Refuse Boredom - Adventure Activity Schemes For children Aged 10-15, Bristol

Laser quest is essentially a game of tag with a twist, Points are awarded every time you ‘ZAP’ another player, and points are deducted every time you get ‘Zapped’.

Teamwork is key, from planning tactics to supporting each other. Pushing yourself to the limit to defend your teammate, or claw back those last few points leaves you with an intense satisfaction.

This high adrenalin sport will have you using your body and brain to the limits in an attempt to outwit your opponents whether you are playing in the all-weather indoor futuristic battle zone with castle towers, turrets, ramps, mazes, swirling fog and state of the art sound and lighting effects or outside in your camouflage gear on the more tactical expansive Storm The Fort challenge.

Climbing is amazing for improving fitness, flexibility and confidence. We work very closely with Undercover Rock one of the leading indoor climbing centres locally.

Climbing challenges people individually but also builds concentration, reliance and trust between a team, by putting their safety in each other’s hands they learn the responsibilities that being in a team can bring.  

The spectacular 12 metre high climbing walls, pillars, fins, overhangs and arches provide imaginative and exciting climbing in a safe and welcoming environment for our guys to experience the thrill of this exciting sport. With over 150 routes which are regularly changed by a team of experienced route setters we cater for all levels of experience.

We see climbing as a development sport and we insure even on our short half term holidays our guys get enough knowledge to join NICAS the National Indoor climbing award scheme allowing them to use most indoor walls in the country by themselves. In the longer Easter and summer school holidays, weather and ability permitting we move onto outdoor trips where we have the chance to climb on real cliffs.

No splashing about in a sealed off lake here, we descend into stunning countryside to take on the rivers and gulley’s of the Mendips.
Kayaking is about balance, stamina and technique but it’s also about playing games, running along the top of everyone's boats, splashing people and getting very wet.
We use highly experienced and awarded coaches with high quality boats, paddles and safety gear to insure that the sessions are both exciting and full of fun and help kids learn a new set of skills  

Beginner sessions start with your instructor explaining how to use the paddle, and what happens if you fall in. With the instructors close at hand to coach and help you back into your boat if you fall out.

We see kayaking as a development sport and whilst our shorter half term holidays will see people becoming confident in a Kayak the longer school holidays will earn them their BCU Star awards allowing them the ability to join kyacking clubs and rent and use kayaks across the country, then utilise their new skills to take them on an exciting trip down the river.

The ancient sport of archery dates back almost 10,000 years,  A tense and testing sport that requires immense reserves of skill and nerve, Archery is now practised in more than 140 countries around the world.

It has been an Olympic sport since the 1900’s and is still running strong with the 2012 archery competition being held in lords cricket ground.

We consider archery a very skilled art and source our equipment from professional clubs and include county award winners among our coaches.

Archery when taught right is a sport that can develop into a lifelong hobby and we actively promote the clubs we use to our guests so those with an interest can continue to practice and develop.

But it's not all skill, concentration and discipline; once the basics of archery are learnt the fun and competition begins from popping water balloons to letting your skill with a bow choose whether you act out a mystery date with a supermodel or Stig of the dump. 

The high Ropes course we use among the trees nearly 15 meters high in 250 acres of countryside provide a challenge for even the bravest of monkeys.

All activities are built to the most exacting standards and exceed all EC health and safety requirements. They consist of a number of challenges high in the air, creating the illusion of danger whilst all the time actually being safely connected to a multitude of ropes in case of a little slip.

High ropes are all about conquering fears, not just a fear of heights, but all the fears of life. There is no-one who isn’t scared standing on a tiny platform swaying in the wind but there also isn’t any feeling like pushing yourself to jump as far as you can from it with no-where to land. 

Learning to overcome our natural fears in a completely safe environment increases confidence by leaps and bounds. And our instructors are highly trained and experienced in helping people to fulfil their potential. We operate on a challenge by choice basis so no-one is ever forced to participate if an activity scares them too much but with the support of our instructors and their team behind them most people partake in what can be a life-changing realisation of their own abilities.

Fencing was part of the first modern Olympic games and is one of the few sports to have remained a part of the Olympics ever since. It requires speed, agility and balance. You are pitted in a one on one against an opponent in a fast and unrelenting duel.

Our taster sessions in the sport teach the basic terminology and techniques in a fast paced loud and fun way.  You learn the basics of fencing with a foil, the importance of footwork, blade-work, safety and the correct use of fencing equipment.

We encourage competition and end the session with a high energy tournament to see who has picked up on the sport the best. Our experienced coaches encourage and coach throughout.

Bristol hosts a large amount of fencing clubs which are home to some of the most prestigious fencing events in the country and we encourage those who show an interest or knack for the sport by linking them to these clubs and helping them progress to becoming a regular fencer.

