Creative challenges help Mansfield students find their feet in first week back at college
Students at West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield have been breaking the ice, meeting new friends, and trying out skills they will develop in their courses during the first week back at college.
Activities across the college included building bamboo bridges, balloon chairs, scarecrows, global cuisine experiments, and Dragon’s Den-style business challenges.
The first full week saw curriculum teams pause traditional lessons to allow students to get to know classmates and tutors, familiarise themselves with their surroundings, and build confidence through teamwork and problem-solving.
For many joining for the first time, this provided a relaxed introduction to college life and an insight into future studies.
Level 1 catering students compared branded products with supermarket alternatives, considering differences in weight, price, quality, and taste, while calculating savings and discussing value for money in professional kitchens.
They also explored global dishes to discover varied cuisines and career paths.
At the Old Brewery construction campus, plasterers applied a sand and lime basecoat, carpentry and joinery students cut joints, and bricklayers constructed pyramids. At Mansfield Ambition Exchange, T Level Surveying and Design students built bamboo and straw bridges capable of holding a 10g weight.
Student Lily Litchfield said the challenge helped break down communication barriers and enabled students to work effectively on a construction-based project.
Health and social care students built structures from paper straws and tape, then communicated their birthdays without speaking.
Early years students created chairs from balloons, tested by teacher Amanda Johnson, designed cards, storyboarded nursery rhymes, and tried juggling.
Beauty therapy students learned waxing, practiced facials, and created bridal looks from tape and toilet roll.
Level three hairdressing students developed techniques for straightening Afro-Caribbean hair, experimented with colours, and practiced shampooing and blow-drying.
Business students delivered Dragon’s Den-style pitches and completed a scavenger hunt around Mansfield Ambition Exchange.
Animal care students tackled challenges on the five welfare needs in legislation and competed in a scarecrow-making competition for the Southwell Ploughing Match.
Diane Booth vice-principal for quality and curriculum said the activities helped students start conversations, build relationships, and understand they are part of a supportive college community with staff and support teams available to help them.