So after a lovely week in the Lake District – I thought I would update on some of the things we got up to and how we followed up with our trip into our homeschooling weeks. A lot of this can be seen on our Instagram feed, however as it doesn’t always paint the full picture, I thought I would update here!
We stayed in the lovely Windermere Suites in Windermere – very close o Lake Windermere. Although the weather was between 17 and 21 degrees, it was still cool and fresh and was pleasant as we were walking a lot. There are a number of things to do with kids – most of the hotels will have numerous leaflets advertising loads too.
1. Go on a Boat Ride!
We went on a lovely boat ride on our first day taking in the views of Lake Windermere and the lush green hills and forests.
2. Hike Aira Force Waterfall!
We went on a mile hike to Aira Force Waterfall – it was easy to do with a 2 and 4 year old even though there was a slight shower of rain – there are steps along the hike so taking a pram along will probably not work out! We finished by treating ourselves to traditional scones with jam and clotted cream!
3. Enjoy the views at Ullswater!
We took a drive out to Ullswater to take in some beautiful views of the valleys and hills – it was simply breathtaking! It’s about a 45 minutes drive from Windermere.
4. Visit Wray Castle & enjoy the Peter Rabbit Rooms!
We were also recommended Wray Castle. The girls had a lovely time discovering Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit‘s rooms, kitchen and other play rooms making crowns, dressing up and playing in soft play build your own castle rooms. Although we went a few hours before closing time, you can spend the whole day there as there are play areas in the grounds and hiking paths too.
5. Hire a motor boat!
We also decided to hire out a motor boat on our final day at Lake Windermere. It was a lovely experience as the girls got to take turns too – it was fairly safe – just like driving a car really except a lot slower and in water. There were a few moments were the waves felt stronger but nothing too scary. Taking in the breathtaking views was just worth the whole experience.
6. Visit Brockhole Centre!
On our final day we drove out to Brockhole Centre where there are beautiful gardens, adventure playgrounds and treetop trampolines and GO-Ape style climbing and zip wire!
Follow up learning activities:
Some of the activities we have started or continued since our trip include:
1. Nature Journal – we bought a journal which we used as a nature journal, adding our activities to it over the summer!
2. Life cycle of a butterfly – click here for more on our butterfly project!
3. Nature collection bag – we have been continuously adding what we find to our nature bag including leaves, rocks, sticks, acorns, and some flowers
4. Leaf rubbing – Place leaves under the paper and use crayons to rub on top to reveal the leaf patterns
5. Nature art collage – we used old flowers and meadow flowers we picked, arranged them on our paper and covered with contact paper!
6. Bug hunt – we used our magnifying glasses and bug catchers to explore bugs and worms in the garden!
7. Painting with nature – We made cards using the art work we had left over from painting with sticks and flowers!
Of course one of the main objectives of our trip other than the holiday aspect was for the girls to take in as much time outdoors discovering and experiencing the beautiful green nature and there was absolutely no way of teaching this but by being in the environment itself. 🙂
