Recently we started a new home education topic on dinosaurs. We've studied them before focusing on names and whether they were a carnivore or herbivore, but this time we decided to go a little deeper and work out which period they were from (while also refreshing ourselves on information from last time). But learning at home with worksheets isn't exciting, going on an adventure with real dinosaurs would be much better wouldn't it?! So we decided to take a day trip out to Roarr Dinosaur Adventure!



Roarr Dinosaur Adventure is an 85-acre family owned theme park that offers endless dinosaur adventure as well as other fun like Norfolks Largest Indoor Soft Play, Dippy's splash zone, Predator High Ropes and more! So we set off on Friday morning, entering the park not long after it opened. As we drove in, girls sitting on their Bubble Bums,  we saw our first dinosaur and the girls were already very excited and started looking for more. The theming to the whole park is great and the hidden dinosaurs all over kept the girls busy all day as we never knew where one would be hiding!



p.s. If you are at the park now and looking for the last missing stamp, we've popped a list of places at the end of the post.

 

 

What's the educational value of Roarr Dinosaur Adventure?

Roarr Dinosaur Adventure Dinosaur Trail

First stop, the dinosaur trail. The trail runs from the top of the park to the bottom along a long winding path, as you enter the trail you receive your first stamp (there are many to look out for at the park and once you've got them all you can cash them in for a dinosaur themed medal reward!) The girls loved the trail, looking out for the stamps was really fun, but there are also the amazing dinosaurs you can meet and the ranger stops too. In one of the ranger stops you use a radio and talk to the ranger, he tells you that there are 2 more T-rex's along the trail so you need to keep your eyes pealed! Naminé was so excited to find these, she was creeping along the trail, peering around corners and when she found that first T-rex she screamed! It was amazing to watch her and the whole experience had her totally immersed, the dinosaurs really were real!



As a mum and home educator, I just love the information the trail gives. Each dinosaur has a fact board near it explaining it's name (and even better it's broken down into how to actually pronounce it!) what it eats (carnivore or herbivore), a few more facts and the period it lived it (Mesozoic Era: the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods). This was fantastic for our recent topic as it really helped build on what we had been learning, we could read the board and look at the dinosaur to really start to get a great picture together as to which dinosaurs lived together and which didn't (something that had never occurred to me when I was younger!)



[caption id="attachment_4005" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Naminé was so excited to spot another T-rex![/caption]

Another great thing about the trail is that there are nature fact boards too, pointing out a few things like type of plants and what wild animals might be about. We even saw a deer which was the most amazing experience!

The trail is really well covered by the trees too, which in the summer must be great to get out of the heat and for us it protected us from the rain. Win-win!

[caption id="attachment_3975" align="aligncenter" width="663"] It was so much fun measuring ourselves against the Brachiosaurus![/caption]



 

Roarr Dinosaur Adventure Secret Animal Garden

After the trail we walked past the Deer Safari into the Secret Animal Garden. As we entered we saw a peacock just walking around, as the girls had asked what a peacock was about a week ago, this was great timing. We looked around all the animals; pigs, rabbits, snakes, baby chicks, guinea pigs and so many more. Again each animal had it's own little fact card so we could spend some time reading about them if we wanted too and it was just a great experience to watch them.



Right towards the end of the Secret Animal Garden is the Animal Encounters Barn, the barns plays host to many events and activities throughout the day like meeting the small animals and colouring. We didn't stop for the pig feeding which was about to start as the girls were very excited to continue on.

[caption id="attachment_3978" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Kairi had so much fun attempting to milk the 'cow'![/caption]



The last part of the animal area is the Waterside Gardens and the Pygmy Goats where you can pay 50p to get some food and feed them. We had a wonderful experience feeding both the fish and the goats. The goats were very clever and jumped up on their back legs to the bridge we were standing on so we could actually feed them by hand rather than throwing it to them.





Tip: The bridge is VERY slippery when wet, there are signs everywhere, but me and Kairi both missed them and fell! Take something to pop the food in while you get onto the middle of the bridge so you can hold on tight!

 

Neanderthal Walk at Roarr Dinosaur Adventure

After visiting all the animals and having a quick play on the diggers, we decided it was time to take the walk back up to the top of the park. Neanderthal walk is complete with a wooly mammoth, saber-toothed tiger and of course Neanderthals. We took the walk back up grabbing another stamp along the way.

[caption id="attachment_3980" align="aligncenter" width="663"] It was so great to see a Wooly Mammoth. The girls had seen one in a game recently and decided that it must be an elephant, so it was great to be able to stop and take a look at this one and chat about it more.[/caption]

The girls didn't stop long this time as they knew that the park was at the top, but it was a lovely walk that I would like to spend more time on.



 

Roarr Dinosaur Adventure Raptor Races

As you come out of the walk at the top of the park you'll find Jurassic Putt Crazy Golf and Raptor Races, we didn't check out the golf, but we had the most amazing time racing each other around the raptor races.



Kairi (6) took her own bike, as well as Auntie Nic and me and Naminé (4) shared a double bike. The track is great and we raced around quite a few laps, there was so much laughing and of course we may of cut each other up a bit. I can honestly say I'm never getting in any car that Kairi drives when she is older!

[caption id="attachment_3983" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Racing was so much fun, just needed to steer very clear of these two![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_4019" align="aligncenter" width="663"] We even took a quick pit stop to do some digging![/caption]

Dinomite, Pterodactyl's Treehouse and Lunch at Roarr Dinosaur Adventure

As we came out of the Raptor Races the girls ran to all the park. There is a massive dinosaur with two slides hidden inside, wooden climbing equipment and slides, a trampoline and plenty of swings. There was so much to play on so we grabbed a bench to watch them (And have a break from walking back up the hill and racing on the bikes!)

