Activities

4 Sided Tower An exciting and challenging activity on our safe purpose built tower. This activity aims to introduce challenge by choice, develop trust and confidence as pupils learn to control their own descent.

Abseiling Coached by an instructor from the top of our purpose-built towers, students learn to control their descent as they travel to the ground. This activity develops students' trust in other people as well as confidence in their own ability.

Air Golf New for 2010, this exciting activity uses the rules of golf with a twist. Using your arm as a club and a Frisbee as a ball you must navigate our centre's air golf course in the minimum amount of shots possible.

Archery The rudiments of this very popular activity are quickly learned using junior bows and 1.3m targets. This activity deveops self-discipline, concentration and co-ordination skills.

Bivi Building An introduction to the construction of making an overnight bivouac and some lessons in teamwork as they work together to erect shelters and gather dead wood for the campfire.

Buggy Building A pioneering team building exercise, teams build a moving 'buggy' using poles and barrels to withstand a series of grueling tests.

Buzz! A challenging activity designed to test the teams abilities to move thrugh twists and turns to get to the end result.

Changing Woodland - ECO Students investigate the plants and trees found in the surrounding areas of the centres. Studies include identify and measuing flora, creating a collage and considering how plants and trees might adapt to changing situations.

Circus Frenzy Roll up, roll up! Our circus tuition allows creativity to flourish and co-ordination and concentration to develop through instruction in the arts of devil sticks, plate spinning, bubble blowing and other fantastic fun activities.

Climbing This exciting and challenging activity takes place on our purpose built towers and develops trust and self-confidence as pupils aspire to conquer the peaks painted at various stages of the climb. A fully-rigged safety system is in place.

Code Breaker Participants are faced with the challenge of deciphering symbols and letters, the symbols represent letters of the alphabet. The challenge is to unlock 30 securely locked boxes, within each box is a key that will unlock one of the boxes.

Crate Stack Working in teams of 2-4, teams use the crates and team work to try and construct the highest crate stack while stood on the top of it.

Dance Mania Introduces the concept of fitness and healthy living in a fun context. Learn the JCA dance ready for the Disco!

Escaping Energy - ECO Small groups will be given a model of a house that leaks energy; they will then race to stop the energy escaping by following the clues placed around the centre.

Fencing The fascinating art of foil fencing requires concentration and discipline as well as agility. Full safety equipment of face mask, padded jacket, gauntlet and protective tipped foils are provided.

Film Club "Are any of your students the next Jonathan Ross or Claudia Winkleman? New for 2011, the JCA Film Club gives young people the chance to watch exceptional movies in our state of the art cinema, before debating the films' merits and writing their own reviews to be published straight to the internet."

Grid of Stones Players enter the room and must learn by trial, error and memory which path through the stones is correct. So if the player stands on a correct stone it lights green, if the player stands on a incorrect stone it lights red. ALL the other lights go out if a player steps on the wrong stone.

High All Aboard Participants climb up a telegraph pole to the small platform at the top, they then wait for three more participants to clmb. Once all of the participants are stood on the top of the pole they must hold hands and lean out as far as they can. This will test the trust within the group and the trust in...

High Ropes Our high ropes activities offers a fantastic introduction to climbing. It is great fun, thrilling and adventuruous and with our expert instructors on site, it is the safest wild experience of all!

High See Saw Participants climb up a telegraph pole to the giant see saw at the top, they then wait for three more particpants to climb. Once all of the participants are stood on the see saw they must try and level it out. This will test the trust within the group and the trust in the ropes.

Initiative Exercises Various testing scenarios are set up around our centres to encourage lateral thinking and problem solving skills. Under the guidance of an instructor, pupils work as a team and use their own initiative to overcome challenges.

It's Cold Outside - ECO Working in groups, students build a shelter in which they can take refuge for the night. The objectives of this exercise are to consider shelter requirements as well as which resources are readily available.

Jacobs Ladder Working in teams of 2-4, teams try to climb the Giant ladder, each rung of the ladder will be further away than the last. Teams must lift each other and climb on each other to get as high as they can.

JCA Junior Instructor Award This is your opportunity to learn some new delivery and communication skills and techniques for working with activity groups. We will teach you the basic skills to become an activity instructor and lead activities such as Blind Trail, Rocket Launch, Circus Frenzy and many more. After completing...

John Muir Award The John Muir Award is about discovering and exploring wild places, learning to conserve them and sharing your experiences with others.

Kayaking (Lake) Our lake provides an ideal environment for an introduction to this great Watersports activity. Groups learn how to paddle and have some great fun on the water. Shore instruction includes canoe entry, capsize drill and paddling skills. Buoyancy aids and helmets are provided.

