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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.
Martine with some of the children from her playgroup |
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.
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
A friendly cows says hello to the playgroup visitors |
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.
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 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.
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I
heartily recommend that if you have previously been
and felt it was not as good for under-fives as it is
for over-fives, then give it another 
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