SURVIVAL

Ben turned 11 this weekend.

To celebrate, he invited 5 friends, plus his brother, for a SURVIVAL party, with the intrepid Bear Grylls as inspiration!

The boys were given 7 challenges to test their skill, strength and resilience to survive in the African wilds!

1. The First Challenge:

This was an obstacle course set up in the garden, involving old aeroplane tyres (you can tell that Ben's dad is a MAF pilot!), clambering over a ladder suspended on chairs, splashing through a paddling pool (a "swamp" if you use your imagination!), carrying heavy rocks and balancing along a strap-line.

2. Challenge Number 2:

2. Challenge Number 3.

 The party participants found some old sticks and whittled them or tore them to create basic fork-like instruments- which they would be using on their next challenge...


4. Challenge Number 4

Would-be Survivors were presented with some natural- but maybe not so appetising- foods, to test their ability to survive on foods found in the African wild...

Grasshoppers (a very popular local delicacy), snails (ready-cooked), vine leaves and "maggots" (which were in reality tinned shrimps!).
To be fair, the survivors did well, with all them trying the tasty (??) morsels,even if that just meant a tiny nibble!

5. Challenge Number 5

 

6. Challenge Number 6

The target animals were drawn by a good friend (I am no artist!) and placed in the garden. This may be the only way of getting food in the wild, so target practise was part of the survival!

 7. Challenge Number 7

The boys were hungry and it was time to get that fire going and cook some dinner- once they had found it, as parts of it had been hidden all over the garden!

After the challenges were complete and the food was cooked, it was time for the worm-infested mud-cake, decorated by Esther:

As night fell, the boys moved into the "cave" to watch a couple of Bear Grylls survival episodes, before moving to their tent outdoors for sleeping!

The boys finally settled down to sleep by 11pm and all was quiet in the garden.... until the African rain POUNDED down from drk skies around 2am!

By 5am, a load of muddy, damp boys emerged from their tent and started collecting damp firewaood to rekindle their fire! 

By 7am, the fire was burning well and bacon, eggs, beans and sausages were cooked by enthusiastic and peckish survivors! This was their final activity before parents came to collect their filthy, tired, but happy boys-  who had proved their ability to manage in the African bush!

What a way to celebrate an 11th birthday- but oh-so-appropriate for our African-born Ben!!