‘Embracing’ the Summer – our Skool’s Out Playscheme Events
Posted on 6th September 2024 at 19:42
Every summer, our ‘Skool’s Out’ playschemes run for three weeks during the holidays for children and young people between 8 and 17 years old, at Ridgeway School in Kempston. With loads of fun activities on and offsite, there are all sorts of opportunities to experience – there’s nothing that we won’t try, and this year has been no different!
Here’s a rundown of some of the brilliant activities that our young people and their families have enjoyed over the holidays - and how we’ve been ‘Embracing’ the summer at Skool’s Out.
Week 1 - Making Music
The holidays opened with a bang, as we launched a fantastic week-long collaboration: our Open Orchestra Project with Bedford Music Co-operative. We created soundscapes with iPads, got stuck into music-based arts/crafts, and enjoyed some sensory exploration around the theme of ‘The River’, finishing with a performance to friends and family. We even had Look East join us for a day of this project, to document one of our young people and the remarkable fundraising work she’s been doing for Embrace: Frankie Pickup’s 70 for 70 Challenge!
In Week 1 we also went on a few trips: braving the cold at Planet Ice in Milton Keynes; bouncing around at Flip Out trampoline park in Rushden Lakes; enjoying the Sensory Room at the John Bunyan Centre in Bedford; and appreciating the countryside at Marston Country Park, and the accessible play area at Russell Park too! We also took the plunge with a few swim sessions in the Hydro Pool at Ridgeway.
Week 2 – A Feast for the Senses
It was a tasty start to the week, as ACE joined us – our 18+ group – and they made their own pizza lunch and mocktails! They showed us how independent they were designing their own pizzas, walking to the shop to purchase ingredients, and then baking their pizzas too – which looked so yummy!
For the rest of the week, we were joined by lots of special guests, who brought us all sorts of fantastic sensory activities and experiences. Nathan Sounds gave us a relaxing sound bath, music and a singalong; and Spectrum Arts took us through a Sensory Story exploration of the Julia Donaldson book, The Smeds and The Smoos. There were things to smell and taste, music to hear and songs to sing, and various elements of the story to touch and feel as well. We explored the Wurpula Woods, blasted off in a rocket ship, and even got to dress up and dance like aliens!
Space Camp took our imaginations out of this world, and we made sensory galaxy jars, stained glass window decorations in the shapes of planets and stars, and paper rockets - which the young people loved launching!
Week 3 – Our Own Summer of Sport
A few of our young people had been following the very exciting 2024 Paris Olympics, so we decided to host our very own Summer of Sport! The young people made their own flags, medals, torches and sporting gear, we took part in different sporting activities too.
We had another Space Camp on the Wednesday of Week 3, and this time we made planet mobiles, launched water rockets, and took part in a space themed sensory story.
Celebrating Together
On the last day of our Summer playscheme, we celebrated all the fun we’ve had, and the fabulous experiences we’d been able to share. The young people spent the morning practising their Olympic parade and games, which they then shared with their families in the afternoon. There was a real party atmosphere, with a disco, sensory room, Toy Library, and lots of cake too. Thank you to everyone who donated beautiful cakes, snacks and the funds to make our celebration possible, and go with such a swing - and it was especially lovely to have lots of new families join us for this special day!
And Then – We Flew Kites!
There was a late addition to the programme on 19 August, as we headed off to Dunstable Downs for the annual Kite Festival!
We were lucky enough to secure a hosted visit to the Festival, which included a Dunstable Downs staff member to assist families in taking part in activities, a chill-out gazebo exclusively for our families to use - and most exciting of all, the opportunity to fly some kites with the professionals! With perfect weather and plenty of places to enjoy a picnic too, it was such a wonderful day out in the countryside for all the families who could join us – and a brilliant way to round off our summer of fun.
We’re so proud of the fabulous events we were able to provide for our young people and families this year – we know what a difference it makes to continue that support through the holidays. The joy on our young people’s faces when they experience something new and exciting just can’t be matched, and it’s all possible because of every single penny that is so kindly donated or raised by our fabulous supporters.
There’s still time to join our big fundraising effort for our 70th birthday year, as we aim to raise £70,000 to celebrate. Part of that is our popular #70For70Challenge - can you raise a minimum of £70, by doing 70 things?
We’d love you to join in:
Thank you so much to every one of you for helping our young people to enjoy Embracing the Summer this year!
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