durning the English lessons the students wrote stories and busting out some awesome acting skills during a game of charades. We are hoping to see more of this in their presentation later in the week.

In the creative activity the kids were painting some graffiti walls, working in groups to create a wall with their names and a picture. A few people also designed their own football kits. In the afternoon the kids did movie making and a dance routine.

In the afternoon the children also had the opportunity to chose a second adventure option of a very exciting scavenger hunt. Clues were dotted round the school and they had to find them, but after each clue there were more items that the group had to carry and/or wear that would make it harder for them to reach the next clue quicker. Out was a very entertaining display of determination and learning, mixed with a lot of fun and laughter.

Sports in the afternoon lead with relay races between the pizzas, the doughnuts, the burgers and the marshmallows. They competed in events such as the egg and spoon race and the three legged race. It is noted that that no harm came to any eggs during the competition.

After a delicious dinner of homemade pizza, the group split up, some people were watching the movie Coco, and others watched the horrendously shocking football match where most of us cried. Although it wasn’t a great day for England and their World Cup dream, at L&E the children have gone to bed with bellies full of hot chocolate and excitement for what the next few days of camp will bring!

Click for Day 3 Photos

Thursday, 12th July

The sunrise brought a overcast and cool morning  revitalising there children as they bounded down  the stairs and started off with an hearty serving of scrambled eggs, beans and toast to fuel a busy day.The morning session proved enjoyable and challenging covering the three zones. The sport option being split into two activities the first being handball. Teams separating themselves into 4 groups in a torment fashion, the competition was fierce  but  the Muchachalataas came out on top. Following this was bench ball a camp favourite where the children had to pass a ball to a team mate on a bench and join them till none where left on the field to win.

The adventure choice for the day was  thrilling rock climbing testing the children’s  nerves and  stamina conducted at Down Holmes quarry. Scaling  walls of varying degrees of challenge coming back to camp exhausted but with a sense of achievement.

The creative section consisted of game creation and owing to the season being the world cup these mainly revolved around football. One of the standouts consisted of a box painted and designed like a field and pompoms used for balls and straws to move it. A simple and enjoyable game that all could play.

The afternoon session matched the intensity and enjoyment of the first with sports involving tennis under the cleared sky. Ordering the children by experience across three fields so all could enjoy and learn as they played. This followed by indoor hockey coming down to a golden goal to break the tie.The creative options has a edible version where the children followed a tutor through the baking and design of biscuits. Following a  simple but direct  recipe the end result being delectable and shared  to their peers delight. Rock climbing proceeding through the day. 

Once dinner consisting of of pasta and rice ended ,they would needs its energy, theme night commenced. In this case the night revolved around the world cup. The children where separated into eight countries painted themselves to their nation and went  trough eight activities organised by tutors. These  consisting of flag naming, Tabletop football and commentating, catch the tears, fan celebrating, balloon keepsiupsies, slow motion dives and relays. All of these collecting red cards to be used at the finale, a penalty shoot out. These cards could be exchanged for extra shots  in the competition beyond the normal number. The air was charged but silent for each shot and explosive in its completion. In the end five teams being joint victor.

The night came to a end with exhausted bodies but smiling faces looking forward to the next day. 

Click for Day 4 Photos

Friday, 13th July

This morning began with many exhausted, yet happy campers, all of whom had spent their previous evening running around enthusiastically during the World Cup theme night. After enjoying a filling breakfast of bacon, toast and fruit, the day kicked off with the usual dodgeball warm up activity, followed by four exciting morning options. The students taking part in English lessons worked hard interviewing and asking their fellow campers and tutors questions such as ‘what is your favourite activity at camp?’ before successfully writing and compiling their own L&E newsletter together.

The other morning activities to choose from were campfire cooking, postcard and friendship bracelet making and rounders/indoor football. The adventure option of campfire cooking was incredibly popular as the campers enthusiastically participated in building the campfire, before making chocolate chip and sultana muffins, encased inside orange skins. The creative use of orange skins was a huge success and provided the muffins with a hint of orange flavour, but despite them being incredibly delicious, the muffins did not hinder the appetite of our campers.

We then enjoyed a delicious lunch of traditional fish and chips, before commencing the main event of the afternoon – the traditional L&E triathlon. The campers were divided into teams of three, with each person taking part in either the swim, run or the obstacle course. Overall the triathlon was a huge success, with prizes awarded to the winners of the bronze, silver and gold categories.

In the end, the night concluded with the famous L&E ‘Oscars’ as many campers were nominated in various categories such as ‘Happiest Camper’, ‘Most Helpful’ and ‘Be Kind, Be Kind, Be Kind’. A huge congratulations to all of the winners and nominees, especially for Aune, the week one winner of the prestigious ‘Star Camper’ award. The night also included special performances from our talented campers, with singing, dancing and gymnastics performances. The disco was definitely a highlight of the week and allowed all of the campers to celebrate the end of a successful first week at L&E 2018.

Click for Day 5 Photos

Weekend

And in the blink of an eye the first week of L&E 2018 was over. The children were sad to see campers depart on Saturday morning but their eyes soon dried as they looked towards the trip to York.

The weather was kind to us as we made our way to one of the most beautiful cities in Yorkshire. The children visited old sweet shops, enjoyed the street performers and had a lovely lunch by the minster. It was lovely to see all the campers chatting and enjoying each others company in the presence of such history and culture.

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