Did you know that A. A. Milne’s infamously inspiring wood is actually 500 acres? The 100 acre wood is based on the 500 acre Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.

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Beforehand

The Ashdown Forest is a pretty place for a ramble, but knowing the stories of Winnie the Pooh definitely makes it more magical. Before you hike, really familiarize yourself with the Adventures of Pooh. If you’re doing it with this hike in mind, you might want to really talk about the different spots in the woods or with older kids, make a map together of how you envision the woods.

Read about Pooh’s Adventures
The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh
Buy Online

or Listen to the Audiobook
The Collected Stories of Winnie the Pooh
Buy Online

Watch Winnie the Pooh.
Available on Amazon

Hike in Ashdown Forest

Ashdown Forest
Wych Cross
Forest Row RH18 5JP
United Kingdom

• Brochure with More Info about the spots that inspired Pooh stories.
• Mapped Walks with more info.

You have to use your imagine to see the woods through his eyes, but what a gorgeous spot to hike and pretend.

The brochure included about has spots or places around the loop trail that inspired some of the stories in the Winnie the Pooh adventures. You can see: the river where Pooh saved Piglet, Eeyore’s gloomy spot, the Hefflelump forest and tree trap and more.

None of these are labeled in the forest, you need to either print the map or have it pulled up on your phone. I always think it is best to warn your kids that this isn’t like a Disneyland view of Pooh. This is the real place that Milne hiked and they have to be prepared to use their imagination like he did.

Afterwards

Pooh Corner. Sussex.

After your hike, if you have time you can also visit Pooh Corner. This is a small spot at the edge of Ashdown where there is a little museum and you can pop in for tea.

More about Pooh Corner

Home Activity Ideas

Back at home, if your kids are excited about the hike and all things Pooh they might enjoy:

• Re-read some favorite stories or watch Winnie the Pooh again. You can take it one step further by encouraging your kids to act out their favorite story with Pooh Character Puppets like these ones.
• Write your own Pooh story. Older kids who love to write (or homeschoolers who want to add a little writing to your adventure) could write their own story about a spot in the forest.
• Matching Game. Kids under 5 would love this adorable matching game inspired by the characters and stories of Winnie the Pooh. Find Online
• Make Winnie Pooh Honey Snacks together. You can use this easy recipe.

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Great Britain Literature Inspired Unit
(has lots of bookish adventure ideas!)

Iceland is often talked about in superlatives. It is the coolest place. The most extraordinary vacation. This unique, amazing destination. Could it possibly live up to the hype?

The other thing I knew about Iceland beforehand was that natural dangers seem to lurk everywhere. The beaches have massive surprise waves that sweep people away. There are volcanoes poised to explode at any moment. The roads can be impassable. Is that the kind of place I want to take my kids?

Yes. Yes it is.

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We went to Iceland in the Summer of 2019. I was skeptical it could truly be as awesome as everyone says and I was so stressed out trying to pack for the extreme climates and other dangers that supposedly faced us.

I didn’t need to be so stressed and I was as impressed as everyone said. It might take some effort to get to Iceland but I think it’s extremely worth every ounce of planning and funds and packing. It’s an adventure and a completely family friendly one at that.

Note: The Icelandic language has many characters that we do not have in English. The places listed below are missing many accents and characters. I did my best – if you have trouble finding anything based on what I’ve typed here just ask! I’ll point you in the right direction.

Before Your Trip

I stressed out so much over packing. In some ways I probably could have just chilled out a little, but there are some things you absolutely must remember to bring.

• Layers for Everyone. The climate in general is not super warm – even in the summer – and rain is common. We wore a lot of fleece jackets with a raincoat over it when needed.
• Warm socks and Good Walking Shoes
• Swim Suit for the geothermal spas
• Waterproof Camera Gear – you will want to be able to take pictures often and between the rain and the waterfalls you need to be able to protect your gear whether it’s your cellphone or your fancy camera.
• Backpack Carrier for little ones. This is not a stroller friendly trip for the most part. This is the one I used when our twins were little but I highly suggest going to a store and trying them on (with the kiddo or weights in there!) because every back is different.
• Activities for the car!

Children’s Books about Iceland

• Skye the Puffin by Lynne Rickards
• The Problem with Chickens by Bruce McMillan

Where to Stay

We used Nordic Visitor to help plan our Icelandic adventure. They were awesome at pointing us towards the best attractions and responsible for picking all of the hotels that we stayed in and loved. Our family paid for this and I get nothing at all for telling you that they were amazing and did so much to make our trip easier.

