THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON TRAIL
DAYSOUT
• Make a summer soundtrack. List the most dance-worthy songs you loved this summer. You could even make these into a Spotify playlist and print out the QR code for the page!
• Dedicate some space for the natural world. Polish your observation skills by recording what you noticed in nature. This could include sketching an image of an interesting bug or sticking down some pressed flowers and labelling their species.
• Have some foodie fun. Note down the yummy treats and delicious meals you’ ve had this summer- bonus points if you collected any wrappers or receipts to stick onto this page!
• Design a map. Keep track of important locations you’ ve visited by drawing your very own map! Pro tip: Use glitter gel pens to make this page extra colourful.
• Write a review. Just like a diary, write a couple of paragraphs about a recent adventure. Some reflective writing prompts include:‘ The most exciting thing I did today was …’ /‘ Today, I learned that …’
• For families on the go, make sure to keep an envelope or dedicated zip-lock pouch to collect your junk journal items. Small notebooks are also helpful to ensure that little ones can write down their thoughts- and remember, for digital scrapbooks, photos can be saved to special albums to print or use later!
Whether you go the digital route or dive into the organised mess of pens, glue and glitter, a summer scrapbook is more than just an activity; it’ s a time capsule. Start yours now to ensure that you can relive the magic for years to come!
THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON TRAIL
BODIUM CASTLE
Irecently went to Bodium Castle, which is not very far from Kent. I had never been there before and it was much bigger than I thought it would be, with castle ruins, a big moat and lots of grounds to explore. It was very fun.
On the day that I went with my family there was a new How to Train Your Dragon Trail based on the book by Cressida Cowell. First, we picked up a Trail book from the welcome desk and the team at the Castle explained that I needed to fill in all of the activities of the book and if I completed the trail I could go to the gift shop at the end to get a prize!
At the start of the book there were true or false questions to become a true Viking, it was fun and I got to spell my name using the Viking alphabet! I had to find lots of hidden dragons around the castle, solve lots of clues and I challenged my mum to a dragon race, which I won! At the end of the trail I had to design my own dragon and I was given my own Viking name, Terrifying BearClaw!
After we had finished the trail we then explored the rest of the castle grounds, there was a big Medieval reenactment there with people dressed up, shooting bows and arrows and showing what life would have been like in olden days. I got to try on a helmet from a suit of armour. It was very heavy!
We then went back to the start of the trail and collected our prize from the gift shop and stopped at the cafe for an icecream- it was delicious. The trail is on all summer so there is lots of time to find dragons and become a Viking during the school holidays. You should go, it’ s a lot of fun!
Jaxon Ready, Aged 8 www. insidekent. co. uk • 43