When I heard about the train from Lagos to Ibadan, I knew exactly what our next adventure was going to be. I quickly went to Google to start my research to find all the information I needed, how much I was to budget and all. 

Here was the list of potential things to do we came up with;

• Agodi Gardens - Article will be up on Monday
• UI Zoo
• Topfat Gallery 
• Bowers Towers 
• IITA 
• Odu’a Museum 

Our focus was to do things that we couldn't find to do in Lagos ordinarily, things peculiar to Ibadan and outdoors, which is what guided my choice.  

We planned to spend 5 days in Ibadan Tuesday - Sunday but then we realized when we got to Ibadan that there was no train ride on Sunday which meant we had just 3 days to explore so we cut our list down to (Click to read reviews of these places)

• Agodi Gardens  -
• UI Zoon 
• IITA 

Our train ride was awesome. We had an amazing/smooth trip from Lagos to Ibadan - Click to read about it here - and we stayed with my cousin for the days we were around in Akobo. 

Our Budget: 

I had a budget of 40,000 for the trip but didn’t end up spending up to that; here is a breakdown. 

Trip to Ibadan: 7,500 (Took the business class)

Cab from Train ride to Town: 4,000 

Cab to and from Agodi - 2,200 

Entrance fees of both places - 3,000 (Read review to see breakdown) 

Food/Snacks: 3,400 - I was a bit excessive 

Trip from Ibadan: 3,750 (Economy class) 

Total: 23,850 

Things that reduced my cost a bit; 

• My cousin drove us to the zoo so we saved on the cost of taxi. 
• I took the trip with my sister so we split the bills on taxi 
• Stayed with my cousin, so we didn’t pay hotel bills.

What didn’t go as planned: 

We stayed home on our last full day because we found out that you can’t just waltz into IITA, you have to be lodged there to see their facility and we were not sure the children would be able to appreciate the museum that was the alternative so we stayed home, chilled and took a walk around the neighborhood.

What I would do differently: 

• Arrange pick up from the train place in Ibadan (Moniya), it might have been cheaper than the taxis there.
• Find out more details on the places to visit before making concrete plans 

What other things do you think can be done with kids in Ibadan?

2020 was a difficult homeschool year for us because just like everyone we canceled all our field trip plans so when we saw that there was an opportunity to take the train we jumped on it. 

The Nigerian rails recently started working and there’s been different news about how wonderful it was and knowing that my son loves trains, we had to explore it. 

The train in Yaba goes to Ibadan and Abeokuta, we have family in Ibadan which made it an easy choice for us. 

Did a lot of research online and got very helpful information and also asked from people who I knew had taken the train before. One thing that was different is not enough information is said about riding the train with kids. 

Let’s talk about that. 

Lagos to Ibadan Train Schedule. 

The Train goes from Lagos - Abeokuta - Ibadan and is always on schedule. 

From Lagos 

Weekdays - 4 pm 

Saturdays - 8 am 

Like I mentioned, the train leaves right on schedule and takes about an hour+ to get to Abeokuta, stops for about 5 mins and it’s 2.5 hours to Ibadan. Leaves at 4pm and gets to Ibadan at 6:30pm exactly. It was so impressive to see how on the schedule they are. 

Because they are always on schedule, they start selling tickets at about 2:30 pm and once you purchase your ticket you can proceed to board the train.  

Prices of the class of tickets. 

There are Economy, Business and First class tickets 

Economy - 2,500 

Business Class - 5,000 

First Class - 6,000 

With children 

In economy, you get 50% off the price for your child but if you are in business class, you would have to pay full price for the child, except the child is below 3. 

Things to note generally

• Get there early.  
• The trip is 2.5 hours so you have to have snacks, entertainment, or hope your child sleeps.

• You are allowed one luggage 
• The terminal is still under construction so be prepared to carry your load from where you buy the ticket to where you board the train. If you are with a child by yourself it might be a lot because it’s not so smooth. Try to travel light. 
  
  
• The Train gets soooo cold, like really cold. Take an extra jacket for yourself and your child. 
  
  
  

• 
  Arrange for your pick up or budget between 5k - 10k at Ibadan for the taxis you find at the terminal. Depending on the part of Ibadan you are going to. 
• Take a form of ID to get your ticket. 