In our private woodland far away from the luxuries of civilization we teach the basics of bushcraft and how to survive in the wilds of England.

Usually run as a full day we turn the wilderness into a fully functional camp building natural shelters, setting up and cooking on an open fire from just flint and tinder, foraging for locally safe food and basic wilderness first aid (practiced on our friendly dummy George).

One of the most popular activities we’ve ever run the day also includes making rescue signals, learning semaphore, building solar water filters and a chance to study wildlife in its natural environment from the numerous strange insects that surround our pond to the chance spotting of wild rabbits and deer. 

Our CTC trained instructors take bikes off the road, the morning tests the skill and stamina on bikes in a gentle off road climb negotiating obstacles and tracks until we reach our skills course where we negotiate ramps, bumps and other strangely shaped obstacles. We also have small jumps for our more confident riders to try and tackle before stopping for lunch at the stunning hilltop viewpoint then riding the adrenalin filled downhill shalom back to the start.

This is much more than riding a bike around we try to improve the skills in riding a bike; including positioning for speed, power and safety. Pumping the bike for power and using weight to seamlessly avoid obstacles.

You are guaranteed to get muddy, take in some incredible views only accessible by bike and sleep very very well. 

An orienteering/letterboxing based competition in the open wilds of the moors. Two teams are dropped in the middle of nowhere with a map and compass and a direction. Who will be the first team to uncover the messages hidden in behind rocks in small caves and beneath the undergrowth of the vast miles of hills which surround them? Which team will be the first to find the passcode that will let them on the bus to get back to the warm call of civilization.

Alone in the wild puts teamwork, brain power and stamina to the test, as they fervently search for the clues to unlock the puzzle. To get back home teams will have to master the dying but vital art of using a map and compass to figure out their location and where to go next. To beat the other team they will have to work together agree on a plan keep to it and run. Our instructors helping them and guiding them all the way, we teach orienteering with the excitement of letterboxing the way it was originally intended as a race across an expanse where technology is useless.    

Across the world there are hidden sports and games known to few but those in their home countries. We take a trip across the globe from Scotland and the strength test of caber tossing through India for a lung bursting game of kabadi, round Thailand for an intense game of Sepaktakraw
And a fly over to Japan for a round of mushi mushi with a whole host of other visits in-between.
Each team and individual earns points for their performance in the games with an Olympics style ceremony at the end for those who performed best, those who helped their team the most and those who fully entered into the spirit of the games.

As well as learning a huge variety of new games and having a large amount of fun, we manage to intertwine learning about different cultures around the world into an action packed sports extravaganza.

Learn juggling, plate spinning, diabolo, acrobalance (human pyramid building), tightwire and trapeze all taught by experts in their field.

Our shorter half term holidays allow us a chance to introduce basic juggling and circus skills which can help to improve concentration, balance, agility and hand eye co-ordination. These skills often develop into a lifelong hobby/addiction as well as providing something impressive to show their friends when they get back to school.

In our longer school holidays we develop on the skills and talents taught and introduce an aspect of showmanship leading to a performance at the end of summer party.

Circomedia is an internationally-respected centre of excellence for circus and theatre training and their friendly and extremely skilled staff make our circus skills sessions something to be envied.

The assault course; also known as the mud trail is far and beyond one of our messiest activities, our teams scramble through nets, under tunnels, along balance beams, through tires, across tightropes and over seemingly impenetrable walls.

The course is designed so it is impossible to complete as an individual, which means that our teams will have to work together to have a chance of all passing through the hardest of the obstacles.

The look on the mud covered face of a team who have just raced through hell and high water together, encouraging, supporting and in some cases literally carrying their teammates when they reach that finish line is priceless.

In the cities we walk through every day there is so much we walk past and take for granted. How much do you know about the history of the city that you live in? Who have been the heroes and villains that have walked the same dreary streets that you pace all the time?

A few clues and a mysterious note set our teams off on a detective adventure racing through the busy city centres often to the complete shock of the normal folk going about their business to uncover all the hidden stories behind the things we take for granted.

Pirates, ghosts, knights, street stalkers, slaves and gruesome slave masters all might be encountered each with their own puzzles to solve as we follow the clues to uncover the mystery behind the walls of the city.

According to myth, taiko was started by Ame no Uzume, a female deity. The sun goddess Amaterasu was upset so hid herself in a cave. To try and tempt her out again so the world would be bright again the other gods   held a big party in front of the cave but she wouldn’t come out until Ame no Uzume danced a dance, stamping her feet on a wooden tub to make a loud rhythmic noise. The gods laughed and cheered loudly and the noise provoked Amaterasu to come out her cave. And thus, the world saw light again.