Laser Maze Your mission if you choose to accept it is to negotiate your way through the Laser beams without setting off the alarms to reach the Control Box and disarm before "detonation" !

Leap of Faith Participants climb up a telegraph pole to the small platform at the top, the instructor and group count down for when the participant needs to jump to catch the trapeze bar.

Low Ropes Less than a metre off the ground, this exercise lowers the degree of physical difficulty but promotes the role of teamwork and communication.

Mini Olympics Groups can experience the thrill of becoming an Olympian! These sessions focus on team work and encourage groups to explore cultural identities through various athletic events.

Mini-Beast Hunt - ECO Explore the undergrowth using magni jars and pooters (scientific equipment used to catch bugs). Then identify mini-beasts using and IK chart before creating natural habitats for further study.

Mirror Maze Room of mirrors! Multi level maze around the room made of mirrors (not glass). Participants navigate their way through the maze, based on time points awarded or deducted.

Nature Trail A chance for your group to relax as they wander through tranquil areas of countryside taking in the abundance of flora and fauna.

Netball Weekends JCA are pleased to announce their new Weekend Residential Netball Tournaments at Condover Hall. Working in conjunction with H.C. Tournaments we provide teachers and students with an unforgettable weekend. Our dedicated team run high-quality residential courses, delivered by highly-...

Night Walk - ECO Nocturnal mini-beasts need to be studied under the cover of darkness to find out what they do and why they do it. Other night time activities include: astronomy and communicating by Morse code.

Orienteering Learning to use a map and compass to get from one marked point to another is a rewarding activity which requires concentration, communication and co-operation of team members.

Parachute Challenge An entertaining and fun session which develops co-ordination skills, concentration and singing ability.

Photo Challenge Learning to use observational skills to find locations around the site. It is a rewarding activity that requires concentration, communication and co-operation of team members.

Pioneering Teams need to develop their ideas as they explore assembling, joining and reinforcing techniques to make an invincible structure that will withstand the most gruelling of tests!

Postmans's Walk Participants climb up the ladder onto the first level of the elements, they must then cross the balance beam to reach the other side. Once there they decide whether to go up or down, if they choose to go up they climb to the next level which is the Postman's walk.

Quantum of Spies Enhance observation skills and learn scientific techniques. This activity includes survival, overnight camp, finger printing, plaster casts of tracks and treads, signalling using Morse code and semaphore, coding comms, reconnaissance, camouflage, info gathering and fire building. Not all...

Raft Building Under the guidance of an instructor, and using ropes, wood and oil-drums, pupils learn to work as a team in order to build a raft which should transport them to their destination!

Ramble As each of our Centres is located in beautiful countryside so there are many excellent walks to be enjoyed in the surrounding areas.

Recycling for Real - ECO Students will learn about the recycling possibilities of household rubbish as they take part in the rubbish race. Students will be introduced to the process of paper recycling and given the chance to make their own paper.

Rocket Launch Teams compete in rubbish based challenges to win scrap to use in the production of their very own water rockets.

Sensory Trail Blind-folded, students follow a rope course through trees which leads them over and around obstacles. By working as a team and pupils taking turns at leading, communication skills are developed and trust is built throughout the group.

Solar Car - ECO Students learn about solar energy and using the power of the sun, (or a desk lamp on dark days!). They are supplied with solar kits and recycled materials to create a moving vehicle.

Spell Bound Participants will be able to master spells, potions and lotions. A wizard will allow them to create wizardry tricks such as smoke bombs, slime, magic etc

Sports Activites Activities such as indoor hockey, trampolining, volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, bowls, football, ten-pin bowling and crazy golf are available at some of our centres.

Survival Given a disaster scenario, pupils need to quickly establish priorities, work as a team and make some important decisions. They then must put theory into practice and work on survival skills such as shelter building, search and rescue and first aid.

Swimming We offer a fantastic selection of indoor and outdoor swimming pools, depending on the centre and the time of the year.

Team Challenge Using a selection of our activities, this event is often enjoyed as the last session of a school’s course in order for the instructional groups to use skills learned during the week in competition with other teams.

Trash Band - ECO Ever thought modern music was rubbish? Well now it quite literally is! Students create musical instruments and outfits from household waste before performing their own trashy songs. rock and toilet roll!

Tunnelling An indoor "Tunnel System" that will allow participants to explore, darkness, challenge their inner strength, search for clues, codes and work as a team.

Wet & Wacky A selection of pool based games and races aimed at all participants regardless of their ability within the water, including non-swimmers. The main emphasis West & Wacky is fun with water in a safe environment.

Wide Games Teams are challenged to take the opposition’s territory by use of imagination and initiative.

World of Sports Introduces the participants to varied and challenging team sports from around the world.