Hotel A

This location was my favorite. It was remote and quiet and so beautiful (pictured above). The owners were kind and the breakfast was yummy. The only downside was that each room only had two single beds. Our kids ended up sleeping in a room next door to ours which did make me nervous. There was room in the loft area of our room for them to sleep on the floor but the hotel didn’t have any sort of bedding for us to put in this space. It worked for us – but it would have been harder if our twins were younger. Breakfast was included and their homemade bread was my favorite.

Hotel Selfoss

This was so convenient for many of the nearby attractions. We stayed here for several nights. The hotel was the most family friendly. We had a fold out couch and a large bed for the four of us. Breakfast was included and good.

Hotel Klaustur

This might have been my favorite. We had adjoining rooms so there was plenty of space for us and the kids. The kids each had their own bed which was nice and breakfast was also great.

Allergy Friendly Places to Eat

Icelandic food is largely meat and veggies. We were able to find something for our son to eat most places but he did eat about 400 hamburgers in the 10 days we were there.

Everyone was however kind and helpful about his food allergy. They seemed to understand the importance of being careful and didn’t mind altering things to help us.

Aside from the many hamburgers, what is pictured above was a common meal for him. The bread was hit or miss (although yummy everywhere) on whether it included dairy. But meat in some form and then a salad or some veggies.

Here were some of our Dairy Free favorites that we yummy for everyone in our family:

• The main grocery stores had great vegan options. We were able to find bread, alternative milk, fresh veggies and fruit, snacks, etc. We stocked up every couple of days and ate most lunches on the go. This is also where we first found Oatly milks which are so yummy.
• Kaffi Krus – This is super close to Hotel Selfoss and I would have eaten here every single day we were there if we’d found it sooner.
• The Soup Company – This was near the Lava Centre and such a lovely warm meal. The soups were a little spicey if that’s an issue for your kiddos but otherwise so good.
• Valdis Ice Cream in Reykavik – The line was a little ridiculous but the ice cream was good and there were several DF options.

10 Things to Do with Kids

If your kids like to be outside then Iceland is like paradise. It is a bit like one massive road trip – so be prepared for time in the car – but in general we were in and out a lot.

Also Read: Lots of Tips for Entertaining Kids in the Car and While Traveling

Our kids loved each and every single moment of our stops listed below. They were just as awed as we were by the waterfalls and loved all of the opportunities to explore outside.

1. Waterfalls

Okay so the thing about waterfalls is that they are literally everywhere in Iceland. Visit a national park – waterfall. Golden Circle – waterfall. Drive down a random country road – waterfall.

They are everywhere you look. It’s incredible.

Our absolute favorite waterfalls were:

• Barnafoss
• Hraunfossar
• Gullfoss
• Seljalandsfoss
• Gljufrabui
• Skogafoss
• Svartifoss

2. Golden Circle

This is a good full day of activities. Yes, it is more crowded than a lot of Iceland but I didn’t think it was terrible and the sights were worth seeing.

Our favorites on the Golden Circle were the North American / Eurasian rift at Pingvellir National Park.

The Strokkur Geyser. So cool.

Gullfoss Waterfall.

and the Keiro Volcanic Crater. We almost skipped this one because we were tired by this point in the day but I’m so glad we didn’t. It was one of the coolest things we saw the whole trip – in my opinion.

3. Horseback Riding

There are a million opportunities to do this in Iceland. You will see Icelandic horses almost as often as you see waterfalls. We did ride horses just outside of Selfoss at Solhestar. They were sweet – especially with our kids, the horses were calm, the views were pretty.

4. Geothermal Spa or Public Pool

This is another thing you will find in most towns. Selfoss had awesome options for both. They had a public pool with a slide for the kids at Sundholl Selfoss and a couple of geothermal spas not far away.

We went to Fontana Spa and you guys, this was my favorite thing of the whole trip. My kids loved it too.

It is set on this lake with mountains surrounding it.

You can jump in the freezing cold lake and then go to one of the five warm baths.

Oh my goodness, amazing.

5. Lava Centre

This was a major highlight for my kids. The Lava Centre is essentially a museum about volcanoes. It is well done – the best museum we visited in Iceland. The staff was helpful and knowledgeable.

The movie is slightly scary but in a wow – volcanoes are insane kind of way, not a horror movie kind of way.

