best

L&E receives prestigious Award

We have been named as Winners of the Go Overseas Community Choice Award 2020…named by the people who matter most — the community (the children and families).

Thank you to all those involved in, what was a very difficult year but one that also had a lot of very special moments. We may not have had camp or travel but we had a lot of fun in other ways…

Highlights:

• Online Language & Life Skill Courses
• Virtual Camp
• L&E Home Launched
• 24 Hours Campfire across 6 continents
• 30 Day Challenge for Save the Children
• New Website
• Global Teen Chats
• Online Dance Classes
• Online Circus Skills
• Online Guitar Classes
• New Podcast

Go Overseas wrote: “We’re thrilled to recognize Learn & Experience as one of the best travel organizations in 2020 through this merit-based award, especially after such a difficult year for our industry.”

North Camp, Week 2, 2018

Monday, 16th July

The children began their first day of week 2 North Camp with a hearty breakfast of delicious British crumpets and toast. Afterwards they partook in the iconic L&E tradition of morning dodgeball, in which a small tournament was established, and the children fought to take their team to the top. The children then chose one of three options for the morning activities, netball, den building, and papier mache balloon making.

Although it did start to rain (in typical English fashion), this didn’t dampen the spirits of our campers one bit, as the den builders raced to construct a shelter and the netballers fled to the sports hall, the activities continued without interruption. Campers partaking in our creative class got stuck into a messy session of papier mache, whilst others got to grips with friendship bracelets, the poor weather posed no obstacle! Those studying English braved the rain and ventured into Bedale for an exciting scavenger hunt

Having refilled our engines, the groups then chose their second activity of the day. Hockey was very popular, however somewhat overshadowed by an excellent scavenger hunt created by Harriet, where the children had to solve a riddle in order to get all the clues to find the hidden prize. The children in creative let their imaginations run wild when creating pompom hairbands and mysterious characters.

After a dinner of fish fingers and chips, the children prepared for arguably one of the best nights of camp (amongst others), icebreakers! The campers were split into teams in order to take on a series of exciting and hilarious icebreakers, which ultimately ended with determined campers yelling ‘chubby bunny’ in an attempt to win the final game. After a great evening, the campers settled down with hot chocolate before bed, concluding the first day of north camp week 2.

Click for Monday Photos

Tuesday, 17th July

With a hearty British classic of bacon ‘sarnies for breakfast, some very energised campers with made their way over to the sport’s hall to commence the morning with an exhilarating game of dodgeball. The tutors verses campers match saw the tutors quickly annihilated, soon realising that winning against 72 campers is quite the challenge! The day opened with scuba diving, which continued throughout the day to ensure that all campers got the chance to snorkel with the infamous Scuba Steve. Those partaking in creative embarked on an incredibly enthusiastic session of karaoke, accompanied by some gorgeous solos and choreographed dances. Those opting for adventure got involved with some archery (a special shout out to Sara who scored a perfect bull’s eye!) which proved very popular. Regardless of some rainy outbursts in the morning, sport continued with a game of five aside football in the sports hall which resulted in sweaty faces all around!

With another stereotypically British meal of beef stew, our campers returned to their afternoon activities. Scuba diving continued, whilst some sunny outbreaks allowed for a fantastic game of tennis for those opting for sport. The creative session ran with a variety of options – continuing papier mache, creating photo frames and ‘ancient’ art pieces fashioned into treasure maps, there was an option for everyone! Activities were concluded with some free time in the pool, exhibiting some fabulous pool-acrobatics and water fights.

Evening activities consisted of a warm up game of catch the flag and a series of competitive team games, prior to our greatly anticipated weekly campfire! Having chanted some of our campfire classics, groups took to the stage to perform, many of which featuring national anthems, whilst others sung solo pieces, seeking reward for some coveted marshmallows. With marshmallows toasted, and hot chocolates finished, our very happy campers go to sleep content and tired after yet another busy day at North Camp, in anticipation for the fun to be had tomorrow.

