Category Archives: Outings

Another day, another lavender field

After a weekend of lavender picking, we hadn’t quite had enough so on Monday we visited a larger local lavender field for a walk with our friends from 3 Kids and a Gluestick and others from our Home Education group.

mayfield lavender 1

Minutes after the first picture of Rabbit was taken, she was stung by a bee and I wondered if we would have to go home, but she was very brave.  One of our friends had just bought her an ice pop which helped!

Mayfield lavender 2

After meeting in the cafe area, we set off on our walk up to the top of the field.  It is just about the shortest possible distance that can be defined as a walk!  On the way up, I discovered that Tiddler is very hard to keep track of in a big field of lavender, Rabbit knows how to do cartwheels and Monkey thinks it is funny to hide and not answer when he is called.  (I informed him that is wasn’t and after a couple of reminders he got the message!)  When we were near the top, we stopped for a snack and a drink, after which some of our friends had to go home.

We then decided to walk round the edge of the field, where there is a wide path, so that it would be easier to keep track of the children.  We spent some time at the top playing Fruit Salad and Duck, Duck, Goose and then walked the rest of the way round fairly quickly as it was getting late.

mayfield lavender 3

We saw quite a lot of butterflies but most of them didn’t stay still for long.  Just before the end of the walk we were lucky, though, and this comma butterfly posed for a photograph!

mayfield lavender 4

It is such a lovely place to visit, and we are lucky to have it so close to our house.  I think we’ll be back there very soon!

 

Lavender picking weekend

This weekend was our local lavender harvest fair, and we went on both days, as we do every year, because we all enjoy it so much.  We went on Saturday morning with Granny and Grandpa who were visiting us for the day.  We spent a lot of time cutting the lavender, enjoying the wonderful scent and watching the bees and butterflies.  It was very relaxing and the children were completely absorbed in what they were doing.  They also enjoyed the local honey stall, where they won some tiny pots of honey and a bag of homemade honeycomb in the lucky dip. lavender picking 1

lavender picking 2

As well as cutting the lavender, the children helped to hunt for rosemary beetles which have to be removed or they destroy the lavender.  This was even more popular than the lavender cutting and kept them busy for a very long time.  Owl particularly enjoyed it.  He made friends with two older boys and between them they collected a lot of beetles.

lavender picking 3

We went back today after church, and this time we bought some lavender and rosemary plants, lavender hand wash and bath foam and a jar of local honey.  We cut some more lavender, collected more bugs and spent time chatting to Mum Friendly Jo and her family.  (Jo of the many blogs – her post about today is here!)  We also saw our friends from 3 Kids and a Gluestick who arrived just as we were leaving, but came back to our house soon afterwards for a very late lunch.  We finished by learning how to distill lavender oil which was really interesting.  Owl is very keen to try this at home!

lavender picking 4

 

 

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

A walk to the river

We are in the Cotswolds again this week, and enjoying spending time outdoors in the sunshine, but I’m behind as usual so this post is about a walk we went on last week!  We set off through the village and past the church, stopping for a while to let the children play in the long grass in a field next to the church yard.

Church

We then walked down towards the railway line…

gate

…and stopped to watch some trains and have a snack.

railway

We walked on through a field full of buttercups and down to the river.

boys

The children played poohsticks and Rabbit found a four leaf clover.

bridge

We were going to go further, but it was so hot that our two bottles of water were obviously not going to be enough, so we turned back.

book

We stopped at the playground, where Owl read his book in the shade while the others played.

playground a

 

 

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

The Village Green

Village Green 1

We are staying with Granny this week.  There are lots of good things about that, but one of them is being in a beautiful village in the Cotswolds.  So on Tuesday afternoon, after a reasonably productive morning’s work, we went out to the village green to burn off some energy.  The children played on the swings and roundabout, Monkey made a collection of feathers and leaves and Rabbit climbed a tree.

Village Green 2

Then Granny persuaded all the children to run round the green and touch all the trees.  This was a stroke of grandparenting genius, as it can be quite hard to get the big ones to run around so although they get plenty of fresh air they don’t always get enough exercise.  We found out there are twenty trees on the green!

Flowers 1

On the way home, Owl and Monkey wanted to take some pictures of the flowers outside the houses.  I taught them what I know about photography, which took about ten seconds.  Think about the angle.  Think about the light.  And don’t take photos through people’s windows 🙂

Flowers 2

And we took some photos of the cows too.  They seemed quite happy to pose.

Cows

 

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Nonsuch Park Run

On Saturday morning, Owl, Monkey and I went for a run in Nonsuch Park.
Nonsuch Park 1

We joined in with the official park run for the second time, along with some friends from our church.  We didn’t run the whole course, and in fact there was a lot more walking than running as Monkey wasn’t quite in the right mood this time.  I was very proud of the boys for giving it a go though, and I hope we will be able to do it together again.