The exhibits were clever and interactive.

6. Reynisfjara Black Beach and Sea Cave

This was cool. We went in the rain and I was still impressed by how pretty the beach and views were. The sea caves are cool and my kids thought they were fun to explore.

The one thing is that there are tons of signs about the dangerous waves at this beach and trying to keep my water babies away from the water did stress me out a bit.

However, the view was pretty, the black rocks were cool, and my kids got to climb stuff.

7. Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon

This was another of those wow! moments. Are you sensing I said “wow” a lot while we were in Iceland?

We did one of the amphibian boat rides. Our guide was awesome. We got to go fairly close to the icebergs.

They let us hold a chunk of glacier.

We could even eat a piece if we wanted.

This is seriously cool even if you just pop out and look at it from the land, but I do highly recommend booking a boat ride if you can.

8. Fjaorargljufur Canyon

This is another thing we almost skipped but I was glad we went and it was stunning. This canyon was so hard to capture on film, but I felt dwarfed by it in the coolest way possible.

9. Dverghamrar Canyon

This canyon was small but fun. My kids love to climb so they got to pop out of the car for a little hike and rock climbing.

They also loved the legend of the trolls that is associated with the canyon.

10. The Blue Lagoon

Worth it? There are endless debates about this. Personally I would say yes.

I love, love, loved the geothermal bath we visited and if I really had to pick one I maybe would go with that, maybe, but The Blue Lagoon is unique and huge and a cool experience.

Brussels, Belgium was a quick day trip for us from Paris, France. When we decided to go to Paris, France with our kids for the Women’s World Cup we wanted to visit at least one new to us place while we were in Europe.

Brussels is a quick hour and a half train trip from Paris, which seemed idea. A quick train ride for a whole day in Belgium.

also read: A Week in Paris, France with Kids

A Day in Brussels….

Brussels is a bustling city that, much like Paris, holds the old world architecture and charm. Brussels is the capitol of Belgium and the home of NATO.

Ride.

We rode the Thalys train from Gare du Nord in Paris to Gare du Midi in Brussels. From there taking the local train to the heart of Brussels was easy. I will say, finding the Thalys train (at least for us) wasn’t easy after arriving from the RER line at Gare du Nord. My main advice would be to leave extra time.

Eat.

Belgium waffles. Belgium chocolate. A lot of our goals for our day trip to Brussels involved food.

We ate waffles at the Waffle House. If you’re a big waffle person I would maybe spend some time researching the best option. This wasn’t the most authentic option, but it was good.

Chocolate. So much chocolate. We wandered the street of chocolate – that’s my name for it. You can sample things in many of the shops and buy fairly reasonably priced chocolate in most places.

We were delighted to find options for our son with the dairy allergy. There were many shops that had a bar of dark chocolate he could eat. Elisabeth Chocolatier directly across from the Manequin Pis also had several flavors of dark chocolate with things in them – nuts, rice crispies, etc that he could choose from.

TO DO with kids

Aside from eating all the things, we also enjoyed exploring Brussels.

After waffles and chocolate, because priorities, we started at the Grand Place or Grand Square. Grand is a good description for it. My kids went camera crazy. I might have as well.

We also walked past the Menneken Pis (aka statue of a boy peeing). I don’t have much to say about it except my son thought it was awesome. I’m not sure what that says about 8 year old boy humor or Belgian humor, but they are apparently well suited for each other.

Then we went to the Belgium Comic Strip Center. My kids love comics and graphic novels so when I saw this would be so nearby I knew it was a must for our family.

We prepped for our trip to the Belgium Comic Strip Center with a healthy daily dose of TinTin and the Smurfs. I was happy to find a huge stack of both at our local library and my kids loved them. My son loves TinTin the most, my daughter the Smurfs.

I was glad we got excited about Belgium Comics beforehand because it was like finding friends when we got to the museum. It was a fun museum. Full of comics and we learned about the process of making them.

There were also some fun interactive parts to the museum as well. I would highly recommend it for kids about 5 or 6 and up.

Then we hopped back on the train and headed back to Paris.

Also Read: Week in Paris with Kids

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Paris is one of my favorite places to visit. How can you not love Paris? The history. The beauty. The food. I wasn’t sure what my kids would think though.

And I wasn’t sure what I would feed my son with the severe dairy allergy. When I think French food I think cheese and butter.

But with the Women’s World Cup enticing me and the memory of baguettes in my mind, we booked tickets for the week after our kids got out of school.

