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Visiting Alnwick Castle with kids – the harry potter castle in real life

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One of my favorite things about #londonmuseums was that they were free. We donated because we were able BUT it also allowed us to pop in and out without feeling like we had to pick one and soak it up like in Chicago when you're dropping $50 to get in.

The @tate was the most interesting museum building I've been in; gigantic and busy. We were luck enough to see this new installation and reading about it (swipe) lead to some great conversations with our kiddos. See more angles of this piece at #fonsamericanus Find more of her work on instagram- @kara_walker_official ♥️ #emclmuseums #emcllondon #emclunitedkingdom #emclengland
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers #museumschool #homeschoolfieldtrip #karawalker #tatemodern #tatemodernmuseum #homeschoolart #homeschoolfirstgrade #kidsneedart

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Favorite playground ever, right here in touristy downtown london 😍😍 It was full of big climbing stuff and my kids were absolutely in heaven. I've never seen a playground like this in the states!! I don't remember the official name but it was right by the London Eye, anyone know? I want to recreate it right in my backyard!! Mixing in playgrounds to our museum and castle schedule was important 😁💞 #emcllondon #emclengland #emclunitedkingdom #emclclimb
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#visitengland
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers#visitlondon#londonwithkids #1000hoursoutside #playground #naturalplayscape #kidswhoclimb

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Taking photos of people makes me feel awkward! I tried to casually check in with this guard to make sure it was okay, but he didn't answer. I cannot imagine standing like that with tourists trying to provoke you (of course we didn't do that!). Honestly I can't imagine standing still and quiet for that long, regardless of tourists! What do they think about?! This was from the Tower of London! It's very accessible to the city and castle-ish but after seeing real castles it wasn't as engaging. The history was interesting although we glossed over the torture and public executions 😳 a benefit of having not fluent readers. My favorite part was the one we couldn't photograph - the crown jewels! I also liked reading about the legend of the ravens.

They had an interactive app here and a kids booklet but we ended up just doing our own thing. The guided tours were highly recommended but it was way too busy by the time we got there! #emclengland#emclunitedkingdom #emcllondon
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#visitengland
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers
#toweroflondon #visitlonson#londonwithkids

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I love museums. But I have to admit I was a little let down by the Natural History Museum in London! We had been to the Field Museum in Chicago a few weeks before which probably influenced our experience but most of the exhibits just felt dated or underwhelming.

The exceptions? This beautiful, temporary Museum of the Moon piece by Luke Jerram! It was lovely. We also liked the vault of precious jewels 😍

I wish we had had more time at the V&A museum instead, we only saw bits and pieces but really enjoyed the hands on activities.

Last but not least, the small and mighty Fashion Museum in Bath! My kids really enjoyed walking through clothes over the years, and were surprisingly engaged with the audio guide. This was one of my favs too, as someone who sews ✂️ Swipe to see the other surprise we found here! I spent a lot of time googling and insta-investigating before we visited #caerphillycastle but it was still a surprise to see these dragons! Their marketing department needs to spread the word because my kids were thrilled.

This was our one day jaunt over to Wales, so we could see a castle with a real moat. These dragons sat near a speaker box that told us a story about them, both in English and Welsh (of course we tried both, it was fun hearing more of the language!). They also had a cool scavenger hunt set up that both kids enjoyed. This castle felt the least commercialized, dragon statues notwithstanding, and it was very easy to imagine being back in history while we wandered around. They were filing a new Netflix series in the great hall while we were there too, can't wait to see it! #emclmuseums
#emclengland #emclunitedkingdom
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers #museumofthemoon #londonmuseums #museumschool #homeschoolfieldtrip #victoriaandalbertmuseum #fashionmuseum

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Swipe to see the other surprise we found here! I spent a lot of time googling and insta-investigating before we visited #caerphillycastle but it was still a surprise to see these dragons! Their marketing department needs to spread the word because my kids were thrilled.

This was our one day jaunt over to Wales, so we could see a castle with a real moat. These dragons sat near a speaker box that told us a story about them, both in English and Welsh (of course we tried both, it was fun hearing more of the language!). They also had a cool scavenger hunt set up that both kids enjoyed. This castle felt the least commercialized, dragon statues notwithstanding, and it was very easy to imagine being back in history while we wandered around. They were filing a new Netflix series in the great hall while we were there too, can't wait to see it! #emclcastles #emclwales
#emclunitedkingdom
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#visitwales
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers #dragonsofinstagram

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Where is a place you wouldn't have gone if not for the internet? The little town of Bath wasn't on my radar until so many folks mentioned it in their trip reports and posts and I'm thankful to them!

It felt like we were walking around on a movie set with the gorgeous buildings and quaint streets lined with matching flats! The Roman Baths themselves were very interesting and they had a great audio guide. Lots of engaging things for the kids to touch and find; it made us want to go to Rome 🤣🤦 and see more! #emclengland
#emclunitedkingdom
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#visitengland
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers #kidswhotravel #romanbaths #bathengland #homeschoolhistory

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Do you feel obligated to stop for "must see" locations or do you avoid the busiest places? We were only a short drive from #stonehenge so it felt silly to not swing over BUT my kids were thoroughly not impressed 😂

I can never guess what will strike their fancy but these beautiful rocks weren't it. To be fair I didn't love taking a tour bus over from the museum, or seeing the highway in the background; I think the experience would be much different if you had to hike into the woods to see them 😂 BUT I'm still glad we went. It certainly inspired wonder, staring up at the stones.

I especially liked seeing on the timeline just how old these rocks were compared to Machu Picchu and the pyramids. The little cafe was convenient and tasty, admission was steep. I wouldn't spend a whole day to get here but am glad we stopped. #emclengland #emclunitedkingdom
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#visitengland
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers #kidswhotravel #stonehengerocks #llbean #everywherefamilies #travelmadfamily #homeschoolhistory

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What do you splurge on when you travel? We normally stay at the cheapest hotel I think we won't find bedbugs in but on this trip we went all out and spent a night in @warwickcastleofficial 🤩

Sleeping in a 14th century tower and walking the ramparts by ourselves really felt special. We took a private armory tour the next morning, with my kids trying on allll the helmets🏰

The birds of prey show was AMAZING, I can't tell you how many times I gasped, and the Knight's Village dinner was a highlight of the trip for the kids. Again, the folks doing the show went above and beyond with their enthusiasm and interaction with the kids. 10/10 highly recommend! #emclengland #emclcastles #emclunitedkingdom
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#visitengland
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers #warwickcastle #britishcastles #kidswhotravel

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Have you read about the poison garden ☠️ it is a part of the Alnwick Gardens next to the castle and it was a very interesting 30 minute tour. The gentleman giving it talked a lot about how many of the poisonous plants also had some curative properties, which was fascinating.

I'm wishing I'd taken notes because he also talked about a bush so potent that it had killed people who trimmed it! Woof. The rest of the gardens were beautiful and charming, with quirky giant statues, shimmering lights around the fountains, and a fun bamboo maze. Highly recommend stopping here! #emclengland #emclunitedkingdom
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#tinybigadventure #worldschooling #wildschooling #homeschooling #childhoodunplugged #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids #havekidswilltravel #familytravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytraveltribe #optoutside
#visitengland
#takethekids
#familieswhotravel #familytravelers #alnwickcastle #northumberland #poisongarden #alnwickgardens #patagoniajacket #merrellshoes

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