Yarra Week 5 2017

We started off Week 5 of the program with a visit to our local Bunnings! This was a valuable hands on experience as we have a number of students interested in gaining part time work as well as working in trades once they leave school. We were well looked after down at Bunnings Collingwood and after a great tour of the store there was plenty of time to test out some of the latest electric tools. From here we headed back to school to spend some time working on journals. Reflection is an important part of program as it gives purpose and context to each of our activities. Our students have been working on writing reflections around their favourite activities, focusing on their thoughts and feelings at the time. This completed project will form part of their assessment for the program.

Thursday we begun our bike restoration project. This project involves repairing donated bikes before donating them to a group of younger children in the community and is a rewarding experience for all involved. The first step however is getting the bikes to a safe standard before we give them to others. Donovan from Good Cycles came out to show our guys the most important aspects of bike maintenance, including working on the tyres, brakes and gears. It’s a great opportunity for our students to pick up some handy bike repair skills from a highly skilled bike mechanic.

Our last day for the week was another great one out on the water, this time in canoes down on the Yarra river. We started off at Bellbird Picnic area in Kew, before paddling upstream to Fairfield boathouse. Canoeing is a challenging activity, as it's impossible to achieve success without working cohesively with the other person in your boat. It can also be very frustrating, and teaches students the importance of being aware of your tone and body language when working with others. The students all embraced this challenge and worked wonderfully together to paddle up to Fairfield Boathouse for lunch, and back to our starting point with a different partner.