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Is it crazy to make a trip abroad for a soccer game? Is there anything for a dairy allergy kiddo to eat in France? Will I remember any of my years of French study?

Those were the questions rolling around in my head as we prepared.

Before Your Trip

Along with packing (I brought 6 epipens with us) and buying tickets ahead of time for things like the Women’s World Cup game and visiting the Eiffel Tower, I also tried to get our twins ready and excited for the trip.

Children’s Books about France

We read a huge stack of books about France before heading to Paris. This was a great idea. Our kids were so excited to spot places from the books and they were a huge motivator when we got to the Musee d’Orsay – more on that in a minute.

• Follow Me Around France by Wiley Blevins
• Everyone Bonjours! by Leslie Kimmelman
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Katie and the Impressionists by James Mayhew
• Chasing Degas by Eva Montanari *Harder to find but one of our favorites!
• Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story about Vincent Van Gogh by Laurence Anholt
• Madame Martine by Sarah S. Brannen

I also researched vegan and dairy free eating in Paris. I came away from Google feeling pretty assured that he would be able to eat something aside from fresh produce and baguettes – although truthfully that wouldn’t be the end of the world either, would it?

Where to Stay

We love love loved our Airbnb on the Ile Saint-Louis. It was so great to be in an apartment. Aside from allowing us to cook some of our meals to save money and my sanity (eating out with a food allergy is one of my biggest stressors in life) – it also allowed us to pretend to be locals for a little bit.

We shopped at the local bakery and grocery story every morning for bread and fruit. We went for our runs around the neighborhood and strolled in the evenings.

The Ile Saint-Louis, located right across the Seine River from Notre Dame, is also well situated near a train station and a Batobus stop so getting anywhere we wanted to go was easy.

Allergy Friendly French Food

Before leaving for Paris with our kids, finding things for my kiddo with a dairy allergy was my biggest concerns. The French do love their cheese and butter and either is deadly to him.

I was delighted to find, however, that in general it was easy to feed him. There was a lot of cheese, but there was less cheese and butter and milk hidden in random things than we find in the USA. The French tend to eat more pure, organic food and that fits well with his diet.

We did look up the translation for how to communicate his allergy with servers and both had it saved on our phones so that we weren’t relying on our high school French to communicate that piece of information, but otherwise we found the servers took his allergy seriously and there were options most places we went.

Here were his favorite foods:

• Baguette – dairy free and delicious. My kids devoured at least a loaf a day. Pick them up in the morning at a bakery when they are warm and extra delicious.
• Fruit – pop into one of the little grocery stores and buy fresh fruit. Their pears are particularly amazing.
• Sorbet – on most blocks you can find somewhere with gelato and sorbet. Especially on a hot day, a “pot avec sorbet” is the perfect treat.
• Pizza – not traditionally French, but we did have pizza one night and their dough and sauce contained no dairy and they were happy to make him a cheese-free pizza. Obviously check with your particular restaurant.
• He also ate: “French hotdog” (hot dog on a baguette) and “poulet avec frites” (chicken with fries).

6 Must-Do Things in Paris Kids

We were definitely busy during our week in Paris. There is so much to do with kids in Paris, France. You could easy fill weeks there.

Our trip was prompted by the Women’s World Cup. We bought tickets to the US Women’s Game vs. Chile in Paris and planned our trip around that.

The game was awesome. I was worried my kids, both pee-wee soccer drop outs, would get bored but they loved it. The crowd vibrated with excitement and the US Women’s National Team is awesome.

The rest of the time, we explored Paris – with two day trips to Mont Saint-Michel and Brussels.

1. Sainte Chappelle

The Notre Dame was closed from renovations following the Spring fire otherwise we probably would have gone there instead. I think seeing at least one cathedral or church is a must when you’re in France. They’re stunning and unlike what we have in the states.

Sainte Chappelle is known for it’s immense stain-glass windows that are particularly gorgeous on a sunny day. They did not disappoint.

2. Louvre & Jardin des Tuileries

Think of things to do in Paris and it’s hard to come across a list that doesn’t mention the Louvre. My husband and I have both been before and of the art museums in Paris it wasn’t our favorite so given our limited time we decided to skip it in favor of others.

