Arlington School Spy Day

As a Ranger team we have spent a significant amount of time creating a schools program, so that school groups can choose from a list of sessions we run. We have created varied sessions for a variety of ages including habitat and natural art days.

We have also created a day known as our wild play day, the sessions enable children to fully understand what the outdoors can offer them in a series of fun cross curricular play sessions.

Last week we got the chance to do Arlington Spy School with Shirwell Primary School. Shirwell also came and spent a day with us last month doing our music day, they were even subjected to our now infamous 'Sheep Rap'  and therefore we knew we had to really pull out all the stops to impress them again at Spy School.

Steve and I decided to get into character for the day which involved us getting agent T- shirts and camouflage face paint. We decided to create agent names based on British wildlife; Agent Shrew, Agent Dormouse and Agent Otter.

Shirwell School soon settled in when they arrived having themselves adorned with camouflage face paint as they were introduced to spy school and instructed that they were now training to be top Arlington agents.

The spy school morning session is designed to teach the students skills they will need in the afternoon surprise challenge. They were split into three groups and each group three sessions. One being an assault course designed to improve their team work. A map drawing exercise which will teach them to draw and use a map by following directional arrows. And the third exercise is to create a 'secret' trail using sticks and stone to mark the way.

Following a successful morning session the trainee agents were then informed that they had a written exam for the afternoon to prove their agent skills. However as they are being set up for their exam an emergency call over the radio came through from Agent Otter; He has been captured by the evil Dr Worm!

Agent Shrew and Agent Dormouse told the trainee agents that they will have to assist with the rescue. The Trainee agents are organised into six groups and given their mission packs to help lead them around a  pre laid trail guiding them to Agent Otter. Each group had a teacher as a leader and they are all started at different locations on the clue trail.

All the groups got into the competitive spirit especially Mr Allen's (Shirwell's Headteacher) group who were seen leaping over flower beds. The groups completed the trail following clues and collected letters to gain access to Agent Otter's final location. The first group managed to complete the trail within 30 minutes and rushed down to find Agent Otter who had been tied up by Dr Worm in the Wilderness.

Each group was allowed to find Agent Otter and then went back up to wait for all the groups to complete the trail. Following completion of the challenge each student was awarded with Arlington Spy School pass certificate with their own secret agent name.

All the students went home in high spirits from their day of spy school training. Steve and I were also very happy that the day went so well but exhausted from an extremely busy day. And we packed away our shirts untill the next school books on the Arlington Spy School Day.