Life Skills Residential Weekend at FCA Midlands
Over the Easter holidays here at FCA Midlands, we had our Residential Life Skills Weekend at Cannock Chase and WOW where do I even start!! We all had such an amazing weekend chock full of games, learning and laughter!
🍽️ MasterChefs in the Making!
The weekend kicked off with our young people planning their own meals, sticking to a budget, and shopping for everything they needed! 💷🛒
We all came together to write our shopping list for the weekend, and it was down to our young people to follow the shopping list and budgets given to buy all the food for the weekend! Then came the cooking – from chopping veggies, to mastering the best nachos, they did it all! They then had to roll their sleeves up to wash up – everyone learned how to cook and clean like a pro. Gordon Ramsay, watch out!
🏡 Furnishing on a Budget & Time Management🕒
Could you furnish a flat with just a small budget? 💡💸 Well, we did! In a fun budgeting activity, everyone worked together to “shop” for furniture and essentials to make a home feel just right. It was a great way to learn about money, choices, and the essentials needed for a home.
We also got them thinking about time management in the future when they have jobs and bills to pay! ⏰📅 It was then down to our young people to use their imagination and plan their full week in the future when they have a job, home, bills to pay and appointments to make. Including traffic delays and urgent appointments! The young people used their time management skills and they totally nailed it!
🧗♂️ Crate Stacking
Everyone worked in teams to build towers of crates, while the other team climbed and helping each other with ropes and harnesses. We had so many great laughs through this, it does always seem higher when you are the one climbing the crates! It was exciting, sometimes wobbly, but always FUN. We are so proud of all our young people who kept going higher up, even when they thought they couldn’t go any higher! They really showed great teamwork and bravery!
🕳️ Caving Simulator
We also explored teamwork in a dark cave, crawling and climbing through tunnels, and even played hide-and-seek in the cave and without our torches! 😄 The best part was when we all ended up hiding together, thinking there was someone left to find us, when really we were all there together 🙈 We really did have lots of giggles!
🤝 Team Building!
We played loads of games that made us think, laugh, and work together:
– Tie-the-knot challenge (without letting go of the rope!)
– Minefield activity
– Walk the ‘River’ with limited recourses
– Trust games
And so much more! Each game helped us bond as a team, solve problems, and support each other.
🎬 Evening Fun
When the sun went down, the fun didn’t stop! 🌙
We watched films with lots of treats, we went on walks, played rounders, tag bulldog, clap and catch and football. All the young people had a good old giggle late into the night.
Feedback Time – You Said It Best!
At the end, we sat down together and talked about our favourite parts. Everyone loved all the activities and gave some great suggestions for activities at LSR that we could put on in the future! Everyone said they enjoyed meeting new people and making friends, this is what the weekend is all about! And guess what? EVERYONE said they loved the weekend and would 100% come again. That’s the best feedback we could ever ask for! ❤️
We really did have the BEST weekend ever, it was so wonderful getting to see so many young people, grow in confidence, make new friendships and learn new things! Always remember the sky is your limit, and you can do anything you put your mind to!
