What an incredible two weeks it’s been at HillzFM as part of the Holiday Activity and Food programme in Coventry!
Over the Easter break, we were delighted to host a Fauna and Flora themed programme, greeting Spring time in Coventry.
Take a look below to see some of the highlights and browse through photos from the last two weeks!
Week 1 was our Fauna Week, with a focus on animals and the natural world. Young people learned about animals like badgers, foxes, hedgehogs as well as local birds before sharing what they’d learnt live on the radio, creating animal fact files, and getting involved in quizzes and spotting activities.
We enjoyed a game of Nutritional Food Bingo, two science experiments exploring osmosis, using raisins and potatoes to show how water moves in and out of cells, building and decorating wooden bird feeders, alongside learning how to safely care for wildlife (including why cleaning feeders is important with avian flu around).
The farm trip was a definite highlight. Young people got to meet a range of animals they learnt about in the week, from hens (including seeing one lay an egg!) to goats, sheep, pigs, tortoises, a Shetland pony and Ranger the friendliest Labrador that kept us company. Feeding carrots to the animals was a big hit, and it was safe to say it was a clear favourite with lots of young people saying it was the “best trip ever” and are already asking to go back.
A massive thank you to the amazing Lucy from Spencer’s Retreat for showing us around and for treating our young people to some lovely knitted keepsakes from the trip (with a surprise)!
A really strong start to the programme with loads of energy, learning and fun throughout the week!
Week 2 was Flora Week, focusing on flowers, trees and plant life. Young people chose their own plants to learn about and share on the radio, getting stuck into plant fact files and a quiz (hosted by Angele, with prizes up for grabs) before going live.
There were plenty of chances to try something new this week too, with a trip out to laser quest, mini golf and even first goes at virtual reality, all of which went down really well! We also made the most of the local park, getting involved in games like football and basketball, and walked together to laser quest as part of the day.
Back at Hillz, everyone got involved with planting: first growing cress as a group and then planting different flower seeds in decorated pots to take home. It was great to see young people taking ownership and watching things grow over the week.
Another big shoutout to Dr. Nor for the amazing food again!
A great second week, full of new experiences, teamwork and getting outdoors. It was fantastic to see everyone getting involved and making the most of their time with us. Thank you to our amazing staff and HAF, we hope to see you back in the summer!
In the meantime join our Young Hillz sessions after school! We host an open-access Wednesday session at the WATCH Centre for young people 8-18yrs and radio focused sessions on Thursdays from 3:30 -5:30pm.
If you are aged between 18-21 and interested in radio, you can book on to our new Skillz with Hillz Trailblazer course – more information here. To find out more about our services, activities or facilities please visit: https://www.watchcharity.org.uk/our-services/