The children have fun playing farmers in the adventure playground |
I am a chair of a playgroup which uses a village hall for our sessions, so the headache of finding an alternative venue occurs at least once a year. This year, however, problem solved! Since the Norfolk Rural Life Museum at Gressenhall has been refurbished, all reports have been positive. I visited myself to check out the improvements and then bought a year's pass. However, I did wonder if a playgroup visit would be as successful. Museums still have a stuffy reputation and the workhouse experience is more suited to over-fives. Plus, if the weather is bad my under-fives soon become bored and restless. Welcome revamp But thanks to the revamp, the education centre has had a welcome programme of improvements. 
Martine (far left) with the children from the playgroup |
It is still in the same building but has all new equipment, activities and offers a good-sized base where you can entertain 20 or more pre-schoolers in a safe, stimulating environment for a day. Visits in relay Used as a base, we took smaller groups of the children round the museum exhibits and then returned when they lost interest and let them relax and play until they were ready for more. 
Petting the cows is a fun part of the museum's activities for under-fives |
If you are lucky with the weather, as we were, Gressenhall provides a range of outside toys to use in the garden attached to the education centre. Two gates have to be kept guarded but it is not a problem. The trip to the farm is always a success and if the children are dressed appropriately then the weather is not an issue because there's the education centre to dry in. Room to call your own We ate lunch outside but we could have had it in the centre and with young children it made such a difference to have a room we could call our own for the morning. There the children could play, eat, read or draw and generally re-group ready for the next sortie to a new load of experiences. Hearty recommendation I heartily recommend that if you have previously been and felt it was not as good for under-fives as it is educational for over-fives, then give it another try. The emphasis on learning through play has been embraced in this safe, stimulating and affordable facility. Do give it a try - as a summer trip or just a change of scene, it is well worth it. See what children have to say about Gressenhall Norfolk Rural Life Museum and take the pop-up tour | 