Verdict

It was a really smooth ride, the coaches were neat, the staff friendly - very little interaction though- the children were so excited and we can’t wait to do it again. I have to commend whoever is responsible for this alternative mode of transportation because if it is maintained well in the long run, it will be a great option and hopefully it is extended into other parts of the nation. I would highly recommend you take your kids on the train, it's a great experience. 

P.S: If you just want to go for your kids to look around I would advise you to go really early when the train is not ready to board passengers, I think they would be open for kids to look around before they start selling tickets for passengers. 

Have you taken the train, what did you think of your experience?

According to UN 

"Play is so important to optimal child development that it's been recognized by the United Nations as a basic right of every child" [source]

In my homeschool journey, I have found this to be true, with a mix of structured and unstructured activities play has been all we have engaged in my home and it's been 3 years and I don't regret it at all. I went through a bad patch at the end of 2020 dealing with loss and really trying to ensure my mental health didn't deteriorate, I had no energy for homeschooling so I let my son watch a lot of TV and free play and I first hand saw the benefits of free play. Before this, we only did unstructured play twice a week but seeing him engage in free play for about 3 months and I was convinced. 

What Experts Say 

In a special report on play, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlined a host of payoffs from free play, including that it:3

1. Allows kids to use their creativity and develop their imagination and other strengths
2. Encourages kids to interact with and explore the world around them
3. Helps children adjust to school and enhance their learning readiness, learning behavior, and problem-solving skills
4. Helps kids learn and practice self-regulation
5. Helps kids build decision-making skills
6. Teaches kids to work in groups so they learn to share and resolve conflicts
7. Helps Build Life Skills
8. Free play supports the physical development of children

Find below some of the benefits of free play that I found in my son; 

• Focus: My son has an attention span of like 2-5 mins for structured play but when he started free playing he can be with his activity for hours. I was amazed at the difference and all that changed was that he made the decision himself of the activity he wanted to engage in. 
• Creative thinking: I could see the display of his creative thinking in how he engaged in his play. 
• Opportunity to display his knowledge: He had a chance to put on display all the things he's been taking in. He's never had this much opportunity to really put on display all that he's taken in. 
• He was happier: While I still don't have the level of energy for his play all the time, I noticed how generally excited he was towards his activities and he probably wished I could continue to drive his police car behind him all day. 
• Imaginative play on steroids: I mean on steroids. He would have a full-on script of each of his imaginative play that was just so amazing to watch sometimes. 

I also recently saw a post from an unschooling mum on Instagram about freedom in homeschooling;

"...Experiences will ignite their awareness, repeated exposures will highlight interested areas, and freedom will show where their true happiness lies.
.
This life of childhood isn’t about teaching little bits about everything there is to know all because it may be questioned on an exam paper at age 16 and 18. It’s about giving freedom of experience and then allowing time for the children to live out the main areas which fill their hearts with joy.
.
That’s where the Einsteins come from. Not just from revision and stress. Not from pressure and memorization. But from a genuine interest and passion, and the time and space to let that passion grow until it’s expertise.
.
It isn’t about who is the most clever or intelligent. It’s simply about being free to find happiness and to live in that happiness for a lifetime.
.

That is homeschool!" - @living.the.homeschool.life

I am still looking forward to embracing so much more free play in our homeschool life, while I think through about how it would work I am greatly convienced of it's benefits and importance. 

Do you engage in free play in your homeschool? What has your experience been? 

Source: 

https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-importance-of-free-play-2633113#citation-1

https://myfirstyearspreschool.com/the-importance-of-free-play-for-kids/

So, our first outing in 2021 was Lufasi Park

Lufasi park is an acronym for Lekki Urban Forestry and Animal Shelter [source] located Majek 1st Gate, KM 41, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos, Lekki - Epe expressway is fancy way for saying, it's after LBS, after Novare mall, so be aware of the distance. 

I've always wanted to to there because of nature, serene environment I have heard about and honestly it was exactly what it delivered. 

What I loved about the place; 

When you enter, you'd notice how clean it is. They must really pay so much attention to make it clean and maintianing in the environment and that is so commendable. They have a place for you to wash your hands. I loved that they assign you a guide, but I went when it wasn't a rush hour, so I don't know the dynamics when there are a lot of people. 

I loved the serenity of the lake and they have benches and tables around the park where people can just chill and have a picnic.  

Have you been to Lufasi Park? What do you think about the place?