My son James was invited to try out some of the English Heritage Summer School activities at Down House, the former home of Charles Darwin (just south of Bromley in Kent). First off he tried the army assault course which involved crawling through a tunnel and under barbed wire (made from string for health and safety reasons, but very realistic!); putting on army fatigues and sprinting to the finish line with a parachute billowing behind.
Fool School enables children (and adults like myself who never quite grew up!) to try out a range of circus activities such as stilt walking, plate spinning, diabolos, juggling and tightrope walking. I had even more fun than James and wowed the crowds with my stilt walking - something I hadn't tried my hand at since I was at primary school!
Next up was Knight School which involved dressing up with helmets, armour and swords. James really enjoyed jousting (on a hobby horse, of course!), but his firm favourite activity was sword fighting (with foam swords to ensure no real injuries were sustained!) which involved lots of shouting, charging and chopping off of limbs!
The emphasis is really on joining in and having fun. The activity leaders were great with the children and a fine time was had by all. Be warned though, these events are very popular and the queues to take part can be very long. Nonetheless, English Heritage's properties are fantastic and many are large with so much to see and do. I could quite happily while away an hour or so on the Green at Dover Castle with a coffee or cold drink whilst the children wait to participate.
In addition to the Summer School activities many of English Heritage's properties have many permanent interactive exhibits to capture the interest and imagination of even the youngest of children. The Summer School activities, however, make a great day out even better!
Events are usually free to English Heritage members. Charges apply for non-members.
Look on the Parenting Without Tears calendar for dates and venues.