Mike the Knight at Warwick castle

Warwick Castle is a pretty special castle. It is a really well preserved and the £6 million investment and last ten years of restoration have really paid off. We last visited when Ethan was only a baby so neither of the kids had any recollection of going.

The boys love Mike the Knight, even Ethan though he is now six years old and is starting to wane with a lot of Cbeebies programmes, he still loves to watch Mike with his four year old brother. Here is a blog post we did of Ethan in his Mike the Knight shirt.

Anyway that same shirt came out for this very special day when Mike the Knight took over Warwick Castle to celebrate the launch of the show’s 2nd series and we were thrilled to be invited along to join in the fun.

There were lots of extra activities going on to celebrate Mike’s presence as well as guest photo opportunities from the man himself including horse racing, magic from his sister Evie, face painting, sand castle building, and target practice. We spent the whole of the morning in this area trying out everything and the kids had great fun.

After a sandwich lunch we headed into the castle courtyard which was bustling with people enjoying the sunshine.

The kids were really keen to walk the castle walls and towers. There are over 500 steps in completing this and it is all one way. You could see where the archers had stood defending the castle and the fantastic views of the surrounding countryside that would have offered the soldiers a view of advancing enemies.

Next up the Warwick Warriors were putting on a sword fight in the central courtyard so we settled down with icecream to watch the show. The boys were transfixed!

I love watching birds of prey putting on a display so was really looking forward to the Flight of the Eagles. The birds fly down from the trees or the castle tempted by offers of food. First off was a beautiful six month old owl native to South Africa, who was hatched and raised in England. He was beautiful and majestic. Next up was a bald eagle who skimmed over the heads of the crowds. At this point Noah decided he had had enough so I took him off to the Princess Tower (I had already picked up some tickets for a timed slot). It was hot and he was fidgety so I thought he might like this.

The Princess Tower involves knights and princesses aged 2 to 8 years getting dressed up, having their photos taken on a green screen background (you can then choose your preferred background). They then go into the princesses’ chambers for a story about one of the princesses who was getting married to a Justin Bieber lookalike prince. The children are shown her wedding dress and chose accessories for her outfit. They played a few other games and although it was very girly Noah did enjoy it. At the end the children are offered a pea for them to put under their mattress to see if they are a princess. Noah is clearly a highly socialised boy and was shocked at the thought of being a princess so no pea for us!

We had also got some tickets for the Merlin show which cost £3.60 each (under 4s free) as we had heard this was good fun for the kids. Ethan has watched Merlin on occasions and loves the sword fights! We were led into the Dragon Tower and met one of Merlin’s assistants who gave us a comedy introduction to the interactive tour. When we met the dragon it singled out Noah and told him he was going to grow up to be a “brave and noble knight” which he absolutely loved (although was very shy at the time!)!

Finally (phew this day is going on for ever!) we headed to the Trebuchet Fireball show. This is just the best end to the best day as you watch a giant catapult hurtle a ball of flames across the sky.

We just had time for a quick play in the Pageants Pound which consists of lots of tunnels and slides and the kids could have happily stayed there for hour. There was still lots of the Castle we didn’t see but it is such an amazing day out we will definitely be back.

It was also lovely to meet, if only briefly, other bloggers Redpeffer, Missing Sleep, the boys from Alexander Residence, Mama Geek, Eileen and thank you to Emma for telling me about the day.

Thank you to Matthew and the team at HIT Entertainment for providing us with family entrance to the castle, lunch and Mike the Knight goody bags. It was a fabulous day!

There is still time to see Mike the Knight at Warwick Castle as he is there again this weekend, 6 and 7 July.

 

Our day at Wilderspin Victorian School

Ethan, who is in Year 1, has been learning all about Victorian Schools and in a “bringing history to life” exercise his school organised a trip to a real Victorian school – Wilderspin National, located in Barton upon Humber, North Lincolnshire. I went along as a parent helper, how lucky am I!?

The children, teachers and helpers all had to dress in Victorian dress as would have been worn at the time. We were greeted from the bus by the teacher, Mr Wolseley and led to a modern classroom at the rear of the playground to the school where we were given a history lesson on the school.

The school was built in 1844 and its founder Samuel Wilderspin was one of the pioneers of modern schooling. He didn’t believe in the stern discipline and corporal punishment that was used in many other schools. His school was aimed at children from two to six years (with older children acting as “Monitors” to assist him). The children learnt basic mathematics, reading, colours and shapes and  about nature and the world we live. Probably not dissimilar to what our children of this age learn today (but no doubt without any of the pressures!).