Nonsuch Park 2

After the run, we had to wait for an hour till daddy could collect us, because he had taken Rabbit and Tiddler to Dramabuds.  The boys were not very pleased at having to wait, and it took some time for me to persuade them that a walk in the park was a good idea, but then they found a den with a really good climbing tree inside.  So they did accidentally have fun in the end!

Nonsuch Park 3

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Polesden Lacey

On Saturday Tiddler and I went to Polesden Lacey with our friends from 3 Kids and a Gluestick.  It is one of several National Trust properties not far from where we live, and though I have been there a long time ago, I haven’t been with the children before.  It is in Great Bookham near Dorking, and it’s surrounded by amazing views of the Surrey Hills.

We arrived in time for a picnic lunch, and when the children had finished eating, they played inside a large rhododendron bush which formed a perfect den.  To entice them out, after quite a long time, we blew some bubbles which did the trick.

Polesden Lacey 1

We had a lovely walk through the woodland.  Tiddler enjoyed using the binoculars he had borrowed on the way in to look for birds.  We saw very few, but that didn’t seem to bother him.  We hunted for bugs, looked at wildflowers and played in the natural playground.

Polesden Lacey 2

Tiddler also enjoyed looking at the sheep in the fields , and we found some wool which he thought was very interesting.

Polesden Lacey 3

He also enjoyed climbing on tree roots, and walking through a tunnel of trees.  We ended the walk by rolling down the hill in front of the house (another one of our 50 things), blowing some more bubbles and enjoying the beautiful views before heading home.

Polesden Lacey 4

We had a lovely day with our friends, and I enjoyed spending time with Tiddler.  We will be back soon to explore further with all the children.

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

A Mile in Memory of Matilda Mae

Today we walked a mile in memory of Matilda Mae at the Rare Breeds Centre in Kent with Jennie, her family and friends, and many who have read her story and were moved to come along and show their support for her today, and to raise money for the Lullaby Trust.  Many more people attended several other organised walks around the country, as well as families and individuals who walked a mile wherever they were and remembered babyTilda.

We walked around the woodland trail, through a sea of bluebells.  They were so beautiful, and from now on they will always remind me of Matilda Mae.

Bluebells

Half way round, we stopped to collect a packet of seeds each.  They had been hidden in the trees and in the notches of a totem pole.  We are looking forward to planting them, and watching them grow.  Another lovely reminder of Matilda Mae.

Woodland

Towards the end of the walk, we came out of the woods and into the open.  We walked back to the starting point, where there were pink and purple balloons for baby Tilda.

Balloons

We blew bubbles for Tilda, and sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, accompanied by the violin, which the children then had the opportunity to play.  Owl played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star beautifully, and Rabbit had a go as well.  She looked like a natural and now can’t wait to join her big brothers at their violin lessons.  It was a wonderful opportunity, and was one of the highlights of the day for me.

Bubbles

After a picnic lunch, we spent most of the rest of the afternoon in the two playgrounds which the children loved.  Owl and I also watched a falconry display which was excellent.  Then we joined the others to watch the pig races, and lucky Owl was picked to take part.  Eight children, in pairs, had to steer four pigs to the finish line.  Owl and his partner came third, and he commented that they had unfortunately been given a stubborn pig.  (I’m afraid I couldn’t resist responding that I had been given stubborn children, so I knew how he felt.)  We ended the afternoon with a rather quick look at the butterflies, rabbits, chickens, turkeys and other small animals, before setting off to have supper at Pizza Express.  We definitely need more time to explore the Rare Breeds Farm, so we have already planned our next visit.

We had a wonderful day, and we are proud to have been a part of such a special event.  We will always remember Matilda Mae.

Today, as well as the walk, the Matilda Mae Memorial Auction opened. This auction, run by Tots 100, is raising money for The Lullaby Trust, the trust that supports families affected by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and carries out research into preventing it. Please take a look at the auction, or you can also donate to The Lullaby Trust here.

Matilda Mae Memorial Auction

 

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Morden Hall Park

On Bank Holiday Monday, we went to Morden Hall Park in the afternoon.  It’s that time of year when I start to think we must visit some National Trust properties again, and it is our nearest one.  After we had already planned to go there, we found out that there was a May Fayre on.  So instead of a walk in the park, which is beautiful – and free, it became a rather more expensive outing.  It cost £15 for our family to get in, so I was hoping to avoid spending too much more money at the fayre.  There were some really good free stalls with plenty for the children to do, but unfortunately there were also some very expensive fairground rides and attractions which inevitably distracted the children from the free stuff.  We started off in the National Trust area, where we picked up our 50 things to do booklets, and did our first two activities.  One was to walk barefoot in the grass, which all the children did, and then they had to draw round one of their feet in the booklet.  The second activity was to plant some seeds, which at this point only Rabbit wanted to do.  She planted some radish seeds, and then we had to move on as the big boys were very keen to go on an enormous inflatable slide.  It cost £3 for 5 minutes, and the big three all went on it.  They all enjoyed it, but it was a very expensive 5 minutes.  Tiddler was too young, so we paid £2.50 for him to go on a smaller inflatable slide, but he came straight off as it was a bit too scary.  We couldn’t get our money back, but were offered a voucher for another ride.

