I am not a fan of January. Not one bit. I look forward to Christmas and enjoy the countdown, and then after it’s over, I just want spring to come. I want sunny mornings, my garden bursting with possibilities and drier days to get out and about. I suspect I’m not alone?
So this year, I thought it would be fun to put together something of a bucket list with my family, of things that we’d like to do together this year, ensuring we’ve lots of things lined up to look forward to…
Days Out
Warwick Castle
I’ve been waiting, somewhat eagerly, for the kids to be old enough to enjoy this one. I’ve been several times, and as a history student, I absolutely adore wandering around old buildings, and Warwick Castle is truly spectacular. I’m hoping to take them when there’s a special event on, such as a Horrible Histories day.
Chatsworth House
Yes, yes, this is one I’m yearning for, too, though I’ve not been here before and am very keen to do so. It looks like there’s plenty to see and do there for all of us, and it’s not all that far away so I’m hoping we can do it in one day, though I have to say a break away in the Peak District really appeals, so we may turn this into something more, we’ll see.
Chester Zoo
We’ve been here several times before, and we all love it. We like to visit a few zoos each year, and this one is always impressive. We’ve not yet seen the new Islands addition, so we’d like to return to see that.
National Space Centre
We have never been before and I’ve heard such good things about it from friends, so we are keen to go. I showed a clip of it to Boo and she’s was gasping and jumping around excitedly, so it’s fair to say that she’s up for it!
Bosworth BattleField
This is for me and my degree, of course, but I’m hoping that it will appeal to the children, too. It may be something that just Boo and I do together making it a little more special, we’ll see.
Natural History Museum
We are so keen to go here. I’ve heard that it is so, so busy in the holidays and when we went to London last July, the queues were huge. We’re thinking of using one of Boo’s teacher training days to venture down and explore. Any tips for best times to visit will be gratefully received!
Breaks Away
Chessington World of Adventures
We’ve never been and it looks like there’s so much to do there, so we want to go! My kids love zoos and theme parks, so I’m thinking this will tick some boxes!
Yorkshire
We had a weekend in York last year and absolutely loved it. We’d like to revisit, perhaps take in the Jorvik centre and explore surrounding areas, too.
‘The Seaside’
The kids are not choosy on this one, but it is a must on their list! Living in Birmingham, we are about as far from the coast as you can get in England, so we rarely get to see the sea, only ever on holidays and breaks away. We may go up north for a change, and tie it in with York.
And Most Importantly, The ‘Little Things’
They are called the ‘little things’ but I can’t help but feel that these are the big things, the things that really count. Whilst we’re excited about our adventures and exploring all of the above, I suspect it will be the little things that keep us going, keep the smiles on our faces and are the childhood moments remembered.
Scooters and Bikes in the Park
Loading the car up and popping to our local, huge rambling park is a firm favourite, yet it’s something we’ve not made time to do recently. We will do better this year.
Playground Visits and New Discoveries
Ask my kids where they want to go, rain or shine, and this is likely to crop up as an answer. We’d like to find a few new ones local to us to explore.
Playing Pooh Sticks
Simple pleasures at their best? I remember playing this with my brother when I was little, and both of the kids like this one. My mum took them recently, and they played not only ‘pooh sticks’ but also ‘pooh apples’?! Anyway, it’s definitely made an impression, as this is one of the first ideas that they had.
One on One Time
As Little Man’s at home with me in the week, we get one on one time together. But this year I want to make more of this and plan a few fun days out for just the two of us. I tend to steer clear of these as I like to wait until Boo’s with us, too, but I think she’ll get over it and I know he’ll love it. I also want to have more mum and daughter days with Boo, as she absolutely loves these, as do I.
OK, I’m thinking that’s enough now! We also want to return to some favourite haunts, such as Drayton Manor, Cannock Chase, the National Forest Adventure Farm, ThinkTank and various National Trust properties, so we will be packing it in this year. The list has been approved by all family members, so it’s now my task to make it all happen, a task that I’m really looking forward to. I’d like to spread the fun out over the course of the year, so as we’re already a week into 2016, I think I’d best get my planner out and get cracking!
Have you been to any of these places? Any tips or recommendations for us?
Scarborough and Whitby are great for kids (probably more so Scarborough, I think) and neither are too far from York if you did decide to do the seaside at the same time. Sounds like you have lots of lovely adventures planned 🙂
Thanks so much, that’s really useful to know. I was tempted by Scarborough, actually, so you’ve sold it to me, thanks!
I love this list. I was trying to think of days out for us this year but until I get Hubby’s hours late in Feb we don’t know what time we’ll have available. I cannot wait to hear about what you get up to! x
It’s fun to put one together, now I just have to sort it all! X
Fab list! I am really looking forward to returning to Warwick Castle again this year. It’s such a fab day out! Oh we should all go together! x
Thank you! Oh, that does sound fun! X
Love this bucket list and sounds like a wonderful list of places to visit. I’ve not been to many places on your list – just Chessington and the Natural History Museum which is amazing but yes, very busy. My tip would be try and go as early in the day as possible or later in the afternoon when the queues will have died down. A teacher training day would probably be quieter. Chessington is the only one and it was probably about ten years ago. My sister takes her two girls there every year and they always have a wonderful time – I am sure that Boo and Little Man would love it. Chatsworth, Bosworth Battlefield and Warwick Castle are all places I’d like to visit too – mostly because I also have a love of history and love the way these places really bring it to life for me.
Thanks for the tip! Yes, I think they’d adore Chessington, just working out the best time to go and thinking we’ll stay nearby, too, and make a weekend of it. Ah yes, the historical days out are the ones that excite me the most! x
Looks like an exciting year for you! We loved Warwick castle last year. The National space centre is brilliant, We’ve not been for a few years now though. The Battlefield line, as a history geek, I love it but unless there’s an event on, my kids have always found it boring X
Thanks! Ah, that’s useful to know then – I’ll go alone! X
Love this list, I think that having one is such a positive thing to do. We made a summer bucket list last year and it was brilliant, it meant that we always had ideas for what to do. I hope you have a fabulous year and manage to tick all of these off 🙂
Thank you, we are making progress 🙂
Pingback: Siblings February 2016 - The Reading Residence
Pingback: Our 2017 Adventures Wishlist - The Reading Residence