Click for Tuesday’s Photos

Wednesday, 18th July

As we come to half way through week 2, the new campers have really settled in to life at L&E, tried lots of new activitities and found new friendships. After the jolly singalongs at last night’s campfire the kids woke up bright and full of energy ready to take on another day of fun. Fueled by boiled eggs and toast, dodgeball got everyone working together before splitting off for morning activities.
Creative was outdoor chalk drawings and we added lots of colour to the basketball court and walls. The sport option was rugby and with an enthusiastic bunch of campers, the game was very close. We had a delicious adventure option onsite, making muffins in oranges on the campfire, and as it was so popular we offered it again in the afternoon. The English group also had a chance to bake after discussing food, restaurant role play and exploring menus – their jam tarts were scrumptious!
With canoeing an option in both morning and afternoon lots of campers had the chance to give it a go – some for the first time. We had a slalom course, a couple of games of water polo and even sang head, shoulders, knees and toes while standing and jumping in the canoes. We had a couple of kids falling/jumping out and we all went swimming at the end before heading back for lunch.

Filling up on bangers and mash, salad and fruit the campers then had a little free time before afternoon activity choices. After the horse riders and canoeists set off and the campfire was relit the rest of the camp had a choice between sport and creative. Ultimate frisbee was the sport option with just the right amount of competive spirit to keep it interesting. For creative, the campers were also up and about with a dance session then a yoga class. They were taught a piece of choreogphy, some floor work and had the chance to freestyle and work in pairs. The yoga session left our brains and bodies feeling calm and rested with some giggles when our balances didn’t quite work out. With some free time before dinner, lots of the campers chose to go to the pool to squeeze in a little more fun before a dinner of pasta and garlic bread, with most going for seconds.

After a very physical day, we were happy that movie night gave us a chance to chill out in our pjs. With this week’s theme being Spy Games, our movie of choice was ‘Johnny English’, which the campers thought was hilarious. It was soon time for hot chocolate and a good nights sleep ready for tomorrow’s adventures.

Click for Wednesday’s Photos

Thursday, 19th July

This morning we had breakfast as normal at 8:15 followed by a game of dodgeball between 9 and 10 am, to warm us all up for the days activities. The sport activity for this morning was waterpolo which was held at the swimming pool. A group went out rock climbing as the mornings adventure activity, and the rest of the adventurers played a game of capture the flag and the creative group had a morning of nature art. This concluded the morning activities before lunch.

The afternoon activities consisted of a second group going out rock climbing for the adventure activity, and the rest of the adventure group going out to do some tree climbing. A small group of 8 had an afternoon of football out on he field which was very enjoyable session even though the number of players were limited. The waterslide was a whirlwind ride of opportunity and adventure which was run by a few of the camp tutors while the rest prepared for the evenings theme night.

The theme of this week was ‘Spy Night’ and was a huge evening event which took place at various stations around the school. We had a number of mysterious yet fun and energetic games and activities set up by our L&E staff. Games like, Water balloon target practice, Interrogation room and a small casino where the campers could bet skittles on the games they played. Tonight was a great success for all the staff and campers and there was no better way to end the night with a cup of hot chocolate in the dining hall with the whole group before bed after an exhausting day.

Click for Thursday’s Photos

Friday, 20th July

What a day to finish off the second week of Learn & Experience North camp! It has been an epic week with plentiful laughter and kindness at the abundance.

Can’t be more proud of the group of young people that have attended this week. They have risen above all tasks and taken on activities like absolute professionals.

We started the day with a wholesome cooked breakfast, a select few were picked to go on the outdoor adventure to Brimham where they were able to clamber across rocks and be true outdoor explorers.

While they were away the others were able to let loose in the dodgeball hall. Some for the last time.

Then teams were split, one for creative to create masterpieces of art and crafts! The others were sent out to fiercely battle on the rounders pitch!