 

[caption id="attachment_3984" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Sliding down the huge dinosaur slide was so much fun (from what I heard, climbing up was too!)[/caption]

 



It soon started to rain though, so we grabbed our coats and headed inside Dinomite. Dinomite is a cafe as well as an indoor play area. The girls spent ages on the play area and when the rain stopped they also headed outside onto the Pterodactyl's Treehouse.

[caption id="attachment_4009" align="aligncenter" width="663"] We had to take a scary peak inside the Dinosaurs mouth![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_3985" align="aligncenter" width="663"] I love how this only had the one entrance and exit, it makes watching the kids so much easier.[/caption]

While they were busy playing, we ordered lunch, we are usually a picnic kind of family, but when looking at the menus online we realised that Roarr Dinosaur Adventure had some amazing deals to eat inside at Dinomite cafe. We ordered the 'T-rex Family Grab Bag' which is 2 adult beef burgers, 2 kids burgers, 4 fries, 4 reg post mix sodas and 1 coleslaw all for only £20!

[caption id="attachment_3986" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Naminé landed in the ball pit with a great big crash![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_3987" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Kairi absolutely loved racing down these huge slides![/caption]

Our food came quite quickly and we all got stuck in, of course the girls ate as fast as they could because they were very excited to get back on the slides!





Tip: If your child doesn't have long sleeves or trousers they will need to wear a coat of something to cover their bare skin up on the slide, poor Kairi came back purple because she was so hot. You can however head around the corner to get a wrist band which basically says you understand the risk of friction burns and allow them not to wear a coat. We did this for both girls and they went and had so much fun on the huge slides.

[caption id="attachment_3989" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Don't forget to pick up a band on the way in - if you want one.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_4014" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Kairi really enjoyed her lunch![/caption]

 

Lost World A-mazing Adventure Roarr Dinosaur Adventure

After lunch (once the rain had stopped and we finally managed to get them to leave the play area) we decided to go around the Lost World A-mazing Adventure. You head once again into the trees at a different part of the park, we decided the last stamp had to be here, it was the only one we were missing!



Around the maze you will find plenty of dead ends, dinosaur nests and eggs and of course dinosaurs themselves. We split into two teams and had a race to see who could find the stamp first. We made it to the end of the maze and stopped for our photographic finish.

Roarr Dinosaur Adventure Dippy's Splash Zone

What kids don't love water play?! It might have been a cooler day than usual but Naminé was desperate to get into the water. more UK days out, you can find them here had opened as the sun had finally came out so we grabbed the girls costumes and they headed into the water area.



The water areas is full of splash buckets, a slide, lots of sprays and plenty of water flowing from the floor. The girls had a good 20 mins just playing in the water and making friends. There are plenty of benches near by for parents and toilets to get changed in too. The whole area is again dinosaur themed and had such a fresh and new feeling about it.



 

What else can you do at Roarr Dinosaur Adventure?

There are so many activities to do at Roarr and according to the map the only thing not included in the price is the deer safari, which makes the park amazing value for money.



A few things we didn't get the chance to do (or spend enough time at) was Stone Age Road Race, Jurassic Putt Crazy golf, Predator High Ropes, Animal Encounters Barn, Deer Safari and Deer Park, X-tinction (Fossil digging!) and Dinoville (tiny soft play area and projector games).



I have no idea how we would fit it all in, so a trip back is a must!

So, what is the educational value of Roarr Dinosaur Adventure?

We had an amazing time at Roarr Dinosaur Adventure. There was so much to do and the activities really did suit the whole family.





As a home educator we will totally be back, the trail really kept the girls interested, the ranger stations helped to create a really immersive experience and the fact files everywhere gave us plenty to learn about while having fun. You could easily spend most of your day just looking at and learning about the dinosaurs. I love the fact that the diplodocus was a lifelike height and there were baby dinosaurs as-well as adult ones.



The girls learnt so much from their super fun adventure and came home ready to start creating their dinosaur poster and the whole experience will lead really well into our next topic to. We will be back to Roarr Dinosaur Adventure!



Lastly I have to say I absolutely love what Roarr Dinosaur Adventure is doing for the local environment from recycling to heating in a different way, I was really impressed with the parks environmental efforts.

Roarr Dinosaur Adventure Stamp Locations

We had so much fun finding all the stamps, but if you're coming to the end of your day and you want to know where the last stamp is so you can grab your meal before you head home, here's a quick guide!



Check In - As you walk into the start of the Dinosaur trail (22 on the map)

Check Out - As you exit the trail by the Predator High Ropes

1. ANKYLOSAURUS - Shortly after the check in stamp to the dinosaur trail


2. BRACHIOSAURUS - Next to the Brachiosaurus on the trail


3. TRICERATOPS - Next to the Triceratops on the tail


4. PREDATOR HIGH ROPES - Near the Predator High Ropes (at the end after you exit the trail)


5. ANIMAL ENCOUNTER BARN - By the Animal Encounter Barn (near the cow that you can try to 'milk')


6. WOOLY MAMOTH - On Neanderthal walk, near the Wooly Mammoth (as you walk back up towards the top of the park)


7. X-TINCTION - Outside the X-tinction (Fossil Dig near the giant dinosaur slide)


8. BONGO TELECOM - At the bongo telecom (found about halfway around inside the Lost World A-mazing Adventure)

*This is a review post, we were given tickets to enter Roarr Dinosaur Adventure - all our opinions are our own* If you are looking for more UK days out, you can find them here.

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