We are at a new eco park in Milton Keynes. It is like a convention of home-educators, as groups from at least three counties converge at opening time.
The concept behind the park is great, although some of the practicalities need a bit more thought, as anyone who has tried to push a buggy on gravel can attest to.
I take the children on the flight simulator ride. Unfortunately, Tumble isn’t allowed on, so Boater kindly offers to look after her. I have a bit of a kerfuffle stowing away the buggy; by the time I have wedged it into a corner, the lights have gone down and Scooter has started howling. We fight our way back through the queue and deposit him with Boater outside, then I fight my way back up through the queue. By the time I return, Squiggle & Pixie are in buckled into one row and I have to sit in another. The ride starts and so does Pixie. There is commentary, to accompany the onscreen action but no one can hear a word of it above Pixie’s wailing. After what seems like an hour but is probably only five minutes, the lights go back on.
“I liked that ride” chirps Pixie.
There is a little place where children can dig for vegetables buried in woodchip and across the way, in a little kitchen, they can discover how to wash and chop said vegetable. I scoff at this until I discover that yesterday there were children there who, on digging up a potato and carrot, had to ask what they were.
Clearly, the need for this park is greater than I thought.