Lunch was consumed and the everyone joined in to feast on a rather quality spread of cooked food and salad.

Soon enough, after some free time, we regrouped as a whole to see which group could create the ultimate bin bag extraordinaire outfit. A catwalk was set out and 7 fabulous looking individuals strutted their stuff in their bin bag masterpieces. Finally Albane and Fergus were the winners with their strut and truly creative outfits!

Everyone sat around for what was the final supper for many, afterwards packing their bags and preparing their Oscar outfits!

It was an excellent evening!! Oscars took off with a wham and a bam.
Music – Fergus
Kindest – Theo
Helpful – Nina
Creative – Elise
Happiest – Paul
Sports – Sven
Adventure – Alexandre
Rising star – Karol
Star -David

We had a trio of gymnastics, a piano recital by Zoe, the polish national anthem (lead was Karol, taking a magnificent stand whilst backed by a dozen enthusiastic fellow campers), Zoe-Marie lead a French solo, Fergus and Simon lead a chant!

We finished the evening with a quality montage of the week in photos and videos and a raving disco where the campers were cutting shapes and showing their skills!

Hot chocolate and off they all went to bed with high spirits!

Click for Photos from Friday

Weekend

This weekend the L&E North Camp, happy campers travelled to Whitby. A lovely countryside town where the streets a lined with fish and chips shops and old sweet shops, with ice cream stalls dotted in between. It was a cloudy but warm day and the children roamed the streets enjoying what the town had to offer. Some of them braving to feel the temperature of the sea and others climbing the 199 steps to get a panoramic view of the town.

In the evening the campers settled in with some popcorn to watch The Avengers and then it was hot chocolate and bed.

North Camp, Week 1, 2018

First Sunday Night, 8th July

With the sun beating down on yet another (surprisingly) gorgeous July day, the commencement of North Camp 2018 could not have started on a sweeter note. As the students bounded into camp, the tutors excitedly awaited their arrival. 

With some strenuous exercise carrying some rather heavy suitcases up the seemingly never-ending four flights of stairs, we were all rewarded with a wonderful barbecue, allowing campers both old and new to catch up and familiarise themselves with their fellow campers.

With the sun continuing to defy the odds and shine down on a happy bunch of campers, appeased and content with full tummies, the famous L&E games began. The evening commenced with a very fast paced game of ‘Splat’, followed by fruit basket, 40/40 and an old classic; British Bulldogs, we all saw a glimmer of the amazing fun to be had for the next four weeks. As a gorgeous sunset drew to a close, the campers slowly left the field and filed into the school for another annual camp debrief, concluding on a chant of our infamous mantra, ‘Be kind, be kind, be kind!’

As the chatter in the rooms slowly softened, the lights dimmed and the hubbub of the school eventually drawing to a close, North Camp 2018 looks to be our best year yet.

Click for First Night photos

Monday, 9th July

This morning started with a hearty breakfast of crumpets and honey which went down a treat and filled the children’s bellies in preparation for their first full day of camp. The warm-up was, the ever popular, dodgeball and as usual the children were victorious!!  The morning activities to choose from were basketball, canoeing and den building and, with the sun high in the sky, the children were keen to get started. 

After a wander through the extensive grounds the den builders found the ideal location for their grand designs.  Not only did they manage to build some amazing structures they also managed to decorate them.  The children showed some awesome teamwork and reminded us that in fact – teamwork makes the dreamwork!  Tim’s insatiable ability to get the basketball from ANYWHERE was quite outstanding but little Miguel was able to swish the ball from left, right and rhubarb.  

The canoeists spent the day on the water both in both the morning afternoon and again, we were lucky with the weather.  There was some falling and jumping in the water at the end as always!

The afternoon’s creative session was decoupage flower pots and tissue flowers to decorate their new rooms, adding lots of colour across camp. We also introduced the campers to this week’s World Cup theme and learned a bit about each other.  Today’s sport continued with an afternoon football tournament, in the penalty shootout Mani was amazing – his tenacity earned him “Person of the Match”.

