Shelter

Final day for me at the outward bound centre near Whitby. We spent the morning building shelters in the wood. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, well, no, actually they had sensibly scarpered at the sound of 30 excited kids stampeding up the hill! We had a blast. Have to say, these centres and their instructors are amazing. They provide such fantastic experiences for the kids (and the tag-a-long adults). It's not just the fact that kids get to push themselves, face fears and do it anyway, surprise themselves and put a little bit more self-esteem in their 'esteem bank' for future use, but also that they are expected to take responsibility for themselves, make their own beds, ensure their boots and clothes get dry, and look out for each other too. How shortsighted that many of these centres have had to close due to budget cuts. They really do provide top class education in the broadest sense.