Morden Hall 1     Morden Hall 2

Next we went to look at an army camp which had been set up as it would have been in 1815, with people dressed up as soldiers from the period.  It was really interesting to talk to them, and there were lots of other historical stalls around the fair which I would have loved to explore more.  However, it was difficult to get the children to look at them, because they just wanted to do all the stuff that cost money.

Morden Hall 3

We met up with our friends from 3 kids and a gluestick, who had won an enormous cuddly dog on one of the fairground stalls.  The children obviously thought it was wonderful, and wanted to do the same, but I didn’t want to spend money and risk winning something so big!

huge dog

We managed to distract them for a while by looking at some of the animals.  I am not sure exactly which ones the children saw, but there were ferrets, dogs, chickens, rabbits, horses, Shetland ponies and goats.  We then sat down in the shade (it was a very hot day) to watch the dog races in the main arena.  After a few races, the children were called up to see if they could run as fast as the dogs.  Owl had a go, and did quite well, but it really did show how fast dogs can run as even the biggest children couldn’t quite keep up with the smallest dogs.  After that the children started to get quite grumpy as it was very hot, we had nearly finished our shared bottle of water, and all they wanted to do was go on the fairground rides but we didn’t want to spend another ten pounds or more.  We thought we might have to leave, until we discovered a great stall raising money for Great Ormond Street hospital.  They had Knex kits for sale, but also an amazing display of models including a huge rollercoaster.  They also had a very simple game in which you paid a pound for a jar and there was money wrapped up inside which you could keep.  We had several goes and won lots of 1p coins, but I didn’t mind spending the money on a good cause, it kept the children entertained and was in a nice shady area.

Morden Hall 5

We then found a small bouncy castle which Tiddler could go on with his voucher.  He only went on for about 2 minutes, but he was quite happy.  Next, we went into the Riverford tent to escape the heat and have a chat.  We are huge fans of Riverford veg boxes and we always try to go and see them when they have stalls at local fairs.  Next to the Riverford tent was a stall selling freshly squeezed lemonade, and I would rather spend money on that than on bottled water, so we bought two cups at £2 each.  The children all really liked it, and daddy got very excited about the idea about buying a proper citrus juicer and setting up a stall at our church fair, outside our house and anywhere else he could think of.  He has been happily occupied researching this idea all week so I’m expecting to see a business plan any time soon.

Morden Hall 6

Before we left, we headed back to the National Trust area because Rabbit’s compost and seeds had been spilt, and luckily she was just in time to plant some more.  This time Owl and Monkey decided they would have a go, and planted some rocket and courgette seeds.  Owl and Rabbit also wrote and drew on paper leaves the things they liked most about Morden Hall Park.  All four children also had a go at archery, which was right next to the National Trust area.  It was quite expensive, but the kind of thing I don’t mind paying for.  I know they really enjoy it so we try to do it whenever the opportunity arises, which isn’t very often.  So although it had been a little difficult at times, we ended the afternoon on a high.  It was by this time cool and pleasant, the crowds had diminished and it was hard to tear them away.  We managed by telling them we would go and buy ice cream and cones at the Co-op on the way home, because the ice creams at the fair were £3 each.  We spent less money and the children got two ice creams each instead of one, so they were happy!

Morden Hall 7

I love Morden Hall Park and we will definitely go back soon, but I think it will probably be even more fun on a normal day when we can explore more and spend less.  However, the children have of course asked to go back to the May Fayre next year!  We probably will, but I will be warning them in advance about exactly what they can and can’t do.  And if it is a hot day, I will take more water!  It was a good event, with a lot of interesting stalls and activities, but it would be so much better without the fairground stuff.  So how about it, lovely National Trust people?  If you are reading this (and I will be tweeting you the link in a minute!) then please consider cutting out the commercial side of it and just leaving the good stuff in.  If so, I would happily pay the £15 entrance fee, and have some money left to spend in the National Trust shop at the end of the day!

An eventful swimming lesson

Today I took Tiddler to his swimming lesson.  I really enjoy spending time with him by himself, and he likes having the extra attention.  He loves swimming and is becoming more confident and independent.  He swam by himself today, with armbands and was very proud of himself.  We had been in the pool for about 15 minutes, which is half way through the lesson time, when the fire alarm went off.