Taiko drumming is a ancient Japanese martial art that involves combining ritual moves with incredibly loud and high energy drumming. Encouraging people to hit a massive drum with a stick has never been a problem but when this art of rhythm, theatre and precision is combined with our huge group of eager young people it creates a noise and energy that can take your breath away.
Kagemusha Taiko are an award winning taiko drumming school and our groups are privileged to have use of their incredible instructors and very high quality equipment to present a unique experience which makes the very hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

During our shorter Half-Term holidays we just dip into the world of Taiko for an intense blast but during our longer holidays in Easter and the Summer we look to develop the groups skills and produce an amazing performance piece requiring skill and passion from all involved.

The south west area contains some of the most impressive underground mazes and caverns, equipped with ropes, overalls a head torch and an experienced cave guide we descend deep below the ground.

From the challenges of squeezing down, around, up and through the naturally formed caves to the awe of dropping into a huge natural cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites there is nothing like caving for feeling like you are in a whole different world.

Another chance for us all to get extremely muddy and face our fears, caving is hard work and a lot easier mentally for some that for others. Teams bond beyond comparison as they help each other through the rocks until they finally emerge back into the sunshine with a smile on their face.

Capture the flag is one of the most flexible team games ever created, two teams face each other across a giant expanse of land from their bases. Their aim is to steal the opponents flag from inside their base and return it to theirs. Only by having both of the flags inside their base can they score a point.

Our expanded and advanced games take it to a whole new level. Each player has lives which when they lose them gives the other team points. The flags move back and forth at an impressive pace and teams start to develop more and more complex tactics with their coaches.

Will they use decoys, stealth, an all-out assault or just defend. Will they notice our scout that has been painstakingly sneaking up behind them all for nearly 15 minutes before it’s too late. Could we win just by trading the enemy’s tags for points? Shall we just wait for them to get tired out and then sneak in an attack?

A game designed so that it can only be won by a whole team working together to invent, discuss and execute complex tactics. It is amazing to see a team go from disorganised rabble to streamlined team all off their own backs.

Quad bikes are the slang name for All Terrain Vehicles and that’s what we believe they should be, whilst most activity and even quad bike centres are happy to let you ride round in circles on a small track we take quad biking back to where it should be – in the wild.

Our expert quad teachers will size up each kid individually and teach them the skills to ride a quad bike of up to 200cc!!!! (Quad size depends on age, size and ability) Once they have learnt to manoeuvre and outwit obstacles safely on their beast we go for a proper trek.

Up to 10 miles of wilderness from fields through woodlands to mud strewn tracks which are interspersed with massive puddles and streams to cross. It will be a bumpy ride at speed, guided by our very experienced guides with a solo speed track at the end to really see how much speed you can muster from the machine.  

Far above and beyond the standard we have seen offered by any childrens activity centers we pride ourselves on offering one of the most amazing quad adventures around.

The 500m professional karting track at Bristol plays host to our Go karting sessions which start with changing into your race suit and Helmet, feeling like a true race car driver you are taken through a safety briefing, a track and pit walk before you are presented with you kart.
We then go through some skills sessions with the marshals, games, some practice sessions and quizzes all finished off with a team endurance race with prizes for the top racers.

A combination of hand eye co-ordination, skill and concentration, no activity will provide a more exhilarating rush of speed than zooming over 500m on two levels in under 40 seconds.

There is no better way to prove that getting up and out is better than sitting in the dark on a Playstation than paintball.
Set in stunning woodland, team tactics are key to becoming the winning team. The day consists of at least 12 games set in a huge tournament spread over 6 different action-packed game zones, which include among others a Vietcong village, a 2 storey fortress to storm and a bridge to ambush.
There is even a chance to encounter and challenge the dreaded terminator on the battlefield and the chance to earn his paintball machine gun to use in your next battle.

The site has over 21 years experience in providing incredible paintball days, and their equipment and staff are second to none, an activity everyone relives again and again down to the last over exaggerated detail until you’re truly sick of hearing the story of how they saved the whole team from annihilation.  

Air rifles are easy and fun to use,
offering clients a unique insight
Into stationary target sports. We use 22 calibre air rifles and coach on aiming, breathing technique and steadiness.

Helping to improve hand eye co-ordination, concentration and dexterity shooting in many recreational forms is rising in popularity in this country and we believe by teaching people about the safe recreational use of these weapons it allows them to develop a respect of the power and correct use of such things 

We finish the session with the ‘dirty rat relay’ which is a fun and challenging competition to see who has developed a skill and you get to keep the hole filled targets to prove your skills back home.

