Binchester Roman Fort is another one is those places that is extremely close to us but we have somehow never visited. The fort itself is small but you do get to see some of the old bath house with the amazing underfloor heating system which was incredibly interesting .
The weekend we visited they had Roma Antiqua (a reenactment group) putting on a display. The kids loved seeing all the people dressed up and getting to try on the helmets and handle some weapons.
They even had some plastic ones for younger kids. Just after the photo below was taken they gave L a plastic sword too and she stared banging it on her shield like a fierce warrior!
M got to try out a few horns too.
The performance in the field was funny and interesting but L is a bit too young to sit and watch something when there is lots of open space to run around in, so I missed a lot of it chasing her around.
Aside from the fort they also have a small resource centre that’s great for kids, they can try their hand at making mosaics , drawing, and excavating for Roman pottery in the sandpit. This was a big hit with both of my two.
It was a little hard to get pictures of the fort itself as there were too many people around but we will definitely return again when they don’t have an event on so we can explore a bit more leisurely.
You can find out more about the Fort here.
I love a good family day out, looks like lots of fun! We are at the end of the summer in Arizona and you can’t actually leave the house in the summer due to inevitable melting so this is giving me cabin fever. I’m looking forward to coming back to the UK for next summer!
Ha ha, yes there’ll be no chance of that in the uk! Thanks for stopping by x
wonderful photos, it looks like you had a brilliant day together #sharingthebloglove
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Thank you, we really did x
Oh that looks like a great place to go for a day out, I don’t think mine would sit still for long enough either and I too would be chasing them around. Glad you all had a nice day and it looks like you had great weather too! Thanks again for linking to #familyfun hope to see you next week xx
Any kind of open space and they’re off! Good fun though and it was perfect weather x
What a great time to visit – I love special days like this! It is a shame you didn’t get to see much of the reenactment (we wouldn’t have either), but it must have been fun anyway! I love the look of the resource centre too! #picknmix
chocolateandwineandillbefine recently posted…Five Minutes’ Peace
It was, and it was good looking round the stalls set up showing off weapons etc while everyone else was still watching the show as the kids got to try out more
What a great day out and lots of fun ways for the children to learn. Always places so close that you find you have never been to #picnmix
I’ve discovered so many lately it’s great x
Great place and how lucky to have the reenactment people there. Looks like a beautiful sunny day too! Thanks for linking up to #familyfun
Thank you, yes we certainly had the perfect weather for it x
Ohh this looks a fab day out!! You got some great piccies, thanks for sharing with the #bestandworst hope you’ll stop by again.
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Thank you, it was x
It looks like you had a fab day out. The weather looked perfect.
It looks like there was plenty to see and do 😀 x
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Thank you, it was x
I love days out like this. It’s so much more fun than learning from a text book. #PicknMix
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So true, and I think they take more in when they can actually see it as well x
I’ve never been to a reenactment, would love to see one, especially since we are members of English Heritage, but we never seem to catch one. Looks like you guys had so much fun too! 🙂 #countrykids
My son decided the actual reenactments were great but there was too much talking and explaining inbetween which made him lose interest but getting to handle the armour and weapons made his day!
Looks like a great day out. I love things like this, where there’s enough to keep my inner history geek happy, but also loads for the rest of the family. #whatevertheweather
Lauren (The Helpful Hiker) recently posted…How to Survive Camping with a Toddler
Me too. It doesn’t take much for kids to get bored and it makes such a difference when this has been thought about and activities provided.
What a fab way to bring the history to life! It really looks like they made such an effort to engage children, so many different activities. I love learning about the Roman’s, it’s always so impressive to hear about what they achieved technology wise. I’m another mum who always finds herself chasing after a toddler rather than enjoying the display though! Thanks so much for joining us again at #SharingtheBlogLove
Thanks, seeing the underfloor heating system in the bath house from all those years ago was incredible, and the kids loved excavating in the sandpit x
Isn’t it funny, the things that have been had been around for so long yet have had to be reinvented?
Pitter patter travelers recently posted…Ghosts and ghouls and a little bit of history – Québec City with children
You’re right. It is incredible how much the Romans invented but then was seemingly forgotten about to be reinvented later and hailed as a breakthrough.
I just love your photos! I am loving the colours.
Such a lovely place and event to visit. Real kid friendly too! #countrykids
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Thank you, you’ve just put the biggest smile on my face 😊
What a great day. I seen my time chasing Holly around and missing everything too! Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove x
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Ha ha, they certainly keep us on our toes don’t they
Oh wow looks like an awesome time and I love attractions that are so interactive!!
Thanks for linking to #ablogginggoodtime
Mummy in a TuTu (@mummyinatutu) recently posted…Mums: Judge, Jury & Executioners
Thank you, they really loved ‘excavating’
So many reenactments are going on at the moment, and I think it’s a great way to get people to engage with history. I bet seeing all the horses and the sports was fun. It really does look like a fun day out
#CountryKids
x
Thanks, they do a great job of bringing history to life, we had a great time x
This place looks brilliant and I love reenactments and active history 🙂 Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix
Stevie x
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Thank you, they really do bring it to life x
Sounds like an interesting day out. The resource centre for kids sounds great! #PoCoLo
It was, they loved the excavation sandpit, such a great idea
Looks like you all had a great day and lovely to see history in action too. And the sandpit excavation is a fab idea and a great way to really involve kids. Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo
Thank you, you’re right it is great seeing history come to life and the kids really engaging with it x