5 Educational Adventures to Take With Your Kids*

A year past September my daughter started school and unsurprisingly she loved it. Like really loved it. In fact, she loved it so much she plays schools when she gets home and has a register and even “teaching material”. My mum says if you could go to school every day, Little Miss would. She loves to do homework, for example last weekend in Disneyland Paris while I was looking after my friends daughter while they rode the roller coasters, the girls did maths problems. She can read anything, even books with no pictures. She wants to learn all the time, which is why this year our days out have taken a more educational turn. I want to nurture her love of learning as much as possible and encourage it where I can. It’s hard to find the balance between book learning and things that interest her but with a but of research I’ve come up with fun adventures that are also educational and today I’m sharing five of our favourites;

The Library
Unsurprisingly a girl who loves to read really enjoys a trip to the library. I just can’t keep her going in books at home so picking up some extra ones from the local library is essential. She loves picking them herself and our local library also has activities on to keep her busy while mummy has a look around. If your child is interested in a particular subject but you’re worried it’s going to be a fad, definitely check your local library for books on the subject to keep them going instead of spending loads of Amazon only for the books to be discarded after a month or so. The library is a great outing for a rainy day as they usually let you stay as long as you like.

A Local Farm
We’re incredibly blessed where we live that there are a lot of farm attractions near by, one of the best being East Links which has great opportunities to learn about animals and how to care for them while still having fun. We visited over the summer and LM got to feed baby lambs which she really loved. There was a huge park and play area which was great for my nephew who isn’t so much into the educational side of things meaning there was something for everyone. Another local one is White House Farm which often has LM’s school to visit especially around Christmas time.

A Museum or Art Gallery
The most obviously educational is a museum or art gallery and I can say LM has visited multiple museums and an art gallery and enjoyed them all. Her personal favourite is obviously a Science Museum which usually have a lot of hands on activities, these are great for hiding education as fun. We’ve also been to a Bones exhibition which was a personal favourite and she’s even been to the Great British Museum in London. We went to a Quentin Blake exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery, it was perfect for her as they were looking at Roald Dahl at school so she knew a lot of the illustrations that were on show. If you Google museums near by you’ll be able to see if there is anything for interest to your child.

An Aquarium or Sea Life Centre
I remember our school trips to the Sea Life Centre as a child where we learned all about the oceans and seas along with the wildlife there and how to protect it. As far as I know Sea Life Centre’s still offer these sort of tours which could be of interest to some children. My daughter being so creature crazy just likes to go to see what animals we can see. They’re a fun day out and you can usually find discount codes online.

History Walk
Finally, a history walk. A lot of towns and cities in the UK are rich in history and points of interest. Do some research online and pick out a trail with interesting facts about the places you’re going to see. You can even add in games and activities to keep the less inclined child entertained. We’re lucky where we live there is so much history so much so we recently had a movie filmed here with Chris Pine which was incredibly exciting. But most places have their own little quirks and it’s always handy to have a few local facts up your sleeve even as a child. Bring snacks and make an afternoon of it.

Indoor Adventures
People are still getting back on their feet today the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year. It’s still not completely safe to travel and go out for leisure, especially with unvaccinated children. The good news is that there’s a lot of activities and adventures you can do indoors. You can do home quarantine scavenger hunts, backyard cooking class and picnic, camping in the garden, or even a home-style museum. Set up a table or mat in the garden, and prepare hands-on STEM project kits for the kids to get busy with. You don’t have to leave your house to embark on educational adventures.

I know not all children want to learn more while they’re not in school but even without the interest in learning these days out can be fun for all the family. Eventually it’s likely that your child will be able to get involved with some educational trips at school that could even take them abroad, I did one to Paris as a kid and there was a lot of learning to do while there so perhaps  it’s something that could be introduced at a young age that could come in handy in the future.

Are there any educational days out that you enjoy that I haven’t mentioned?