A few weeks ago we headed to Sussex to see the conclusion of Arundel Castle’s Jousting & Medieval Tournament Week and to spend the day as a family (regrettably not a frequent occurrence with both parents being self-employed).
Hubby and I have seen this tournament at Arundel before, but having a 3 year old adds a whole new dimension to exploring and learning about history. That’s the kind of learning that stays with you forever and makes you want to learn some more, and I’m oh so glad that gone are the days when people who re-enacted the past were seen as unsocial weirdos.
We had an absolute blast, not least because we met a wonderful reenactor called Jo, and her son, who was first to approach Alex and offer him some beginner lessons in stunt-acting for under 5s.
“Hello! Would you like to fight me? Here, have this wooden sword. It’s a longsword, so you have to hold it with both hands. Yes, like this. Now, hit me in the arm, hit me in the arm! Here! Ok see how I fall?! Now, take your shoes off and pretend to kick me in the back! Ok, now I hit you in the leg! Now you fall! No, not like THAT, like THIS!”
They ended up spending most of the afternoon doing either this, or figuring their ways around bows and arrows, or chasing ball while dressed in knight outfits. That’s in addition to listening to some medieval music, looking at how weapons were made, visiting the castle, and of course looking wide-eyed at the jousting tournament!
And that beats any history lesson I’ve ever been to, that’s for sure!
I’ll leave you with just some of the photographs from the day. Hope you like!
