By Mrs Cruse (Head of Years 7 and 8)

On Friday 26th April, Year 8 students from BGS and Bedford School spent the day together, working collaboratively in an engaging team-building event at Bedford School.

The students were fortunate with the weather, as the sun shone down on them while they competed to be the best team, working through a number of activities. They had to learn how to work together and understand each other's strengths and weaknesses as they tackled the different challenges. These challenges stretched them both mentally and physically; in some, they were not permitted to communicate verbally, forcing them to find alternative strategies to meet the targets.

After a practice session, the students faced a race against the clock to complete each challenge. Throughout the day, there was a lot of laughter as everyone got to know one another and tackled the challenges together. Staff members offered encouraging cheers from the sidelines. The activities varied from building a tower using ropes with a hook to move the bricks, to getting a ball into a bucket using tubing without verbal communication, and walking in unison on group wooden skis without falling off or touching the grass.

Eleanor (Year 8) said: “My favourite activity was the hook game because I thought it helped us communicate effectively with each other. I also liked the tape game because we got to learn a lot about each other. I think that the throwing game taught us how to cooperate and rely on our team. In my opinion, the number game, with the ball, was difficult because it required coordination and cooperation, which we lacked at the start. To me, I thought that the day was fun, and we got to learn more about each other.”

Maya (Year 8) added: “I really enjoyed Friday, and I really think it furthered my communication and teamwork skills, especially when working with new people. My favourite activity was ‘Floor is Lava’ because although my team was far behind in the beginning, we eventually worked together to build a strategy that worked, and we won. The most frustrating activity I found, and I think most groups' forum was the ‘build a tower’ activity. It consists of lifting a metal rod with 12 strings (one person holding a string) and slotting it into these bricks to then stack them. The coordination needed for this activity was unreal, but with good communication, it was possible, and we completed it.”

Flickr album: Team Building Challenged with Bedford School, April 2024 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin