[Ad- gifted experience] At the end of each year, Robin’s school has a massive, all classes trip where everyone in the school goes together to have a big, end of year experience. This is the second year that Dann and I both have been accepted as volunteers, welcome to enjoy the trip and day with Robin! It’s so much fun to get a day just with her and to see her interact with all of her school friends. She’s such a kind individual, and that really comes out when she’s in her school element. This year, the trip was to Colchester Castle Museum, which started outside the museum at the park.
Robin and her little friends really enjoyed the park outside. There was a massive swing that they all went on, a zip line, and tons of things you’d expect at a park. It’s a great way for kids to get all their energy out before heading into the museum. There also was a sand area, which was separated from the main park area, behind a fenced area. The sand pit had a giant boat, lots of fun sand machines, and tons of toys scattered about. It’s just a well done park that was very fun to hang out in. As this was a school trip, Robin’s year also played together on the big green space, where Robin drew her friends and created pretend games. I got the chance to get to know some other parents in this time from her year, which was quite lovely.
Then, it was our turn in the Colchester Castle Museum. The castle itself looks so impressive from the outside, as it was built in 1076, under the supervision of the Bishop of Rochester, who built the White Tower in London. The castle was built by the Normans over the ruined Roman Temple of Claudius, when Colchester was the first Roman capitol of Britain. Inside the castle doors was a well, that all of the children gathered around, before going into the main area of the Colchester Castle Museum.
We didn’t get to soak in as much history as we might have, but there were so many interactive bits that everyone wanted to try out! Dress up, with shields and helmets had all of the children walking around pretending they were Romans. There was an area where you could pull out a drawer shaped like a bridge and use soft blocks to build the bridge over it, then remove the drawer to see if it stands. Dann helped a bunch of kids complete that challenge! Robin tried her hand at designing a stained glass window with some semi-transparent blocks on a light box. There was a giant paper dragon hanging above! It was just so much to take in and see. As it has recently been the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, there was a little special section that commemorated that.
After spending quite some time in Colchester Castle Museum’s middle floor, we went up to the top. There was even more dress up, where Robin and her friends played family, along with lots of artifacts with little descriptions. We found statues of Gods, including Jupiter, and a chariot video game, where you could pull the reins of a chariot. The top floor is a bit smaller than the bottom, but still packed with things to learn and see. Robin enjoyed listening to the stories of people who might have lived in the time period of when the castle was built.
We then headed to the dungeons, where everyone gathered around the prison cells to listen to a story about prisoners who were there. This had a shadow-video on the walls, which was very engaging, before everyone finished up and headed back out. We then took Robin home, avoiding all of the traffic that the bus hit. She, and the rest of her class, had a fantastic time at Colchester Castle Museum, which is the perfect mix of interactions and learning – especially if you have an afternoon to spend there.
You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!