Learning in London

“Travelling is just like homeschooling but way better…”

says Lucy – and I tend to agree. Not having the chance to travel overseas until was 25, I really value this opportunity and what it represents for my family on a number levels. Together time, learning, new experiences and just opening up horizons – for all of us. I am excited about arriving in Denmark – to work at Viborg Katedralskole – and exploring London, the Lake District, Newcastle, Paris, Rome, Naples, Venice and Copenhagen on the way is a rather large added bonus. I am really thinking hard about how we can further extend our exchange opportunities for students back at my school by connecting far and wide. This seems important!

cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Darcy Moore

My children have really enjoyed our week in London, or Londinium, as Lucy has started to call it. We have done all the touristy kind of things one does in the metropolis, including visiting the Tower of London, London Bridge, Southbank, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Hampton Court Palace, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Greenwich, the Globe Theatre and the British Museum, where, of course, we spent most of the 4 hours on site looking at the mummies.

cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Darcy Moore

Lucy was allowed to hold a 2000 year old bronze piece, a good luck charm, while we listened to the staff member explain the significance of the piece. What a great initiative by the museum. The room before had been focused on the Enlightenment period and our chat about superstition and the growth in rational thought seemed, from her responses and questions, to make sense to Lucy. Think about the connections being made here by a 7 year old. Anyway, what I like is that our conversation about the past is steeped in the here and now – and is exciting for both of us. I know ‘history’ is pretty much the flavour of the week with both girls. NB Lucy picked up a copy of ‘Gorgeous Georgians’ later in the week (after pestering us to buy a copy).

cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Darcy Moore

The Globe Theatre was, for two English teachers, one of the first sites we visited. Some interesting trivia I discovered, on a boat trip along the Thames to Greenwich, is that the original site of the theatre was only relatively recently discovered to be below the offices of ‘The Times’ newspapers. I have not verified this – do you have any detail?

Lucy and Sarah enjoyed seeing this working theatre and watched with interest as the sets were constructed during the guide’s talk. I wish my opportunities in earlier life had extended to actually seeing the places I was reading about and studying. I am sure that students who travel are greatly advantaged, educationally speaking, as well as being stimulated to learn more about the world that is really around them.

NB We are currently experiencing superb weather in the Lake District *touch wood* and I am off to ramble.