butser ancient farm

Last week, we went to Butser Ancient Farm (website) with our friends Susie & Hannah. The site describes itself as 'the open air laboratory for research into Prehistoric and Roman agriculture and building techniques' and comprises a working 'ancient farm'. There are a range of buildings there, including a roman villa and iron age round houses, all built in the authentic style and using traditional methods. 

The Farm had put on some activities for half term - some traditional, some perhaps a little less so (circus skills!), and had story telling in the Great Roundhouse. Brodie was a bit too nervous to go into the Roundhouse, as it was very dark inside and there was an open fire in the middle. Tess went in with Susie for the 2nd half of the stories. 

Both Tess & Brodie thoroughly enjoyed the traditional art of crushing chalk, which was to be used to fill cracks in the floor of the Great Roundhouse. Brodie in particular felt that this was a task he was born to do - they even called the mallets 'bashers'!. Both also had a go at arranging tiles for mosaics and rubbing roman coins in the Roman Villa. 

It is a lovely peaceful venue, and I am sure we will go there again as it is fairly local. Susie & Hannah are regular visitors. I know SEEDS (the Southampton based home ed group we belong to) had an educational trip there when we had just joined (but we were too young to go at the time), so we may well do something like that as well. 

PS in the pic of Tess with the 'basher' over her shoulder, she is doing an impression of an elf! Or possibly one of the 7 dwarfs. Just in case it wasn't obvious.