Exciting summer clubs at Forth Valley College kicked off in early July to provide children between 10-16 years of age with a range of fun and interesting things to do during their holidays.
The Falkirk and Stirling Campuses were the venues for a fantastic mix of hands-on practical workshops and project-work, led by a combination of lecturing staff, alumni and industry experts.
The summer clubs opened up a whole new world to young people who were eager to learn new skills, make lasting memories and meet new friends. They aimed to be a fun and inspiring way to spend part of their school holidays.
Clubs on offer included:
Art & Design Summer Club - was a vibrant week of creativity at FVC’s Art and Design Summer Club at the FVC Stirling Campus! Open to budding artists and designers aged 10-15, this week-long adventure ran from 9am to 4pm, at the Stirling Campus from 30 June - 4 July.
Those who attended explored their artistic talents through a range of fun activities including Plaster Casting, Potter’s Wheel, Clay Hand Building, Drawing, Painting, Fabric Crafts, and Collage.
Youngsters unleashed their imagination and created masterpieces under the guidance of experience college staff. The week was wrapped up with a creative exhibition - showcasing pieces produced throughout the week. Parents and guardians were also given the opportunity to attend the exhibition.
Kids Cookery - This was a highly practical course for young creatives aged between 10-14 years of age and was delivered at the state of the art kitchens at FVC’s Stirling Campus from 21-25 July from 9am-12noon and 1-4pm.
During this fun filled week, 13 budding chefs had the opportunity to create a variety of meals and baked goods such as burgers, brownies and curries. They were led by experienced Chef Lecturer Mandy Fraser who taught them recipes and basic cooking skills. They group were also be allowed to take their food creations home for their whole family to try.
Lecturer Mandy Fraser, said: “They were an absolutely great group this year and the Summer Cookery School was really rewarding for them and they learned a lot.”
Physical Activity for Teens - A group of teenagers from the Forth Valley area learned about Fitness, Sport and Team Building at an innovative Summer School recently.
This Summer Club class took place between 14-18 July at the Falkirk Campus. It was an excellent opportunity for teenagers to focus their energies into activities that are available at Forth Valley College in the Sport and Fitness areas.
Aimed at youngsters aged between 13-16 years of age, those who signed up were encouraged to try various sports, activities and fitness sessions - which as well as helping to keep them active and fit - might also have sparked an interest in future study at the College.
Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus gym and main hall was the venue for the week long ‘Physical Fitness for Teens’ course run by FVC’s Leisure Facilities Coordinator Wai Mun Lee, from Monday 14 till Friday 18 of July.
FVC Sports Department week long summer camp was designed to offer teenagers a full scale practical experience in the use of the FVC Falkirk Campus gym and games hall facilities. Throughout the week the morning sessions took place in the gym and the afternoon session in the games hall.
During the gym session they were shown and instructed in the safe use of numerous pieces of equipment. Once familiar with the gym they were set the ‘Lifting Famous Landmark’ challenge. During this all the loadings they lifted together, reached a total of 297,602kg which is equivalent to lifting more than the weight of the statue of liberty, which weighs approx. 225,000kg. On the last morning they concentrated on the ‘[Round The World’ challenge, where they added up the distances they all achieved in the morning on the cardio vascular machines – this was 47 miles!
In the afternoons in the games hall they participated in basketball, volleyball, uni hoc, boccia, and an improvised ball game, badminton, football and finishing off with dodgeball.
Luke Van Der Walt (14) a pupil at Larbert High School, said: “It was really good. We learned about fitness, health and sport and about how to be a team player and getting fit in the gym. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone.”
Soffi Adam (15), who is home schooled, added: “I really enjoyed the summer school. I met some really good people and I have learned better techniques to use in the gym. The best bit for me was the team building exercise which was great. I would definitely recommend this course.”
Wai Mun Lee FVC’s Leisure Facilities Coordinator, added: “I have run quite a few summer camps over the years and I’ve got to say this was one of the best groups that has attended. They were all very enthusiastic and their willingness to learn and their game play was a joy to watch. They definitely knew their stuff, they worked well as a team, included everyone in their team and most importantly when they lost, they lost gracefully. It was a full fun packed week and I hope the teens enjoyed the full experience as much as I enjoyed running it, hopefully fun was had by all.
“Credit goes to all these youngsters who have made this year’s summer camp one of the most successful ones, and I wish them well for the future. Who knows there could well be a few potential sports students of the future in that group.”
STEM Summer Club - supported by INEOS - The week followed a similar format to previous years and the free course ran from 4-8 August at our Falkirk Campus. It included a fantastic mix of hands-on practical workshops and project work, led by a combination of lecturing staff, alumni and industry experts.
Another aspect to the course was a ten hour written project to allow entry to the Bronze Crest Award.
Topics such as Climate Change, Net Zero and Renewable Energy continued to be a focus for the activities and project work. A hugely popular summer club, it is worth noting that since it began in 2016, more than 100 young people have taken part in a range of STEM learning activities and have had an opportunity to achieve the Crest Bronze Award - which is a fantastic outcome.
Aimed at children between 12-14 years of age, the FVC Falkirk Campus was the venue from 4-8 August, 9.30am - 3.30pm. Site visits were also included in the school.
On the STEM Fiona Jackson, Curriculum Manager in FVC’s Department of STEM and Construction, said: “What a great way to spend the summer holidays here at Forth Valley College. The young people who attended were all very keen and seemed to enjoy themselves and learn at the same time. It was great to introduce them to the world of science.”
