We're very lucky to have so many great National Trust properties near us in Kent. One particular favourite is Ightham Mote. I used to take the children there when they were little, and now there's even more to see with grandchildren.
A couple of weeks ago Giovanna and I took Luca there for 'a 'venture', as he calls it. We were lucky to have a sunny day, but either way it's a lovely place to expand children's imaginations. Never mind DVDs and games consoles, they have nothing on getting out into the fresh air to have fun, and even learn a thing or two.
(If you click on the photos, you can see bigger versions of them.)
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| A great place to play Pooh sticks, which is exactly what we did! |
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| A twisted old tree - good for looking at texture. |
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| They have wonderful veg and flower gardens, where Luca can learn the names of plants and what vegetables look like when they're in the ground. They're a feast for at least four of the senses and Luca in particular likes to smell them.  |
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| Tree stumps looking like a line of gnarled old magical beings - fodder for story telling, along with the tree 'graveyard' below. They're almost like bones.  |
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| At one end of the walk they've created a natural playground, made from the wood lying around, with a babbling brook running through. |
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| There's a twig tunnel that Luca liked to run up and down. |
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| Handy deckchairs to sit back in and enjoy the ambiance. We got Luca to close his eyes and tell us what he could hear. |
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| The joy of running in the open air. |
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| Pottering and finding treasures - usually sticks or stones! |
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| A bank of buttercups - just because they're so pretty! |
We had a fun-filled day, and didn't even get to go in the lovely old house. We'll have to save that for a future adventure.
More information on Ightham Mote
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