Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
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Hi
My DD completed her Bronze trial and hated every minute of it !! She encounted every type of Welsh rain and came home soaked through ,every piece of clothing and equipment was also soaked - her first words were " Do I really have to do it all again next month and I am NOT doing silver "
Did you DD go AM ,one of my DD friends was full of cold but she just about made it! Where was she going ?
DD has 6 weeks before the test ,hopefully long enough for her to forget some of the worse bits and for the Welsh rain to stop!
Pensby
My DD completed her Bronze trial and hated every minute of it !! She encounted every type of Welsh rain and came home soaked through ,every piece of clothing and equipment was also soaked - her first words were " Do I really have to do it all again next month and I am NOT doing silver "
Did you DD go AM ,one of my DD friends was full of cold but she just about made it! Where was she going ?
DD has 6 weeks before the test ,hopefully long enough for her to forget some of the worse bits and for the Welsh rain to stop!
Pensby
Hi Pensby, sorry to hear your DD had an awful time 
. DS went on Cub camp a couple of years ago (May Bank Holiday) and it rained non stop from the minute we dropped him off. By 4am the tents were 6 inches deep in water and the children were evacuated to the mess tent where they were given hot drinks and tried to keep warm and dry - we got a phone call at 7am to go and get him. Like your DD everything was soaked through and he swore he would never go on camp again.
Well, at school on the Tuesday the boys that went on the camp were all talking and exaggerating about their great adventure and by home time he was asking when the next one was! The discomfort was forgotten and all he remembered was paddling through calf deep water to get to the loos and eating hot dogs and drinking hot chocolate in the early hours of the morning!
I am sure your DD will feel the same once she has time to reflect on the good times and will be raring to go in 6 weeks. Hopefully the weather will be kinder by then.
. DS went on Cub camp a couple of years ago (May Bank Holiday) and it rained non stop from the minute we dropped him off. By 4am the tents were 6 inches deep in water and the children were evacuated to the mess tent where they were given hot drinks and tried to keep warm and dry - we got a phone call at 7am to go and get him. Like your DD everything was soaked through and he swore he would never go on camp again. Well, at school on the Tuesday the boys that went on the camp were all talking and exaggerating about their great adventure and by home time he was asking when the next one was! The discomfort was forgotten and all he remembered was paddling through calf deep water to get to the loos and eating hot dogs and drinking hot chocolate in the early hours of the morning!
I am sure your DD will feel the same once she has time to reflect on the good times and will be raring to go in 6 weeks. Hopefully the weather will be kinder by then.
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another mother
- Posts: 269
- Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:46 pm
Y - thanks so much for that. It;s really useful information and I'll keep an eye on this. Given that she did recover and P yes, she did make it, maybe it wasn't a migraine as such? I had a really rotten headache this weekend so perhaps it was a bug?
Anyway she went, to the New Forest; the tent nearly blew away, she stood in a bog first thing Sunday morning up to her waist and then hiked for 10 miles, and she came back really happy and relaxed. They clearly had a real laugh. The instructor was strict but good and they got lost, got muddy and met ponies. I'm quite impressed that they all seemed to enjoy it so much given what metropolitian girls some of them are. So yes, keen to go back in July (and certainly much keener to do that than to go in for her physics mock GCSE this morning! She did try 'I'm exhausted and x and y and z are staying off ..' but being the brutal parent I am I bundled her off!)
I'm really sorry your DD didn't enjoy it - I think it does depend on the dynamic in the group - there was only one girl who was 'negative' and she didn't hold sway. Having cursed the organisation doing it, I'm now eating humble pie as they clearly organised it really well, and even rang me today to say how pleased they were that my dd made it. This doesn't mean I feel anymore positive about the service aspect (nothing to do with them) - which I still think is often rather farcial.
Anyway she went, to the New Forest; the tent nearly blew away, she stood in a bog first thing Sunday morning up to her waist and then hiked for 10 miles, and she came back really happy and relaxed. They clearly had a real laugh. The instructor was strict but good and they got lost, got muddy and met ponies. I'm quite impressed that they all seemed to enjoy it so much given what metropolitian girls some of them are. So yes, keen to go back in July (and certainly much keener to do that than to go in for her physics mock GCSE this morning! She did try 'I'm exhausted and x and y and z are staying off ..' but being the brutal parent I am I bundled her off!)
I'm really sorry your DD didn't enjoy it - I think it does depend on the dynamic in the group - there was only one girl who was 'negative' and she didn't hold sway. Having cursed the organisation doing it, I'm now eating humble pie as they clearly organised it really well, and even rang me today to say how pleased they were that my dd made it. This doesn't mean I feel anymore positive about the service aspect (nothing to do with them) - which I still think is often rather farcial.
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another mother
- Posts: 269
- Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:46 pm
sorry that should read farcical!
And I'm sure you're right Andyb - time will make it rosier.
