History rocks

For some reason we seem to be packing all our half-term outings in to one day. So this morning we were on the HMS Belfast for a taste of the D-Day celebrations (complete with actors posing as crew members and some real and very noisy anti-aircraft gunfire. Needless to say, the kids loved it.) Later we’re off to see Night at the Museum 2, which, just in case you didn’t catch the first one, involves Ben Stiller chasing around after historical characters and creatures in a museum. (Apparently there’s even more monkey slapping in this one, so it should be good.) Humour is a great way to bring history to life, and as far as most kids are concerned, the more gruesome the better. Make sure you catch Horrible Histories (Thursdays, 4.45pm BBC1), a TV version of the brilliant children’s books. It has lots of jokes especially for adults – for example, Wife Swap with a Georgian duchess and a peasant, and an ancient Greek version of Jerry Springer – and enough gore, guts, blood and poo to keep kids of all ages completely entertained. written by Liz Jarvis