Today we attended the Bournemouth University Festival of Learning event and we had soooo much fun! 

The Festival brings learning to life with interactive workshops, talks, exhibitions, sport sessions and theatre events.  All of the activities are free to book but you need to register first in order to secure your place. 



I have no idea exactly how many activities and workshops were running today but it took us several hours to do a fraction of it.  I know we missed quite a few things including the outdoor sports activities but our darling daughter was simply too exhausted by mid afternoon to carry on.

When we arrived we made our way to the Fusion Building and after a wander and a bite to eat we went upstairs and found there was pretty much something going on in each and every room which was suitable for the kids.

We started in an archaeological room where my son was shown how cave people would grind up iron rock to make paint and we had a go at our own cave drawings.  Both kids were then giving a big lump of clay to make and take whatever they wanted.  I was super impressed with my son’s decorated cup which he made for Daddy while our little girl had a blast simply wetting and squidging her piece of clay haha.



Next door was a sensory room and they both really enjoyed it in there.  There were tubs on the floor with all sorts of things from glittery shaving foam to trucks in mud, paint brushes in sand to wet little balls that loved to bounce.  Our favourite was a tub made simply from cornflour and water but you could pick it up as a solid and then it would instantly turn into liquid in your hands!

We found a room which tested our strength, endurance, reaction and balance with various activities.  I was pleased to be told my results showed I wasn’t a weakling however our son fell on the floor in a heap when asked to jump on and off a block for 2 minutes haha.

After this we went in a room with VERY realistic dummies and we even put on a special t-shirt that showed the heart beating, very cool! 





We did plenty more and enjoyed lots of hands on activities before ending our day watching a pterodactyl fly around the building and having our photo taken with a Mammouth and a T-Rex!



If anyone from the BU Festival of Learning see’s this then I’d love to say a HUGE thank you from everyone who came.  Each year is just incredible and all the staff and students are so very welcoming, friendly and passionate about their subject.  I’m not certain but I’d bet the majority of people walking around offering help and assistance are there voluntarily and for us to come out for the day and enjoy so many activities for free is simply amazing and very much appreciated.  We’ll see you again in 2019!

Please note that it’s not over!  There are still many more events running through the week, mostly for adults but there are still a few for kids including Science Magic which is on Wednesday after school (although I have no doubt it will be sold out soon).  For full details on more events running this week, please visit the Website.

Our family always loves a day out to Marwell Zoo and this time we went straight to the newly opened Tropical House to see what we could find.

The impressive exhibit spans across 2 levels and has a diverse range of tropical plants and wildlife inside. As we entered we noticed the sign which asked visitors to please be a little quiet as the sloth doesn't like loud noises and we were all delighted to see him having a snooze in one of the trees.

Following on from there we found some very unusual looking birds like a crested wood partridge and Brazilian tanager plus there’s a large 70,000-litre aquarium with 2,500 fish, a crocodile monitor lizard, Burmese mountain tortoises and so much more.  As always the children were busy dashing around and as a result we missed some of the wildlife but I figured we’d just try and find them next time we go.

The interactive room was very popular with visitors and explains the flow of energy through life. We all giggled when we stopped at the table showcasing different animal dung which is used to generate energy at the zoo.



This innovative and sustainable exhibit is the second phase of a £17m investment programme and will ultimately create improved habitats for the animals and a more immersive experience for visitors.



After our visit to the Tropical House we went to the Wild Explorers area which has roaming wild rhinos, zebras and scimitar-horned oryx and then the children happily played in the nearby wooden play area while I visited the restaurant to grab us all some food for lunch.

With our tummies full we slowed down a little and spent the rest of the afternoon saying hello to many of the animals including giraffe, tigers, penguins, meerkats and lemurs.  On this occasion we didn’t go on the road train and railway but I can thoroughly recommend it for the great views of the park whilst giving your feet a rest.  On your way out there’s an amazing gift shop which is worth a visit if your own little monkeys have earned a treat.

For more information and news on upcoming events at Marwell Wildlife, please visit the website here: https://www.marwell.org.uk/zoo/