Tents, Teddies, and Adventure: Building Memories at Long Bay Primary

There is no doubt that children enjoy spending time outdoors - especially in tents. At Long Bay Primary we have recently developed a camp programme for our Year 4 to 6 students.

Year 4 spent a night at school, preceded by a day of activities in and around school and followed by a day at Long Bay Regional Park. Sleeping on a classroom floor in a room full of other students has a unique appeal that was lost on all of the adults that participated. Next year we intend to offer a night in a tent to this event to add some more adventure.

Our Year 5 students spend 3 days out west at Huia in the Waitakere Ranges. One night in a cabin and one in a tent. Feeding the pigs the left over scraps and exploring the rugged West Coast are absolute highlights.

In their final year at Long Bay Primary we venture to Camp Bentzon on Kawau Island. A full week of water and land based activities with an amazing amount of wildlife and a lot of walking thrown into the mix. This week is the highlight of the year (as quoted by many, many of our students).

It all begins however with the youngest students. Our Year 0 and 1 classes spend a day at school ‘camping’. There are a wide range of activities on offer - this year a collection of farm animals even made their way to school. The most popular activity however? Spending time in a tent. Literally sitting in a tent with your stuffed toy animal and friends just hanging out.

It turns out you can offer a wide range of activities, travel in buses and ferries, cook damper over an open fire or look for eels in a stream. Yet sitting in a tent with a teddy bear trumps them all. Children never cease to surprise us.