Monday night means only one thing – ice-breakers!  New records were set in many categories.  Issac has obviously been practicing since last year and crushed the old chubby bunnies record and managed to get 17 marshmallows in his mouth whilst still being coherent.  Harriet (tutor) managed to catch an egg which was a new record for her, unfortunately the egg broke all over her!  We finished icebreakers with the egg drop where each team designs the safest way to drop an egg while keeping it intact……..3 out 8 eggs made it to the bottom! 

With new friendships made, everyone got into PJs for hot chocolate before bed.

Click for Day 1 Photos

Tuesday, 10th July

As the sun rose on the 2^nd full day of camp this year, campers woke up bright and early, prepared for another action packed day. Breakfast offered up the treat of some bacon, tomatoes and toast, the perfect fuel for the following dodgeball session. The kids dodged, ducked, dipped and dived through the mornings warm up activity, and left the dodgeball hall raring to go for the plethora of activities on offer for the morning session.

The morning activities were varied, but all proved popular amongst campers. For the English lessons a paper plane making, fact finding mission, all with the focus on the past and future tenses, transitioned into a summer themed singing activity with the focus on adjectives. Our sport enthusiasts tackled the challenge of touch rugby, our adventure campers had the exciting experience of scuba diving in our very own pool with a professional instructor, and the creative group were focusing on making flag and bunting (it’s almost as if there was a big game coming up.

The afternoon activities of campfire preparation, ultimate Frisbee and creating friendship bracelets were short, but immensely popular, as we needed to fit time for our first giant water slide session of the summer. The old favourite L&E waterslide was back, and oh boy was it back with a bang! Who’d have guessed that a hill, tarpaulin, washing up liquid and sumo wrestling could be the ingredients for the perfect summer afternoon?

After a dinner of enchiladas, it was time for the inaugural campfire of 2018. We boochickarooed our way through multiple campfire classics, and were then treated to some magnificent performances from campers and tutors, with a particular shoutout going to Greta for her superb rendition of Shawn Mendes’ ‘Stitches’. Finally, we had the big screen up and the seats in place, it was time for the game, the big one (or warm up for tomorrow), France vs Belgium. A great atmosphere, largely created from having campers from both nationalities, ensured the game was cheered on in a friendly but competitive spirit.

After the match ended we finished with some hot chocolate, and all tired after such a fun filled day, retired to bed, looking forward to continuing with the L&E adventure tomorrow.

Click for Day 2 Photos

Wednesday, 11th July

Today, yet again, we had beautiful weather in sunny Yorkshire. After a a delicious breakfast of fresh bread rolls and toast with cheese and ham we embarked on the morning warm up of dodgeball! The game was very intense and as the balls wizzed and whirled around the sports hall children dove and rolled out of line of fire.

The morning activities were very exciting. The adventure option was canoeing and the children basked in the glorious sunlight as they paddled through the lake. In the spirit of the ‘Word Cup’ they played football on the water, manoeuvring their canoes around some tricky turns to score goals against each other. However, the children spent more time in water capsized rather than in their boat and ended their trip with some dives and flips into the lake. It was so clear that they could see the fishes swimming along the lake floor.

Our sport option, was a game of kickball which is a cross between football, rounders, and baseball. The children rally enjoyed the competitiveness of the game and there were some outstanding sportswomen and men amongst them.

Durning the English lessons the students wrote stories and busting out some awesome acting skills during a game of charades. We are hoping to see more of this in their presentation later in the week.

In the creative activity the kids were painting some graffiti walls, working in groups to create a wall with their names and a picture. A few people also designed their own football kits. In the afternoon the kids did movie making and a dance routine.

In the afternoon the children also had the opportunity to chose a second adventure option of a very exciting scavenger hunt. Clues were dotted round the school and they had to find them, but after each clue there were more items that the group had to carry and/or wear that would make it harder for them to reach the next clue quicker. Out was a very entertaining display of determination and learning, mixed with a lot of fun and laughter.

