Let there be fun!

The main advantage of home schooling is that you get the chance to have a mobile approach to learning and what better way to do this than to incorporate a fun family day out with education in mind, so if you have any suggestions on great educational family fun days out then email us at Fundaysout and we will happily include them in our next issue. 

'No! not more ruins and castles' I hear you cry, well no, although History has a great part to play in our children's education, looking at the remains of what could have been a marvel to a long since departed society, will only have so much appeal to the youth of today. I am talking about the attractions available now that are often overlooked as workable learning resources. This is where we get a chance to throw away all the traditional bleak and boring field trips and dip our toes in the warm water of FUN!

So join me each month when we will be looking at some of these alternative attractions.  

The resource under the spotlight this month is:

The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum based in London is a fantastic FREE learning resource aiming to help people enjoy the natural world, develop their scientific knowledge and understand the impact of science on their lives.
The Museum runs programmes of activities for school groups, families and adults.

On weekends and holidays the Museum offers a range of fun and engaging activities designed to appeal to and include all members of the family. With gallery trails, puppet shows, specimen handling and art activities, there is something for visitors of all ages and interests.

Families are also welcome in Investigate the hands on science centre where you can find a wide range of free and fun, National Curriculum-linked events, workshops, and hands-on activities. Here children are actively encouraged to touch things, weigh things and measure things, from beetles and snake skins to meteorites and skulls there are hundreds of real, natural history specimens for you to explore. Children can become Dino-Scientists for the day, bring earth science to life and get hands on with thousands of native species of plants and animals that live in nature gardens.

So if Dinosaurs, volcanoes, precious gems and creepy crawlies are your on your child’s list of interesting things then this Museum is the one for you it has one of the world’s finest collections of natural history specimens and contains 70 million plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals on display throughout it’s galleries.

You can explore these galleries on your own, but the best way is to use our self-led guides to help focus your visit. They provide a stimulating and inspiring way for children of all key stages to explore the Museum while supporting learning relevant to the National Curriculum.

The museum has excellent facilities for all with its own restaurant and a museum shop.
Entry is free!
(Although there is a charge for some temporary exhibitions)
The Museums are open every day, including Sundays and bank holidays, but closed 24-26 December.
Opening times are Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:50. Last admission is at 17:30.

For further information of up and coming events, exhibitions and contact details visit The Natural History Museums website where you will also find loads of great information and even a Just Kids page with games and quizzes to keep any budding scientist amused for hours. 

Here at the home school we highly recommend this fantastic resource which we found was both an educational and stimulating visit for all the family, although some of the exhibition do incur a fee the free resources are more than enough to provide you with a great day out of learning experiences. 
 


Last month's attraction was:

The Playground

Often seen as a childhood pastime ‘The playground’ can be one of the best hands on learning centres for any home educating parent. With education always coming at a financial cost finding great free workable resources can sometimes be an uphill struggle but this is one that can really provide valuable learning opportunities and fun to boot.

Visiting the local playground has always been the pastime of many a preschool mom but it doesn’t have to stop there. The playground is packed full of educational facilities that would be difficult to recreate at home but can be used to provide a vast array of physical and scientific studies to fulfil any budding scholar.

Not only can the playground provide exercise and physical stimulation that is always important in our children’s lives but it can also be a great place for socialization and integration amongst their peers. 

The playground equipment such as the swings, slides, climbing frames and roundabouts provide wonderful opportunities to study and observe physical forces such as momentum, gravity and friction and with the addition of other children visiting the playground at any time it can be a great chance to teach lessons in observation and date recording particularly in the usage of the different activities and by whom.

Not only can the playground give a fantastic look at the science of movement and all its physical attributes, it can also provide an opportunity to study the construction of the facilities and the suitability of the materials used. Using the playground as a social study can open up possibilities to look at how the playground is used by the community as a whole and why the playground plays such a fundamental part within it.

Here at the home school we say put aside the idea that your local park should be a pastime of the under fives and get out and experience some great exercise, fresh air and a fantastic learning opportunity to enhance any science lesson!