The Romsey Show

the Romsey Show 2011

Who said that the best place to learn is a classroom?
Hands-on learning should be taking place all over all the time.  When you think about it, almost any activity can be educational, especially with primary school aged children.

We recently had a great time going to the Romsey Show as a family.  My daughters LOVED it, and they learned a lot too.  Farmers were there with all kinds of livestock, and there were also workers from a bat hospital, otter sanctuary, falconry group, and other animal-related groups.  We were able to get really close to the animals, and my girls had a chance to talk to some of the workers about them (in addition to asking us questions).  They learned a lot about animals, agriculture, the local food industry, and the environment (especially environmental issues that impact local wildlife).  If we had just told them the information at home, they'd probably have promptly lost interest.  Since we actually saw the animals, they'll be talking about this day out and the things they learned for months.

To find out more about our visit to the Romsey Show, click here.

The New Forest Reptile Centre & Reptile Trail Hike

I find that when I'm travelling, I always visit the local attractions and museums.  Yet we often neglect the sites that are closer to home.  It's amazing the resources that we often have nearby if we are willing to look for and appreciate them.  We recently went to an exhibit on the Romans at a small local museum.  Since it was only a small museum, it had never particularly caught my interest before.  However, it was the perfect size for my kids to be able to enjoy.  They kept interest throughout the whole museum and were particularly interested in the Romans display (it had a lot of hands-on activities for kids as well as artifacts and information).

Another nearby education attraction that we just went to for the first time was the New Forest Reptile Centre.  Again it was only a small centre, but my kids were very excited about it.  They learned about different local wildlife species and about the local environment.  They learned a lot and had fun.

For more about our visit to the New Forest Reptile Centre, click here.

No matter where you live, make the most of your local museums and other educational sites.

Out and About in Winchester

Over the summer we've been trying to do lots of fun and educational activities with our kids.  One of our fun day trips was into Winchester in Hampshire, England.  There's a lot of history in this beautiful small city.

We saw part of the original Roman wall and talked a little about the Romans (we later learned more about them at the City Museum, which has a lot of activities for children).  We also went to Wolvesey Castle.  My girls had a great time running around the castle ruins, imagining what life would have been like in the middle ages, and trying to piece together as much as they could about the castle from what's left.  They learned a lot about history, and got really excited about it as they could actually see and explore it.  After that we walked around the city and saw other sites like Jane Austen's house.

Creative Writing Classes at Furzey Gardens

the Lake at Furzey Gardens, August 2010

I am a firm believer in community education programmes and have had some great experiences with it.  I'm particularly excited about the new classes starting at Furzey Gardens.  Furzey Gardens are a beautiful and unique garden in the New Forest in Southern England.  This autumn they are starting to host some creative writing classes.  These will combine a great feeling of community, a fantastic learning and networking opportunity for writers, and an unparalleled setting.  The first workshop is on the 15th of October, 2010.

If you're interested (or know someone who might be), please contact Furzey Gardens.