For almost 6 months, we have been meaning to take the kids to London for a field trip, and last weekend we finally did it!!!
I remember visiting the amazing museums and historical sites as a child with my mum. Maybe it's jut nostalgia, but I wanted my children to have the same feelings of awe and also feel inspired as I was when I was young.
It took about 4 hours to drive down from the North-West and reach our hotel near Kew Gardens.
Before we tackled the museums, there was something much more important that we needed to address....our stomachs!!!
The first place we visited was Southall for some GOOD CURRY! We went to Mirch Masala and the food was delicious! After dinner, I visited a lovely Islamic book shop called Al-Jannah bookstore, and purchased a few goodies...but you'll have to wait for my next favourites Youtube video to see them!
After a good night's sleep, we set out to central London by car. I have always been intimidated by driving in central London, however my husband makes it look easy! mashAllah. Thank goodness he was with me!
First stop....
The Natural History Museum
This was the one place that my children insisted we visit because of their extensive collection of dinosaur fossils. Even as a "grown-up", I couldn't help but be impressed by the size of their collection.
The kids particularly enjoyed the robotic T-Rex!
We even found the place where Andy's famous time-travelling clock should have been!
(You know, from CBeebies TV show "Andy's Dinosaur adventure"!)
 |
| It's time to go an a Dinosaur Adventure! |
In addition to the dinosaurs, we visited the section about Marine
life. The room with the life-size blue whale was incredible!
Then we went to the Volcanoes & Earthquake section. This was my eldest son's favourite part. It is lay out really well, with loads of hands-on learning experiences. There is even one room that you can stand in and experience a simulated earthquake!
My boys were so inspired by this part of the museum, that we are going to incorporate earthquakes and volcanoes into our science this term insha'Allah.
On the drive back to the hotel, we drove through Westminster and saw the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. However, as the kids were tired, instead of stopping to look around, we decided it was best to head back to the hotel.
After another trip to Southall for dinner, we went back to the hotel for a good night's rest.
The next day we visited the British museum.
The British Museum
Honestly, I could spend a week in this museum!
I go nuts for Ancient history, and this museum is full of exhibits and artifacts from every ancient civilisation you can imagine!
It is my happy place!
However this time we only had a morning to spend here so we went straight for the ancient Egypt section.
In our history curriculum, we have spent the last 3 months focusing on Ancient Egypt. It was so nice for the children to see the historical artifacts in real life. The section was very crowded, and seemed really popular with tourists, but we managed to see a lot of fascinating things.
I love the British museum, and I'm already planning our next visit!
Before leaving, we sat and enjoyed some hot chips, whilst admiring the incredible architecture outside.
Travelling around central London with kids can be difficult. One of the best things I can advise is plan ahead; plan your nappy bag, plan your route, plan where you will have lunch, pack snacks...plan plan plan! Also, try not to be over ambitious with what you hope to achieve in the day. Personally, I do not expect to visit more than one place a day, and anything extra is a nice bonus!
 |
| He looks like I feel after a day out in London with the kids! ;) (Mauritian Dodo from the Natural History Museum) |
Have you ever taken your children on an educational trip around London?
We are planning to visit London again in the next few months. Where would you recommend we go next time we visit?
I would love to hear your ideas and advice for travelling with kids.
Please leave your comments down below!
To make sure you don’t miss the next blog post or YouTube video:
Subscribe to Our Muslim Homeschool by Email!
In need of your duaas.
Peace and Love xx
Sounds like such a fun and educational trip!! Love it <3
ReplyDelete