There are a number of evening activities available. On the arrival evening the fire drill finishes around 20.15 and the rest of the evening is usually taken up with students unpacking and making beds. Pendarren has one member of staff on night duty who can provide an evening activity. If there are two or more schools in residence then the use of the instructor has to be shared amongst the schools. Following an initial briefing by the instructor many of the activities are suitable for visiting staff to oversee.
Heartstart and First aid
Students have an opportunity to learn some basic first aid including bandaging, the recovery position and CPR using manikins supplied by the British Heart Foundation.
Night sky
A presentation on what students can see followed by an outdoor session in the garden, which just happens to be in Britain’s first Dark Sky Reserve – see the moon, stars, constellations, planets, meteorites and even the distant Andromeda galaxy. Resources include powerful binoculars with which you can see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.
Bouldering room
The indoor, low level climbing wall can be used for a variety of challenges. Instructors can run sessions for up to 16 students at a time, so if your group is larger than this they would run two or more sessions.
Orienteering
Indoor course in the house for those wet evenings. Clues are well hidden so it is not as easy as it seems. Students have to be secretive to win or they give away the locations to the others teams.
Outdoor courses – choose from a variety of courses in the garden and in Pendarren Park.
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunt is a bit like orienteering but without a map. It is used to make students look more closely at the natural world and develop their observational skills. There are many ways of running a scavenger hunt e.g. matching a colour to an a living thing, items to fit in a matchbox, a-z list of things in the garden, search for things on a list.
Murder Mystery
Groups will be split into detective teams to see which team can solve the Pendarren Murder Mystery. Clues are dotted around the house and students need to use their observational skills to find the clues, and put together a plausible storyline. The mystery is set in 1910 and revolves around the characters who worked at Pendarren at the time, including the infamous butler!!
Art
The Countryside Study Centre has plenty of space and is well equipment with art materials. Students can work in teams to produce muddy maps – this map is a pictorial representation of their journey during the day and includes things they have collected on route.
Bingo
Eyes down for a full house of fun and numbers with Pendarren’s new evening Bingo machine. Combine fun and numeracy in the evenings at Pendarren House. Our new bingo machine comes with traditional bingo calling information. Extra points to students who can call out if they get a prime number, square roots or squares of numbers, multiples of numbers and identify the x in our simultaneous equations!
Nightwalk
Experience the night with no street lights. A local walk to hear the sounds of the night and see the night sky.
Problem Solving
A series of fun challenges will test the students ability to work as a team.
Disco
A fun way to finish your course. You can use our CD’s or plug in your phone/ipad etc to play your own music.
Nightline
Blindfolded teams of students follow a rope trail through the woods.
Quiz
A Pendarren themed quiz – to find the answers contestants need to explore the house and grounds.
Talent Show
Some teachers like to organise a Talent Show.
Tipi
Camp fire, circle time, songs, story telling, toasting marshmallows
Table Tennis
I indoor and 1 outdoor table
Problem Solving
Groups work in teams to solve the puzzle; indoor and outdoors challenges available.
‘Shoe Box Challenge’ is an indoor version where the Challenges are contained in a small box.
Design and Technology Challenges – build a parachute to safely land your eggs, make a kite to fly on the mountain tops.
Big Group Games
Giants Wizards and Elves – loosely based on rock, paper, scissors.
Not In My Half – an energetic game to ensure your ‘half’ stays free of whatever the opposition want to place in it.
Sardines – Like Hide and Seek but the other way round. Find the sardine and stick to them. Make sure you are not the last to find the shoal of sardines!
Hide and Seek
Cat and Mouse
Parachute games
Zip line (April-October)
Raise the Flag
Trail Quest
Environmental trail around Pendarren Park
Camping
Camping experience on the Pendarren lawn. House facilities and catering can be used so the main activity programme can run as usual. Tents are 2-4 person tents. It will require a willing member(s) of staff to supervise the camping group. They can all camp on one night, or stagger it over 3 nights.
Films
Smartboards with projectors now in House, Annexe and Countryside Study Centre, please bring DVD.
SATS BOOSTERS
Yes some schools do SATS revision or use evening time to help students make links between their experiences and their learning in the classroom.
The following require booking, dependant on availability
Storyteller
Daniel Morden is our local storyteller, and is occasionally seen on stage in London and visiting schools in Haringey. His books are available in the Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green. There is a fee for this 45 minute evening session (which is currently subsidised by the Friends of Pendarren). £1.50 per pupil.
The Spacemen
are back!! Please contact Pendarren as they are often booked up. In an inflatable dome, the students lie back and watch the night sky unfold above them. Run by an enthusiastic retired teacher who know everything you need to know above the night sky. No fee, but donations appreciated.
Other evening activities
Diaries
The diary is a simple but useful tool to encourage students to think about their achievements, teamwork and emotions and to express these in words. For some students it will be one of the few tangible things they have to remind themselves of their Pendarren experience in years to come.
The primary diary has a number of sheets for all diaries (cover, background information, reflection ideas), and a number of activity specific sheets for you to choose what is relevant for your group.
The secondary diary has a standard daily sheet which encourages students to reflect on both their and others achievements during the day.
Download all diary pages from: Group leaders/downloads.
Tuckshop
Open as required. See Student page for items and souvenir prices.
OTHER SESSIONS
Falconry
The Falconry Centre brings the birds to Pendarren House and displays the birds on the lawn, the children are usually invited to participate. The birds include owls and hawks. There is a charge for this 1 hour session. Usually run as a late afternoon session.