DD was wet through but her rucksack did stay dry (we put everything in a bin bag inside) so she did have completely dry clothes for Sunday (for about an hour as it happened but it did help) and to sleep in. And it wasn't Wales of course - and it is true the further west you go, the wetter the rain!
And I'm sure you're right Andyb - time will make it rosier.
DD was wet through but her rucksack did stay dry (we put everything in a bin bag inside) so she did have completely dry clothes for Sunday (for about an hour as it happened but it did help) and to sleep in. And it wasn't Wales of course - and it is true the further west you go, the wetter the rain!
AM
Glad your DD made it and enjoyed herself I'm hopeful mine will come home from school and will have seen the better side of things-
I think her group was part of the problem 2 of the 5 and her leader were extremely bossy and negetive my DD felt she wasn't listened to atall . I have told her to try and stick up for her self but it's hard when its friends( or so called friends)hopefuul next time will be better
Andy b
I hope you are right and she sees the funnyside of it all soon so that she looks forward to the test in June!
I'm sure the whole experience will be "character building"for all the kids who took part -lets just hope the rain stays away next time -it even got into DD's rucksack complete with D of E plastic liner !!
Pensby
Glad your DD made it and enjoyed herself I'm hopeful mine will come home from school and will have seen the better side of things-
I think her group was part of the problem 2 of the 5 and her leader were extremely bossy and negetive my DD felt she wasn't listened to atall . I have told her to try and stick up for her self but it's hard when its friends( or so called friends)hopefuul next time will be better
Andy b
I hope you are right and she sees the funnyside of it all soon so that she looks forward to the test in June!
I'm sure the whole experience will be "character building"for all the kids who took part -lets just hope the rain stays away next time -it even got into DD's rucksack complete with D of E plastic liner !!
Pensby
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another mother
- Posts: 269
- Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:46 pm
Hi - yes water proofing is a good idea. Especially on boots!
Re service- DD set off with commendable and creative (and typically non-conformist) determination not to work in a charity shop (which almost everyone else has). she wanted to interact with people and/or do something enviromental. She came up with heaps of ideas (old people's homes, the heath, the cemetary, the hospital, Amnesty and other charities) - and has made over 40 phone calls, sent letters and cvs and been to visit. And been turned down - often after several weeks wait. I think its been a mix of CRB checks, the fact she was only 14, didn't perhaps speak to the top person at the outset, health and safety, me not going with her (mistakenly thinking this was something she should sort out alone). anyway all that enthusiasm (over optimism?) means she has ended up stranded - any charity shop she can get to after school is full, and weekends are very difficult as both full and over subscribed.
But thank you for the Brownies idea - that's a great thought as she could get home and then go out and do it. and it would be real people. Any other ideas also welcome!
So many of the kids we know doing this are standing around in charity shops with a friend chatting - and not really doing a huge amount. This is NOT an attack on Charity shops - which of course do a great job and do need volunteers. It just seems to me that doing the same number of hours on a play scheme in the holidays would be as or more valuable. but I understand that isn't allowed? does anyone know?
Re service- DD set off with commendable and creative (and typically non-conformist) determination not to work in a charity shop (which almost everyone else has). she wanted to interact with people and/or do something enviromental. She came up with heaps of ideas (old people's homes, the heath, the cemetary, the hospital, Amnesty and other charities) - and has made over 40 phone calls, sent letters and cvs and been to visit. And been turned down - often after several weeks wait. I think its been a mix of CRB checks, the fact she was only 14, didn't perhaps speak to the top person at the outset, health and safety, me not going with her (mistakenly thinking this was something she should sort out alone). anyway all that enthusiasm (over optimism?) means she has ended up stranded - any charity shop she can get to after school is full, and weekends are very difficult as both full and over subscribed.
But thank you for the Brownies idea - that's a great thought as she could get home and then go out and do it. and it would be real people. Any other ideas also welcome!
So many of the kids we know doing this are standing around in charity shops with a friend chatting - and not really doing a huge amount. This is NOT an attack on Charity shops - which of course do a great job and do need volunteers. It just seems to me that doing the same number of hours on a play scheme in the holidays would be as or more valuable. but I understand that isn't allowed? does anyone know?
My DD did her work experience week for school in a local charity shop and really enjoyed it - the other volunteers were adults so it wasn't just teenage chatting. She had a glowing write-up from the manager and made herself very useful : counting jigsaws, sorting stock, writing labels, arranging the window display, going to the bank - strangely although she was trusted to do that she wasn't allowed to work the till!another mother wrote: So many of the kids we know doing this are standing around in charity shops with a friend chatting - and not really doing a huge amount. This is NOT an attack on Charity shops - which of course do a great job and do need volunteers. It just seems to me that doing the same number of hours on a play scheme in the holidays would be as or more valuable. but I understand that isn't allowed? does anyone know?
If the Brownies aren't convenient perhaps the local church has a creche or Sunday School that would appreciate some extra pairs of hands..
