Year 7 Trip to France
Papplewick year 7 boys embraced the annual fun and educational trip to France to experience French lifestyle and to enhance their knowledge of the French language.
On arrival they immediately launched into speaking French when introduced to the staff of Maison Claire Fontaine, and after a good night's sleep half the group stayed at the centre to learn archery or have a French lesson in the classroom, whilst the other half went tree-climbing 'acrobranche' .
During 'temps libre' during which the boys stayed active playing badminton, football, table tennis or going on the swings, before moving on to the next activity. The off-site and MCF groups switched after lunch, and the last tree climbers were back at MCF in time for dinner followed by loto or pétanque in the evening.
The next day involved learning how to cook a dish from the Bourgogne region: Tartouillat. After lunch, they went to visit the chateau de Bussy Rabutin, where they learned the history of the count Roger de Rabutin and had a tour of the rooms of the chateau (given in French of course!). The boys had to then put this knowledge, and their ability to remember sentences in French, to the test through the “Labyrinth Game” on the Chateau grounds. The game involved boys running through the labyrinth in the garden to find the answers to questions in French (of course !)
The last two days involved a trip to Avallon, some kayaking, a pizza night, and French lessons focused on ordering food, which was put into practice later when the boys had to prepare their own lunch from food bought from the market in Avallon. They also got involved in théâtre Français and put on a play in French. After lunch, the boys gave presentations in French using what they had learned throughout the trip, and packed their bags before visiting the MCF shop to buy tuck and souvenirs.
The trip ended with a prize giving ceremony for the Year 7’s accomplishments in the various activities carried out during the week, before escargots for dinner and an early departure for England the next morning.
October 2025