Share your thoughts on historical days out and events with your children - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

It can be difficult to keep kids’ boredom at bay during the school holidays. English Heritage sites in London and the East are putting on events throughout the summer to help keep children entertained and they’d like to hear your thoughts surrounding historical days out and events you’ve attended with your children.

Here’s what English Heritage have to say: “English Heritage have a host of sites across London and the East that are perfect to keep your little ones entertained throughout the summer holidays. With a new themed activity each week at each property, your little adventurers will be thoroughly entertained (and may secretly learn a thing or two along the way!) during those long hot (here’s hoping!) holidays.

From London to Suffolk to Derbyshire and everything in between, English Heritage have castles, manor houses and sites with acres of beautiful gardens that are sure to keep even the most active of children busy! Not only are the sites fantastic, but each has a varied event programme for children throughout the school holidays. From becoming a home front hero to learning the ropes as a budding knight; from being inspired by Darwin’s science experiments to taking to the stage 1920s style and from going on a bug safari to playing games like a Victorian – your little time travellers will get hands on with history with English Heritage this summer.”

So, have you been on a really great historical adventure or attended an event which really brought history to life for your children? Do you think events you take your children on should be educational, or purely fun? Maybe you think that they should always be both? Whatever your thoughts or stories surrounding events and days out for your children, share them with English Heritage below.

All those who leave a comment below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher from a store of their choice.

Thanks, and good luck!

MNHQ

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My boys are young enough that any outing is an adventure! I'm not so worried about making it educational yet, I just want them to be used to going places, behaving, and enjoying themselves. We particularly like castle ruins you can climb on and country houses with grand lawns and gardens, especially if there is a hill for rolling!

We've just bought an annual family subscription after visiting Kenilworth castle and holidaying in Yorkshire where the subscription has already paid for itself : kids love it and are learning without realising!

Kenwood House is marvellous. It's free and they do a bit of family craft once a month. The grounds are lovey for a picnic and there's some sculptures to have a look at. If it's history you're after have a look round the house, pop into the orangery and dress up for a photo.

We loved seeing stonehenge, the tour was great for the children... we have also done Dover Castle and love the secret tunnel tour and the underground hospital.. it really brings things to life for the children, help them understand how things were. They are probably the biggest two historical event days we have done, with the WW2 re-enact being our favourite.

DD loves history and is fascinated by the ancient Egyptians. She went to the British Museum and looked at the whole exhibit with her grandparents, taking in lots of little facts (she had just turned 5).

DS (2) on the other hand, likes things to be a lot more interactive.

We took him and DD to a Saxon exhibition, where there were things for both of them; writing in runes for DD and shield-making for DS for example. In my opinion, it really helps DC to focus if there are lots of different activities - especially if they are spread out a bit, so the children are getting a bit of exercise at the same time as learning and playing.

Lincoln Castle has one of the best surviving copies of the Magna Carta on display at the moment and is right opposite the cathedral

My children love historical days out. it is important that they are both educational and fun, as it is the former that makes the latter- the fun entertainment enhances education and makes them more engaged and excited to learn. History is naturally fascinating and interesting, and historic day trips out are an important part of demonstrating to children how learning is fun, through practical first hand experiences brought to life.

Days out can absolutely be educational as well as fun. DD1 loves visiting old castles with us - we had a particularly good time at Tintagel, as she was fascinated by the associated mythology. We live in the South West so often go to the SS Great Britain in Bristol. I've found many places are very welcoming to children. When DD1 was 6 months I took her to Chatsworth House and Newstead Abbey, and both places were friendly and easy to explore with her in tow.

I love history (and it's part of my job) so perhaps we go on more historical-themed visits than most, but DD1 seems to genuinely enjoy it and hopefully as she gets older DD2 will as well.

We are in Scotland so are absolutely spoiled for this. The Open Doors festival is fantastic- they open the doors to many properties that the public wouldn't otherwise get access to and there's a plethora of old stories, hidden worlds and historical curiosities.

The Glasgow Central Station tour is also FASCINATING

Yesterday we went to Dover Castle for the first time. It was absolutely fantastic. I had no idea there was so much on one site. Not that we were able to do all of it - ds (12) makes a point of 'not being interested in history' (I love it passionately) so we compromise - we went on the Wartime Tunnels tour which was brilliant, did the introduction to the Great Tower and went up the Tower when ds actually wanted to stay longer than I did. We could have spent all day there but I know our limits DS was observed to have an interested face at several moments when he thought I wasn't looking.