We did walk past the entrance and then visit the Jardin des Tuileries which stretches in front of the Louvre. Things for kids to do include:

• Watching the ducks in the pond
• Jumping on the Trampolines
• Riding the Carousel
• Playing on the Playground
• Riding the Ferris Wheels (summer months only – closed when we were there)

If you have time, I also highly recommend the Musee de L’Orangerie. After the Musee D’Orsay (see below) it is a close second. You can also buy a combo ticket for both to help with the cost if you have time to do both.

3. Eiffel Tower

This was number 1 on my kids’ list. The lines are long and it is crowded everywhere, but this is kind of a must to me. I don’t know that I’d feel the need to do it every trip, but for your first one the Eiffel Tower should be on your list.

The view is incredible. I think it helps you get a lay of the land or reflect on the places you’ve been already.

We opted to ride the elevator which I was happy with because it was in the 80s when we visited. Come prepared to wait in line – use the bathroom at the base before you get in line and have snacks and things to do.

4. Ride the Batobus

The Batobus was particularly convenient for us because of our Airbnb location on the Ile Saint Louis but I’d recommend it to anyone visiting a few of the places on it’s list of stops.

This is a water bus/taxi that you pay one fee for the day and then you can get on and off as much as you want all day long. The Batobus stops at Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Musee D’Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower – among other places.

5. Musee D’Orsay

This is my favorite museum in Paris. It is built in an old train station and the building itself is incredible. Think Grand Central Station – but better and filled with art.

We went up to the Impressionist floor at the top first because that is my absolute favorite. I’ve learned that you need to start with what you most want to see in big places like museums and zoos and then see how much energy, attention, patience you (ahem, your kids) have left.

Monet. Degas. Renoir. If you’re a fan of Impressionist art, this floor does not disappoint.

I was SO glad that I had prepped my kids by reading them picture books about impressionist art before our trip. Katie and the Impressionists and Chasing Degas were two of our favorites (see the full list above) and my kids were so excited to spot those paintings hanging at the Musee D’Orsay.

We brought their cameras and they took pictures of everything while I soaked it all in.

6. Jardin du Luxembourg

We headed here after the Musee D’Orsay and that worked well. They were quick train trips from each other and as good as my kids were at the art museum, I’ve learned that balancing structured – please be on your best behavior – activities and running around outside activities in our days helps to keep the mom zen.

The Jardin du Luxembourg is another of the lovely parks in Paris. It is lush and green, especially in late Spring / early Summer when we visited.

The top two things to hit with kids at the Jardin du Luxembourg are the playground and the pond.

The playground was closed while we were there for renovations which was a huge bummer because it looks absolutely incredible. My kids were ready to hop the fence.

The other, is the boats on the pond. You can rent a sailboat for 30 minutes. Your kid puts in the pond and then they race around the outside to push it back into the middle whenever it gets to the edge. It’s so simple but genius.

My kids ran for a half and hour delighted. We sat on chairs that are thoughtfully all around the outside watching and enjoying the beautiful park for a half and hour delighted.

Other Ideas for Paris with Kids:

These are things that I’ve done on other trips or had recommended to me by other family travel parents:

• Pompidou Center
• Picnic in Bagatelle
• Sacre Couer
• Eat Macaroons at Pierre Herme or Gerard Mulot

Day Trips From Paris

One of the things I love most about Europe is how close together the different countries are – think East Coast United States but instead of state hopping you’re country hopping.

I read this post on Wanderlust Crew with a ton of ideas for Day Trips when we were planning our trip and we decided to do two on our trip to Paris this time.

1. Mont Saint-Michel

This is about a 3 hour drive from Paris. We rented a car in the middle of the week for a day and spent the day driving down and back. My husband had fond memories of this from his school trip to France many years ago.

Mont Saint-Michel is located in Normandy just outside of Paris and it is gorgeous. The coolest thing about it is at low tide there are 3 miles of sand surrounding it, but when the tide comes in it becomes an island. I wish we could have watched the change – perhaps a night over nearby is in order some day.

The trail that winds up the mountain is super touristy. If you want souvenirs or somewhat over-priced food this is your spot. It’s also cute though and fun to wander through.

Bring walking shoes because it is a pretty steep climb up. To me, the views were worth it.

2. Brussels, Belgium

With so much, so close, we decided we wanted to see a new-to-us country while we were in Europe. We picked Belgium. Brussels is a quick 1 1/2 train ride from Paris.

Brussels is known for chocolate and waffles and comic books and more. Read all about our day in Brussels in THIS POST: 8 Hours in Brussels with Kids

Find all of our Family Travel adventures HERE