Grade 4 Camp Beach Activity:
On March 11th to March 13th, Grade 4 went to camp in Mui Wo, staying there for two nights. We learnt survival skills, how to build a raft, and played at the waterfall. Most people had fun with the activities, although some got really sandy and bitten by mosquitos playing on the beach. How about you? How do you feel about staying with your friends and teachers for 3 days and 2 nights?
Each student was a part of a team. Every day, the teams would rotate between 3 activities: Mui Wo Voyager, beach activities, and going to explore cave and a waterfall. My first activity was the beach activity day!
When arrived at Mui Wo Beach, our facilitator taught us to tie a variety of knots. Then, we started to make a raft using tubes, ropes and poles. We worked as a team and tied strong, sturdy knots. At the end, we tested the raft on the water. At first, I thought it would sink but when we sat on it – it did not sink! Our team competed against another team and we won. I thought the first activity was amazing already, and I had a feeling it would keep getting better.
Dinner at Camp:
On the first night of Grade 4 camp, we sat down with one or more of our group members. The dinner was pretty good, and the chicken wings were especially popular. Monise from 4C said that on the first night she really enjoyed the dinner, and her favourite part of the meal was the chicken wings. Valerie T. from 4C was slightly disappointed that she couldn’t sit with her friends. We ate together in a large cafeteria with round tables. The food was set up in the centre of the table to be eaten together. Overall, everyone thought that dinner was really enjoyable. After dinner, we went back to our camp groups to do some games or reflections.
Sleeping in Dorms:
Are you wondering where the G4 students stayed overnight in Mui Wo?
The dorm rooms were actually kind of nice! We slept in bunk beds. The bathroom smelled a little weird, but overall, we appreciated having our own space. One little word of advice, make sure to turn on the water heater BEFORE you shower – or else the water will be cold. Also, don’t forget to put the tap on the cold-water side first, because the warm water was piping hot – you don’t want to get burnt. Dorm rooms receive a score of 8 out of 10 from us!
Grade 4 Camp Silver Mine Cave Exploration:
After a hearty breakfast in the canteen, G4 groups arrived at the campsite’s amphitheatre for a safety briefing, strapped their helmets onto their bags and left the campsite for what was going to be one of the best activities the fourth graders would experience in their 3 day trip.
Students made their own lunch and were given a variety of ingredients to make sandwiches. Once the sandwiches had been made, students set off on a hike towards Silver Mine Cave and waterfall. The hike to the mine took about two hours, because we had to take regular breaks and navigated by ourselves.
Once we arrived at Silver Mine Cave, we learned about oxidation, weathering, rust, and how silver and gold last a long time. We then used miniature tools to mine through small clay bricks for gems. Among the many gems were pyrite, tigers’ eye, and amethyst. After mining and brushing the gems clean, we used a chart to see what the personality traits of the different gems were and headed towards the waterfall.
Grade 4 Camp Mui Wo Voyager:
We woke up bright and early to begin our day at camp. We had a delicious breakfast in the canteen, which consisted of apple juice, corn flakes and toast with jam – fuelling us up to start a new adventure and focus on our mission for the day.
Our main objective for the morning was an exciting and adventurous challenge called Mui Wo Voyager. The facilitators gathered us in a circle and handed each group a paper filled with questions and riddles. We had to navigate through the town and find the answers by visiting different landmarks to earn points for our teams. There was a lot of energy in the air, because the facilitators told us that the group with the most points at the end would win a whole, juicy watermelon as a prize! This reward made everyone go the extra mile and were all very determined to answer every single question on that list.
During our long walk, we visited many notable destinations that taught us about the history of the area. We visited the Man Mo Temple, the oldest temple in Mui Wo! We took some time to eat a snack and explore the temple. We also spent a lot of time at the ferry pier, weaving through the crowds to look for clues and complete the riddles on our papers. As we navigated the winding paths, we were surprised to see large water buffalo and cows roaming freely through the open fields, right along the sidewalks. It was fascinating to see these gentle animals so close to the town, just strolling calmly as we walked past them. Along the way, we also discovered several fire beaters leaning against the fences. These specialized tools are designed to extinguish grass fires and seeing them in person was a completely new experience for me. These unique sights added an interesting layer of discovery to our journey through Mui Wo.
By the time we finished our voyage, we were exhausted from walking in the sun. The tasks challenged us to work as a team and had us working together the whole day. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I would definitely do it again, if I had another chance.