Sports in the afternoon lead with relay races between the pizzas, the doughnuts, the burgers and the marshmallows. They competed in events such as the egg and spoon race and the three legged race. It is noted that that no harm came to any eggs during the competition.

After a delicious dinner of homemade pizza, the group split up, some people were watching the movie Coco, and others watched the horrendously shocking football match where most of us cried. Although it wasn’t a great day for England and their World Cup dream, at L&E the children have gone to bed with bellies full of hot chocolate and excitement for what the next few days of camp will bring!

Click for Day 3 Photos

Thursday, 12th July

The sunrise brought a overcast and cool morning  revitalising there children as they bounded down  the stairs and started off with an hearty serving of scrambled eggs, beans and toast to fuel a busy day.The morning session proved enjoyable and challenging covering the three zones. The sport option being split into two activities the first being handball. Teams separating themselves into 4 groups in a torment fashion, the competition was fierce  but  the Muchachalataas came out on top. Following this was bench ball a camp favourite where the children had to pass a ball to a team mate on a bench and join them till none where left on the field to win.

The adventure choice for the day was  thrilling rock climbing testing the children’s  nerves and  stamina conducted at Down Holmes quarry. Scaling  walls of varying degrees of challenge coming back to camp exhausted but with a sense of achievement.

The creative section consisted of game creation and owing to the season being the world cup these mainly revolved around football. One of the standouts consisted of a box painted and designed like a field and pompoms used for balls and straws to move it. A simple and enjoyable game that all could play.

The afternoon session matched the intensity and enjoyment of the first with sports involving tennis under the cleared sky. Ordering the children by experience across three fields so all could enjoy and learn as they played. This followed by indoor hockey coming down to a golden goal to break the tie.The creative options has a edible version where the children followed a tutor through the baking and design of biscuits. Following a  simple but direct  recipe the end result being delectable and shared  to their peers delight. Rock climbing proceeding through the day. 

Once dinner consisting of of pasta and rice ended ,they would needs its energy, theme night commenced. In this case the night revolved around the world cup. The children where separated into eight countries painted themselves to their nation and went  trough eight activities organised by tutors. These  consisting of flag naming, Tabletop football and commentating, catch the tears, fan celebrating, balloon keepsiupsies, slow motion dives and relays. All of these collecting red cards to be used at the finale, a penalty shoot out. These cards could be exchanged for extra shots  in the competition beyond the normal number. The air was charged but silent for each shot and explosive in its completion. In the end five teams being joint victor.

The night came to a end with exhausted bodies but smiling faces looking forward to the next day. 

Click for Day 4 Photos

Friday, 13th July

This morning began with many exhausted, yet happy campers, all of whom had spent their previous evening running around enthusiastically during the World Cup theme night. After enjoying a filling breakfast of bacon, toast and fruit, the day kicked off with the usual dodgeball warm up activity, followed by four exciting morning options. The students taking part in English lessons worked hard interviewing and asking their fellow campers and tutors questions such as ‘what is your favourite activity at camp?’ before successfully writing and compiling their own L&E newsletter together.

The other morning activities to choose from were campfire cooking, postcard and friendship bracelet making and rounders/indoor football. The adventure option of campfire cooking was incredibly popular as the campers enthusiastically participated in building the campfire, before making chocolate chip and sultana muffins, encased inside orange skins. The creative use of orange skins was a huge success and provided the muffins with a hint of orange flavour, but despite them being incredibly delicious, the muffins did not hinder the appetite of our campers.

We then enjoyed a delicious lunch of traditional fish and chips, before commencing the main event of the afternoon – the traditional L&E triathlon. The campers were divided into teams of three, with each person taking part in either the swim, run or the obstacle course. Overall the triathlon was a huge success, with prizes awarded to the winners of the bronze, silver and gold categories.

