【推荐1】Here, our selection of Britain’s strangest museums has something for everyone.

Glasgow Riverside Transport Museum

The museum houses steam engines, motorbikes, Glasgow buses and just about anything else that has a set of wheels, wrings or sails. One of the last tall ships in existence is moored (停泊) outside, and you can take a boat there from Govan. For those not in love with transport, there’s a copy of a 19th-century Glasgow street with traditional shops and an old subway station.

Entrance is free and for children of all ages.

The Natural History Museum, Hertfordshire

The Victorians were mad about collecting, and this is essentially the personal collection of just one home-educated boy, which began when he was 5 years old. But as a member of the Rothschild family, Walter took 40 years to do it. There’s just about every stuffed animal you could ever imagine, and quite a few you couldn’t: a polar bear; George, a mandrill (山魈) from London Zoo and a four-ton elephant seal.

Entrance is free.

The Pencil Museum1, Cumbria

It is a museum all about the history of the everyday pencil. There are free daily artists’ demonstrations and workshops, so you can enter from one end of the museum and go out with a drawing from another end. The lovely Lake District location adds to the experience and the wonderful shop is especially enjoyable for stationery (文具) lovers.

Entrance: adults £8, children £6.

The Time Machine Museum of Science Fiction, Hertfordshire

This is the result of 30 years of crazy collecting by Andy Glazzard. There are artworks from sci-fi classics, but most of the museum artworks center on Doctor Who.

Entrance: adults £4.25, children f3.25.

【推荐3】There are some palaces in Europe that you may be interested to know about.

It takes the title of the largest European palace by floor area and it is one of the largest palaces in the world. The Royal Palace of Madrid was built in the 18th century by order of Philip V on the site of the old Alcázar fortress, a former Moorish castle. With over 135,000 square metres and 3,418 rooms, it has seeded centuries of Spanish history. It is one of the few official seats of a head of state that is open to the public.

It is a historic and the most wonderful building in Brussels, Belgium, next to Brussels Park. The Royal Palace of Brussels is the King’s main workplace, where he works daily with his staff. A tradition has been established since 1965 to open the Royal Palace of Brussels to the public normally from the 21 July until the beginning of September.

It is the most popular attraction in Sintra, Portugal, and the main reason why so many people visit the small mountain town less than one hour’s drive from the country’s capital city, Lisbon. The colorful palace perched upon a hill looks like something out of a fairy tale. Its yellow and bright red appearance makes Pena Palace one of the most picturesque places in Europe. The UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) site has a rich history that dates all the way back to the Middle Ages.

It is a former royal living places and gardens located in Venaria Reale, near Turin in the Metropolitan City of Turin of the Piedmont region in northern Italy. It is one of the largest palaces in the world. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.

【推荐1】The best apps to aid home schooling

During school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some apps have started offering their services for free to support teachers, parents and students alike.

Babbel

The language learning app Babbel is offering its service to school pupils and students across the UK after the COVID-19 outbreak. Babbel’s courses, available in 14 different languages, are developed by a team of more than 150 linguists and designed to give you the skills to hold a basic conversation in a new language after just a few hours of use.

Quizlet

Quizlet is a digital learning platform and app with content relating to almost every subject imaginable. Quizlet has now opened up its Quizlet Teacher service to teachers for free until 30th June 2020. The app also allows students to use quizzes and flashcards to consolidate learning and make the most of their memory, by using repetition as a way to affirm learning.

Mentimeter

Mentimeter encourages audience interaction through polls and quizzes, which users can respond to via Mentimeter’s smartphone app. While remote studying can sometimes be very individualistic, Mentimeter brings an interactive element to the homeschool day that can help to keep kids on their toes.

Kast

Homeschooling has the potential to be a lonely experience for some children, so using technology to keep in contact with friends can be a great help. The real-time video sharing platform Kast can be used to stay connected, even while studying alone. With parental supervision (监管), Kast can be a great way for kids to delay boredom and aid loneliness.

With over 2,000 animals and more than 400 species, the whole family will learn so much about animals and conservation here. Bring your walking shoes because the Dallas Zoo is 106 acres, and you want to be comfortable as you walk from the gorillas to the giraffe feeding area and everywhere in between. For a behind-the-scenes tour of the Dallas Zoo operations, sign the family up for a 90-minute guided tour called the Backstage Safari.

When the summer gets hot, it’s nice to have some indoor fun with kids. Check out the Legoland Discovery Center, where the whole family can play with LEGO Bricks or take photos with their favorite characters from LEGO films. Relax in the 4D cinema and watch some stellar short, action-packed films. Grab a quick snack at the cafe before letting the kids run wild on the playground.

Dallas may not be anywhere near an ocean, but that doesn’t mean the family can’t learn about the fish and mammals that call it home. At the Dallas World Aquarium, which is housed in a couple of old storehouses in Downtown Dallas' West End Historic District, the family can admire colorful fish, sharks and sea animals while walking through the aquarium.

Walk through 66 acres of beautiful parkland, creative nature displays, and an ever-changing selection of art. Children will love exploring the Rory Meyer’s Children’s Adventure Garden. In addition to an adventure bridge, the garden has various interactive exhibits that teach kids about the science of nature and space. Families with older children might enjoy cooking classes or Thursday night concerts in the arboretum.