I think entry to each site is expensive but family membership for the year has been really good. This week we have gone to Down House as well as Dover Castle and have some more things planned so we are getting our money's worth.

Oh it's not family membership it's Joint Adult membership in English Heritage, and you can take up to six children included in that. I think that's good value compared to other 'family' deals which tend to include 2 children max.

I love Alnwick castle it provides such a a brilliant day out filled with history and fun. It has something for everyone and a great restaurant

This thread is obviously aimed at very young children ("little adventurers" vom!) but I wonder what EH does to encourage and attract teenagers and families with older children to take an interest

Warwick Castle and York Dungeons are very good for Historical trips. I would prefer just for fun but if they learn something too, then great.

It's a real eye-opener taking them to see the sights of London - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, tower of London etc, I find the children are fascinated and enthralled with the history of it all

We love Hampton Court. Great for all the family. Beautiful and very educational. Highly recommend.

I love going to historical places... Unfortunately the dc don't. However I still continue to try with them...

Sometimes when we visit the emphasis on young children can be a big turn off to teens and older kids - and in terms of learning and fun , they are often the ones who are more bored in the hols (because going to the park on a daily basis is not a thing), and could potentially get a lot of enrichment and detail out of history, archaeology etc. DS enjoys visiting places, and does read and absorb the information, but he can be put off by an over-eager volunteer offering dressing-up hats. He enjoys hands on stuff - they could play billiards in the drawing room of a property we visited recently. And playing an early 'gramophone'. Looking at menus, tasting food....

We recently visted Culloden are 8 year old loved it. The staff were super friendly and gave him a quiz to take round and do. Also there's a interactive film of the battle (very gory - very horrible histories) and then you get to go around the battlefield with an audio tour. It was great as he didn't utter the immortal "I'm bored" once 😀

I agree Blu hence my comment about this thread.

Places we have loved with older kids:

-Orford castle

• Framingham castle
• Tower of London

Best of all though is bantock park in Wolverhampton where you can read the letters on the writing desk, play billiards in the billiard room and play it it's the toys I. The nursery

Both my children love history - it's their favourite subject at school and they love any opportunity to learn more.

One of the best days out we ever had was at the NT, Chedworth Roman Villa when they were hosting archaeology week - the staff really engaged with my son as he obviously knew a lot about the period and he was really lucky and got taken 'behind the scenes' to be shown some of their personal finds.

Why are EH only running this campaign in London & SE - other parts of the country do exist!

I think by focusing on making it fun and entertaining they will want to learn and it will just happen naturally anyway.they will do it off their own backs or without even realaising.
the proper learning ones have been the shows at castles where the actors will put on fights or plays in the open,where the knights or robin hood would come out in dress up.where the eagle handlers would come out.then they leanr lots.
making going round the propertys with audio and panthlets to fill in as they go ound have also been very successful/.I think once the kids think they are being taught in the holidays they will turn off whether they would have enjoyed it or not.

EH days out and holidays have been amazing for our family. We have stayed at Carrisbrooke Castle, feeding the donkeys and getting the place to ourselves when it closed. History Live, which is sadly no longer running provided a great insight into the past and we really miss it! My lads have gained an abiding love of history through EH, so much so that my younger one wants to be a blacksmith to make historical weapons. Membership is great value and with a bit of route planning, it's possible to visit several very different places - from Roman Villas to Darwin's home all on the same day.

I should point out that I am a historian by training and both my teenagers love history (DD1 hopes to study it at uni like her mom ) and we love historic days out.

I just hope EH realises that not all "children" are 8 and under and that the style of the writing of the OP ("your little time travellers " vom again!) isn't an indication of their attitude to what children are and want

Historical trips are always our first choice and we all get a great buzz out of them as they can help with school projects etc in the future. We attended a local Mary Queen of Scots event that had actors dressed up as the key players and followed them on a walk through the little village of Fotheringhay exactly as Mary had all those years before. Later at school there was a project on this and the kids were so excited as they felt they knew exactly what had happened and almost been there!