I was quite keen to do something royal wedding-related last Saturday, but my other half was completely and utterly against the idea, and as we were a bit overdue for a family day out, we settled on a trip to our local and beloved Cogges Farm.
There is so much to do at Cogges – sandpit, soft play, adventure playground and feeding the animals – and they often do special events which are included with the season ticket. Our son loves it there, and with the beautiful buildings, kitchen garden and orchard, it’s a guaranteed good time for all the family (well, as much as you can guarantee a good time with a toddler in tow!).
Last Saturday, we pitched up hoping to see a performance of One Small Step, a touring theatre production, which had set up in the grounds of Cogges for the weekend. The show is described in its marketing as a fast, furious and full-throttled trip to the moon, recounting history’s greatest adventure, the race between the United States and the Soviet Union to send the first man to the moon. Sounds good, right?
We got there a bit late for the 10.30 performance, but decided to pop along anyway as we weren’t sure we’d make it to 12.30 for the next one, what with the various demands of lunch and nap… We walked over to the marquee in the glorious sunshine. I was slightly worried about barging in on the show in progress, but needn’t have worried. We were warmly welcomed by a man from Oxford Playhouse, who are touring the show around Oxfordshire in their ‘Playhouse Plays Out Tent’. The scene was idyllic, with lots of families sitting on hay bales, and kids on cushions scattered about in front of the small stage. The man made sure I had a proper chair though, which I really appreciated at eight months pregnant!
CREDIT Geraint Lewis
The show was already in full swing. My son was a bit nervous at first – he’s some way off the recommended age of 7+ – but he soon relaxed and started enjoying it as much as we were. The show is amazing. Two actors capture 50 years of space history, performing over 40 characters between them and using buckets, cardboard boxes, a filing cabinet and lots of other props to very cleverly recreate main events like man’s first step on the moon.
CREDIT Geraint Lewis
It’s such a feel-good show, funny and also enjoyably informative. I learnt a lot of new facts and interesting stories, like how millions of homes in Australia put their lights on one night to help guide astronauts who were in a rocket miles above them. The kids were engrossed and laughing all the way through. My son couldn’t quite manage the whole 60 minutes, but pretty close. There’s not many things that would make him want to sit still for 40 minutes – really just One Small Step and Paw Patrol.
And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, they gave all the kids a sticker after the show and there was the option to do space-based craft activities. We weren’t able to stay – the adventure playground was calling – but most did and it looked like they were a lot of fun. I highly recommend One Small Step, which has been seen by over 19,000 people worldwide, and luckily for us is touring Oxfordshire at the moment.
Common People Festival – you need a ticket for the festival but One Small Step is free to enjoy once you’re in
Florence Park – free entry and no need to book
Show running time: one hour
May 2018
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