Bag yourself some remaining summer and August Bank Holiday fun, whilst also getting the kids’ little grey cells back into thinking mode before the momentous return to school, by heading to the Lakeland Maze Park, near Kendal, in the Lake District.
The 8-acre maze will push youngsters’ problem-solving to the limits, making them think analytically about how to lead their family to victory over a confounding White Rabbit, seeking to stop them exiting a puzzle that gets curiouser and curiouser the more you discover its twists, turns and circular patterns.
Whilst inside the maze, there’s every opportunity to track distances walked, measure the height of the maize crop, discuss the position of the sun, consider geometry (all that circle walking!) and explore a whole host of other educationally linked topics, as the brainpower is deployed for what can be a good 90 minutes.
It’s also an ideal opportunity to do what educationalists are advising and talk to the kids about how they feel about going back to school, in a non-pressured environment that, in every sense of the world, is completely natural.
Kids can also learn more about animals and their care, via a 10 to 15-minute tractor trailer ride around the farm park and through meeting the sheep, pigs, ferrets, rabbits, alpacas, llamas, donkeys and goats living at the working farm. Discussing natural habitats, and where some creatures originate from, can up the interest in the environment and geography.
Memorable multi-generational family activities can be enjoyed in the mini-maze, whilst an outdoor wooden panel maze offers healthy exercise, in the fresh Lakes air. Families can bring picnics, or order take-aways at the farm’s catering hatches and eat at the farm’s picnic areas, once the appetite has been built up.
During August and September, the Lakeland Maze Farm Park is open daily, so pre-school children can still visit with parents and grandparents, for some time to come on weekdays, whilst those heading back to school can still grab some weekend fun in September. The farm opens at 10am and shuts at 6pm, with last park entry at 4pm and maze entry at 4.30pm.
Tickets must be booked online at www.lakelandmaze.co.uk and prices are £8.95 for adults, £7.95 for children aged 2-15, £6.45 for seniors and £32 for a family of two adults and two children. Families should visit the website to familiarise themselves with this year’s procedures and check on the items they should bring with them for their great day out.
There’s just one thing to watch, of course. Don’t let the White Rabbit make you late for the school bell!