The school had closed 30 years ago and had been left empty until fairly recently when it had been restored to its former glory. There had been opposition in the town as some people had wanted it pulled down and turned into a car park!

Back to modern day and Ethan and his classmates were all given aprons to wear as they would have in Victorian times and also an old penny each which the children had to pay each week to Mr Wilderspin which went towards the running of the school.

We were then led across the playground and were told that the children spent a large part of their day outside. Here they were taught about how to look after the plants and sometimes animals. We then went into the school room and the children paid their penny into a box and sat neatly around the edge of the classroom on the benches. Mr Wolseley talked to them about the differences between their classroom and the Victorian classroom which included..

• There were no tables and chairs (the children would have sat on the floor or on tiered benches).
• The windows were high (so the children wouldn’t be distracted with what was happening outside).
• The floors were wooden (not carpeted) and there were no dispays of children’s work adorning the walls.
• There was no interactive whiteboard and instead the children learnt in groups from a easel type board onto which the different lessons could be attached. The lessons were all hung around the walls.
• The children didn’t have workbooks or pens and instead used a slate and chalk.
• Music played a big part in the school day.
• They started school at 8.30 finishing at noon for lunch then back again from 2.00 till 5.30pm,

It gave the children a real flavour of what life would have been like in the Victorian school.

Next the children went outside again to the playground and Mr Wolseley showed them what sorts of games the children played such as quoits, hoop and stick, skipping etc.

After lunch, the children split into small groups to undertake a series of tasks focused around the archaeological findings when the school underwent restoration. After a short lesson from Mr Wolseley on using things like a metal detector and the best way to preserve findings (using a brush to unearth them) the children looked at:

• what types of material would withstand time and wear and tear ie paper wouldnt last as long as wood
• guessing what things are from fragments that were found
• sorting out findings into their use
• looking at items placed in a jar of sawdust to try and guess what they were from the small bits they could see.

It was a fantastic day with the activities pitched just at the right level. I am sure that what the children took from that day would take weeks of teaching in a classroom to give them the same essence. They learnt not only some history but also about historical findings and archaeological digs.

I did wonder if it would help me decide one way or the other if I want to do a teaching course. I did really enjoy the day and the children were great fun. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, particularly working in the small groups with the children in the 2nd part of the day. I know however that teaching is more than that, especially these days, and I am still not sure if it is the right thing for me.

The school offers courses for schools in Keystage 1 and 2. You can also visit for free and there is a coffee shop and restaurant on site.

 

 

 

The day the Vikings pitched up! #weloveforests

Ethan is mad for anything to do with swords, shields and play-fighting. So the Viking Spring Thing at Sherwood Pines was a perfect Sunday treat for him.

The event was celebrating the Viking heritage of Sherwood Forest. The camp was a fantastic recreation of typical Viking life – history brought to life!

There was a guy showing the children how to make a fire (“why doesn’t he use matches?” said the 6yo) using flint rubbed together and carbon cloth.

And young fighters being recruited for the battle!

There was also an arena displaying the practice archery and a reenactment of a land feud between the warring Saxons and Vikings. This involved lots of fighting which the boys were enraptured by.

It was great to do something different in the forest for a change.

Exploring Magna

Magna is a science adventure centre located in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

It is built on the location of a former steel production site and many of the original structures are still in existence.

There are four pavilions making up the centre – earth, fire, air and water. Within each are lots of interactive, fun and educational exhibits. I would say the majority of exhibits are best suited for young children, under 10 years of age. It was difficult at times to see what you were meant to do with each exhibit so clearer labelling would really help appreciate what is on offer. The boys loved the water play area, particuarly navigating a boat through the lock system. Get practicing boys I fancy a canal holiday!

“The Big Melt” occurs every hour and simulates the process of steel production with a narrative. It is an impressive sight with lots of fire and sparks.

It is very cold and you need to be prepared for an outdoor event when visiting and wrap up warm.

As well as the exhibits there are a zipwire and bungee jumping/abseiling facilities. These are run by external companies. We didn’t sample these, this time!

From April onwards there is a fantastic outdoor play area called Sci-Tec and Aqua-Tec. We will definitely be back when the weather is warmer to check this out.

Here are some photographs of the highlights of our day!