december-2009

THE BUZZ | YOUNG JOURNALISTS
KIDS’
TRIP
WHO BETTER TO
talk about the great
things to do for kids
than kids themselves?
This month we sent
young reporters
Amy (12), Todd (10)
and Oscar (8) from
Berkhamsted to a kids’
workshop at Circus
Space in east London,
the UK’s only worldclass
circus training
facility. Here’s how
they got on…
40 | TRAVELLER | DECEMBER 09
Circus Space
AMY We had a two-hour
workshop where we did
the fl ying trapeze, juggling,
acrobatics, wire tightrope
and a human pyramid.
We had two instructors,
Emily and Leila, and they
were both fantastic. They
explained all the tricks and
activities really well and
were very friendly, and
made us feel at ease. My
favourite was defi nitely
the fl ying trapeze – it was
the most exciting and
most terrifying. The most
intimidating bit was looking
up at the 4m-high platform
from the ground before
we’d even started! It looks
a lot higher than it actually
is. The most exciting bit of
the fl ying trapeze is when
you hold on to the bar and
fi rst step off. I screamed at
the fi rst bit – it was quite a
shock! My brothers didn’t,
though. I think the toughest
trick to try was the juggling
– I couldn’t catch the balls
Kids play reporter for a day
and throw them at the
same time! The tightrope
wire was really hard, too.
Leila told us we had to slide
our toes along the wire from
one foot to the other so we
could feel the rope. You had
to stand up tall and look
straightforward otherwise
you’d lose your balance.
TODD I had a brilliant time
at the circus school. My
favourite activity was the
fl ying trapeze too. It was
really scary when I climbed
the ladder and got to the
platform. Even though
it looked really high up, I
knew I wanted to do it. Leila
explained the technique
well but it was really hard
to get it right – you had to
put your legs straight and
forward in front of you at
each end of the swing, but
once you got it, you could
swing faster. I want to go
back and do the fl ying
trapeze again soon! I found
juggling the hardest – even
just juggling with two balls
was really tricky.
OSCAR I’m afraid of
heights, so I was quite
scared when I got to the
top of the platform for the
fl ying trapeze. But I didn’t
fi nd it hard – you just have
to hold on and step off. It
was most fun when you
fi nished swaying and let go
of the bar. Because you’re
strapped in to a harness
and held by rope, you fl oat
down from the bar to the
mats, though I kept falling
over when I landed. The
juggling and cartwheels
were the hardest. I can’t
do cartwheels, I’ve tried
before and I just fall over.
I had the best balance on
the tightrope wire – Amy
and Todd kept falling off!
Circus Space’s kids
workshops start on 30
January, from £45 (€50)
each; thecircusspace.co.uk
ATTENTION
ALL KIDS!
Want to report
back on a holiday
activity you’ll be
doing soon? Let us
know! Whatever
language you
speak, email
easyJetkids@inkpublishing.com
and tell us your
name, age, where
you’re fl ying to
with us and when,
and what you
want to report on.
We’ll pick the
most original
ideas and arrange
for free tickets.