A day of precision skills and coordination at Marchants Hill today, with many children taking part in quad biking and rifle shooting.

Last night children enjoyed a camp fire after dinner and everyone had a really good sleep to regain their energy after the first full day of activities. There was no sunshine to greet everyone as they left for their first activities - thankfully there was no rain either.

Not every activity at Marchants Hill is ‘extreme’ in the physical sense - children are experiencing a number of activities that challenge and develop a range of skills, encouraging them to develop these to a degree not necessarily possible elsewhere.

Today, several groups took to the track and tried out quad bikes. Unlike most activities, this one is an individual effort with members of each group waiting beside the track as their friends have a go. For anyone that drives a car, it might seem an easy task, but for children who are not accustomed to controlling their speed with a throttle, it can take a few minutes to feel confident. The quad bikes are a great opportunity for everyone to safely drive a motor vehicle.

Meanwhile on the archery range a very different set of skills are being tested. Safety is paramount for everyone and a thorough safety briefing comes first, with the expectations of all taking part being made very clear. Next the group takes a close look at the parts of an air rifle and the procedure for firing. After the instructor has demonstrated the process, one by one, children take their first shots at a range of targets around ten metres away. A competition follows with the group being split into teams of five or six and given a limited number of shots on a single target. There may be some luck involved in their first shoot, but the winning team is invariably the one that is able to follow the specific shooting procedure, be precise, remain focused and stay calm.