We had to leave by the exit which is right next to the teaching pool, and as I walked out I could see our towels hanging up about a metre away the other side of the barrier but couldn’t get them.  As we lined up by the door, we were given foil blankets, but I only got one which was quite small and didn’t go round both me and Tiddler.  So obviously I wrapped it around Tiddler and managed to get it round my shoulders a bit, which meant that I had to walk out and round past the main entrance of the building and across the car park with rather a lot of the rest of me on show!  I was glad that I had my decent Boden swimming costume on (at least it never happened when I was wearing my old baggy maternity swimsuit that had done four pregnancies) but even so I wasn’t particularly impressed.

I was also annoyed about having to walk across the car park which seemed to be rather unsafe.  I couldn’t help imagining what it would have been like if I had been with all four children – and even worse, what it would have been like three years ago if I’d been there on my own with a 5 year old, a 4 year old, a toddler and a baby.  I suppose that’s like a weird kind of reverse disaster planning, worrying about how bad things might have been if they had happened when the kids were younger.  But of course it could happen to someone in that situation now, so I really think that they need to rethink the location of their meeting point.  The other problem with it was that there were a lot of cars moving around and leaving the car park at once – presumably all the people who had all their possessions with them (and their clothes on) when the alarm went off – so it was even more dangerous than usual.

I was very lucky that as soon as we reached the meeting point, we saw Granny and her friend (our neighbour) who had just arrived for a swimming session that was due to start just after Tiddler’s lesson.  They kindly lent us their towels so we were able to warm up and cover up a bit, which was good because it was about 5 minutes before a member of staff came to offer me an extra blanket.  It was a nice sunny day, but we had got very cold in the first few minutes after we came outside so it took us a while to warm up.  I don’t want to imagine what it would have been like in the middle of winter.  After 15 minutes the fire brigade arrived, and 5 minutes later we were allowed back into the building.  Tiddler had by then missed the rest of his lesson, so we just had to get changed and go home.  It was rather disappointing and confusing for him, but it least he got to see a fire engine and four firemen!

The Big Bang Science Fair

This post is written by Owl.

On Friday 15th March we (mummy, Monkey, Rabbit and I ) went to the Big Bang Science Fair at the Excel Centre in London.  We went on four trains to get there, and waited for our Home Education Group friends to arrive.  Then we went and watched a Strange Science show with lots of good experiments.  These are a few of them:

  1. The man presenting the show placed a glass funnel in a large jug of oil, and put his finger in the narrow end of the funnel to keep the air inside.  We could see the funnel clearly.  Then he took his finger out and the funnel became invisible.  It was still there but we couldn’t see it because there was no air trapped inside and it filled up with oil.  The reason we couldn’t see it was that oil and glass have the same refractive index, while air is different, so the path of the light going through the oil does not change when it hits the glass, but it changes when it reaches the trapped air.  The man demonstrated this by shining a laser on it, to show how the path of the light bends when there is air in the funnel, but it is straight when there is no air.
  2. The man passed a low level of electricity through three volunteers from the audience.  It didn’t hurt them but was enough to play some music.  One person on the end of the line held a wire connected to a laptop which was playing music, another stood in the middle of the line, and the one at the other end held a wire connected to a speaker.  When their fingers were touching the music played, and when they separated it stopped.
  3. Finally the man touched two plasma balls at once with one hand and held a fluorescent tube light with the other.  The electricity passed through his body and the bulb lit up.  He said it hurt a bit so he didn’t ask for volunteers this time.

After the show, we had lunch and met up with some of our friends.  Then we explored the exhibition, which had so many stands but we could only look at a few.  These were some of the best ones:

  1. There was a stand about drugs, and I helped to do an experiment about caffeine.  I had to use a dropper to pick some daphnia out of a jar of water and place them on a slide under a video microscope.  We could see a heart beating on the screen and I had to count the number of heartbeats in 15 seconds and then multiply by 4 to calculate the number of beats per minute.  We then added some caffeine and counted again, and the heart rate was higher.
  2. On another stand there was a presentation about what happens when someone is in a car accident.  There was a dummy the size of a man, and some air was pumped into his chest to make it look like he was breathing.  There was lots of fake blood.  Some volunteers put bandages on him, and we discussed ways of making him comfortable.  I helped to put a mask on his face so he could have gas and air.  They said he would have to go the hospital for further treatment.
  3. Then I talked to a man about the landscape of Mars and he showed me some pictures of features of Mars to compare with similar features on Earth.  There were craters, volcanoes, plains and river beds that would once have been filled with water.

After that the little ones were tired so we went home.  I hope we can go again next year.