Although bowling is mostly used as a bad weather substitute activity we pride ourselves on still ensuring it is one of the best bowling experiences out there.

Our instructors have themselves had coaching in bowling and we make sure that they are rotating between games to help those who are struggling, coach those who are intermediate and encourage those who have a natural flair.

Our bowling sessions usually take the form of a friendly but competitive tournament, each team will take part in at least 3 fast paced and exciting games to earn their team points on the overall scoreboard.  

As the large majority of our activities are weather dependant to one extent or another we have to have a fall backs, but keeping up our quality of session approach one of our main fall backs is a group trip to the cinema to see one of the latest (Age Appropriate) block busters. 

Think snowboarding without the snow. This extreme sport has become so popular that the US snowboarding team now use it to train during the summer. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us.

Mountain boards are a similar size to snowboards but with one crucial difference - 4 wheels. You may think these just sound like a giant skateboard, but the wheels are bigger and on either side of the board at the front and rear, giving you far greater control. 

Once strapped onto the board our coaches will help you to get the hang of handling the board, befoire letting you loose on the fast downhill dirt track which features plenty of humps and bends so with a bit of coaching you’ll soon be getting some speed up and pulling off jumps or even some pro tricks.

Bristol is the uk’s spiritual home for street art with international artists bringing themselves to the city to add to its visible culture never mind the now multi-millionaire museum exhibited artist known as Banksy calling it his home town.

We work with some of the cities most accredited artists who will show you the tools of the trade, how to use them to create your own artistic masterpieces. Whether you feel like creating a political comment, designing your own ‘tag’ or just making something beautiful street art.

We show the real art behind street art, it’s origins, customs and slang terms whilst creating something that you can keep forever to remind you of when you met some of the best street artists Bristol has to offer.

Parkour is the art of movement; it combines the athleticism of running, the discipline of gymnastics and elements of strength and balance all of its own. Famed by jump London and jump Britain and their scenes of free-runners leaping across the rooftops. Parkour is an incredibly strong cult sport among the youth with growing popularity that will soon rival skateboarding in previous generations.

It is a hobby that requires an incredible amount of fitness and disciple to progress in and possibly the best exercise of all the activities that we run, our parkour workshop teaches all the basic elements of how to jump fall and balance, from the cats walk to giant twists and leaps over specialist equipment within the safe confines of our gym.  

We work with international players in the free-running scene to ensure that techniques and safety are at the highest standards possible. The passion of our instructors and the enjoyment of the course mean we rarely leave a session without at least one convert to the growing sport.

Longleat needs very little introduction to most people, the UK’s leading safari & adventure park contains over 100 species to discover, from Rhino to Warthog and Wildebeest to Tiger the Safari Park has a new suprise around every bend!

Continually expanding we hardly get to see everything in a day, longleat gives a rare experience to meet exotic animals in an unparalleled basis, from hand feeding giraffes and deer to watching lions stalk within an arm’s reach of us.

Much more than a Zoo longleat allows you to interact with animals from the mighty African elephants right through to the mischievous monkeys who enjoy showing off and throwing things at you.

However you look at it longleat is an awe inspiring experience and one people talk about for ever. A company of outstanding quality and reputation we are proud to offer as part of our activities list.

Thorpe Park is the UK’s biggest and best theme park, packed to the top with rides to scare the Jeebus out of you, activities to test your metal and experiences that will leave the hairs on the back of your neck standing up for weeks.

You have to run around the park just ensure that you can take in all of its thrills in one day, we dare you to try all of Thorpe parks record breaking rollercoasters without breaking a sweat.

A teenagers Disneyland, Thorpe park is a solid hit with us and with new attractions opening every day it can only get better in our eyes.

Deep inside our private woodland is a secret, the only clues to its location exist in the sonnets of old folklore, but they state that if a team of adventurers were worthy of the ancients they would be rewarded greatly.

Little do they know what they are getting themselves into as they enter the forest with just an old scroll containing their first clue, blindfolded for their own safety, they climb through time and space, snakes and rivers, through a hole in the ground and pop out into the very heart of the forest.

Lets hope they are prepared for they are to enter a series of tests left by the ancients both physical and mental which will confuse, challenge and frustrate them until they can figure out the runes of the old times to lead them to the secrets left behind and their reward.

A Crystal Maze/Jungle run styled day which puts the group’s wits, physical abilities and co-operation to the test with a series of riddles, obstacles and dares. All the challenges they face are designed to be impossible unless all members of the group are involved.

Developed from years of experience in leading team building events and sessions we pride ourselves on delivering a woodland adventure that encourages divergent thinking, teamwork, confidence and pride delivered with enthusiasm and excitement.

Let’s hope they can figure out the mystery before the sun sets….