New school. New class. New teachers. And above all: an awful lot of new faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first few weeks of secondary school are quite daunting. That is why we wanted to use our induction days for the first year not only to sort out practical matters, but above all to make sure that pupils got to know each other in a fun and relaxed way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we left the classroom behind and went with the whole class to Klimbos Nederland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A day full of climbing, cheering, new conversations and, above all, a lot of fun. Exactly what we needed at the start of the school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the start of the day, it was clear that many of the pupils hardly knew each other yet. A few happened to know someone from primary school, but for most of them, almost everyone was new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who are you going to sit next to? Who do you hang out with? And what are your new classmates actually like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a normal school day it sometimes takes quite a while for those first connections to form. In the climbing forest that happened surprisingly quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon arrival, we received a safety briefing and the pupils were able to practise with the safety system first. After that, it was time to take on the climbing routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And suddenly it didn't matter anymore who you sat next to in class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShall we do this route together?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That sometimes proved enough to make initial contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the climbing, small groups formed naturally. Pupils went into a route together, waited for each other and helped one another whenever an obstacle proved difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even pupils who hadn't spoken to each other at the start of the day were soon cheering each other on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that is precisely why a rope course is well-suited for an induction day for a new class. Pupils do not have to be forced to get to know each other. By undertaking something together, conversations and connections happen naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Naturally, a lot of laughing was also going on in the meantime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because getting to know a new classmate while you're both standing on the ground is one thing. Discovering who suddenly acts very tough or surprisingly cautious up high is quite another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not every pupil enjoys or finds the same things exciting. One would rather get high up among the trees as quickly as possible, whilst another prefers to start quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, it was nice that there are different climbing routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pupils could choose a route that suited their ability and courage. As a result, not everyone had to do the same thing to still be part of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some pupils turned out to be more zealous than expected. Others were especially good at encouraging their classmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both produced valuable moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During induction days, all sorts of games and collaborative tasks are often organised. Fun and useful, but pupils are sometimes quick to figure out what the underlying purpose of them is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the adventure park, cooperation just happened naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere should I put my foot?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can do it!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait a minute, then we'll go together.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n They are small moments, but precisely in those you see how pupils interact with each other. Who takes the initiative? Who helps another? Who needs a bit of extra encouragement? And which pupils find each other easily?<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is also interesting for the tutor. You get to see your new class in a very different environment than the classroom in a short space of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An induction day must, of course, contribute to group bonding. But just as importantly: it should simply be a really fun day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as we were concerned, the adventure park succeeded in that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a few hours, the initial awkward silences of that morning had largely disappeared. Stories had emerged that pupils could look back on later at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRemember when you at that obstacle\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Precisely those kinds of shared experiences help to slowly turn a collection of new pupils into a class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. A visit to the adventure park combines getting to know each other, exercise, teamwork and fun. Pupils experience something together outside the normal school environment and can choose their own level of challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That makes the adventure forest, for example, suitable as an activity during:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A climbing session at Klimbos Nederland lasts a maximum of two hours, but can be extended by an extra hour. This also makes climbing easy to combine with other parts of an induction or introductory day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the end of our induction day, of course, not all friendships for the coming years had suddenly been sealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But something had changed after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pupils had laughed together, helped one another, pushed boundaries and perhaps spoken to someone they might not otherwise have readily sat next to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the following morning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then they no longer entered a classroom full of strangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They already knew a few faces. A few names. And above all, a few stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A great foundation for the new school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you like to introduce pupils to each other in an active and relaxed way at the start of the school year? At Klimbos Nederland, pupils experience an adventure together where fun, challenge and teamwork naturally come together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Klimbos Nederland has locations in Apeldoorn, Assen, Bergen op Zoom, Dordrecht, Lage Vuursche and Ruurlo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explore the options for schools and organise an introductory day that pupils will not easily forget.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nieuwe school. Nieuwe klas. Nieuwe docenten. En vooral: heel veel nieuwe gezichten. De eerste weken van de middelbare school zijn best spannend. Daarom wilden we onze kennismakingsdagen met de eerste klas niet alleen gebruiken om praktische zaken te regelen, maar vooral om ervoor te zorgen dat leerlingen elkaar op een leuke en ontspannen manier leerden…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geen-onderdeel-van-een-categorie"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClimbing together helps to get to know each other quickly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Everyone can choose their own challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Collaborating without a mandatory collaboration assignment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
An induction day students will remember<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is a climbing forest suitable for an induction day for the first year?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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From new faces to classmates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Organising an induction day for your new year sevens?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n