In the end, the night concluded with the famous L&E ‘Oscars’ as many campers were nominated in various categories such as ‘Happiest Camper’, ‘Most Helpful’ and ‘Be Kind, Be Kind, Be Kind’. A huge congratulations to all of the winners and nominees, especially for Aune, the week one winner of the prestigious ‘Star Camper’ award. The night also included special performances from our talented campers, with singing, dancing and gymnastics performances. The disco was definitely a highlight of the week and allowed all of the campers to celebrate the end of a successful first week at L&E 2018.

Click for Day 5 Photos

Weekend

And in the blink of an eye the first week of L&E 2018 was over. The children were sad to see campers depart on Saturday morning but their eyes soon dried as they looked towards the trip to York.

The weather was kind to us as we made our way to one of the most beautiful cities in Yorkshire. The children visited old sweet shops, enjoyed the street performers and had a lovely lunch by the minster. It was lovely to see all the campers chatting and enjoying each others company in the presence of such history and culture.

Most Incredible UK Summer Camp

We are very proud to announce that we made it onto Tutorful’s Most Incredible UK Summer Camps list! Check out the full list here.

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us!!! We work very hard to ensure our camps offer a unique cultural experience in a safe and enjoyable setting. We live by our motto that happy children thrive!

Our 2018 camps are filling up very fast so please get in touch with us soon if you are considering a camp for your children – we promise to give them a summer of a lifetime!

Thanks again Tutorful!!!

Staff Catch-up

 At this time of year it’s always nice to catch up with friends and find out what everyone is up to.  It seems like everyone is off adventuring far and wide!  

Vicky

Vikky who worked this year at our Madrid Camp and North Camp is currently wandering the forests of New Zealand looking for the biggest fern tree she can find!

Julie-Ann

Another staff member off adventuring is Julie-Anne who is teaching in Thailand.  Fortunately she still manages to get some time off to explore the jungle or the islands!

Harriet

Harriet who has worked for us for a few years now is off in S.E Asia doing some travelling.

Hayley

Another one of our new recruits at camp this year has also been very busy since camp!  A massive congrats to Hayley who is now a fully qualified Pilates teacher and is currently working towards her Yoga teaching training qualification too.  She is still saving the world one dance party at a time!

Ollie & Tom

Our boys seem to have been in the wars….  Ollie had nose surgery after camp and Tom had to get foot surgery.  They are both all healed up and fighting fit you’ll be glad to know.

Matt, Ollie & Will

Now look who our Kenyan boys Matt and Ollie ran into in Zanzibar…..only Will Smith!!!   Such a small world!!!

Paul

Paul, one of our English teachers at camp is enjoying his first year at Lancaster University studying Economics.

Jade & Sammey

Another girl who is off adventuring is Jade who worked with us at the South Camp.  She is the deputy head of boarding at a school in sunny southern Spain!  Lucky for some!!  A bit closer to home Ashleigh is working hard in her first year of teaching…..head in the books it seems!   Sammey who was also a new recruit is back from travelling in New Zealand and is enjoying teaching Yoga in the West of Wales.

Wilson

Another new recruit this year was the lovely Wilson.  After some cancelled flights and a last minute change of airport he is now happily in Courchevel (French Alps ski resort) where he is working for Esprit as a snow ranger (child care) for the next 5 months.  Not a bad place to spend Christmas and New Year!

Sarah

Our very own Sarah is working hard in her day job and making sure her pupils know all about L&E – good work Sarah!

Here at L&E we are so lucky to have such amazing staff who come back each summer to work at camp.  We have such an amazing mix of individuals who bring a vast amount of experience and creatively to our camps.  A lot of our staff come back to camp year after year and some describe it as their happy place.

L&E – “Top 10 of Best Summer Camps”

L&E have been listed in the Top 10 of Best Summer Camps in the UK and THE Best Camp for a Cultural Experience. This is a fantastic accolade and only goes to confirm the growing reputation that L&E is gaining after only 3 years. To see the full article click here