Children are expensive at the best of times and in our current economic climate, we’re feeling the pinch even more.
Factor in a half-term break – at time when your little cherubs will likely need something to fill their days so that they don’t drive you up the wall – and you may need to start dipping your hand in your pocket even more.
Thankfully, there are a whole host of fabulous activities, shows and exhibitions that’ll appeal to all those youngsters, some of which are very reasonably priced (nothing here is more than £12) and others free.
Take a look at the amazing selection below and plan a budget-friendly half-term break that’ll have your kids enthused, enthralled – and out of your hair.
Galleries And Galaxies
Price: from £9
Get hands-on and make your own space monster at a free craft station, or enjoy intergalactic demonstrations and object handling at the Spark Cart, as part of the National Museum Of Scotland’s drop-in half-term activities. There are some pocket-friendly paid activities too, such as the 360° immersive planetarium shows (£2.50 for adults, kids £2). Relaxed sessions for children with additional support needs are available too.
Feb 13-18, National Museum Of Scotland, Edinburgh, nms.ac.uk
Manchester Museum
Price: free
Following a £15m refit, the grand old museum reopens this month, filled with new galleries and old favourites. Walk below the skeleton of a sperm whale, meet the rarest frogs in the world and see one of the best-preserved Egyptology collections, and all for free. The first major exhibition, Golden Mummies Of Egypt, has toured the world while its gallery was closed, but now it’s back as the museum’s opening blockbuster.
From Feb 18, Oxford Road, Manchester, museum.manchester.ac.uk
Super Sleuths
Price: free
Have you got what it takes to solve the mystery of the missing money? Fort Nelson is going back to Victorian times this half-term, with a free detective challenge to track down everyone’s wages missing from the quartermaster’s office. Explore the fort and grill the costumed characters to solve the riddle. Along the way, find out all about the fort’s maze of tunnels and more than 700 pieces of artillery from across the world. Book ahead.
Feb 11-19, Fort Nelson, Portsmouth, royalarmouries.org
Explore, Build, Play
Price: free
Budding architects will love these drop-in sessions, run by the team at Play Build Play at the National Gallery. There’s a challenge to spot as many decorative details as possible throughout the gallery – from floor mosaics to colourful motifs, examining the beautiful building behind the paintings. Then, get hands-on and work with scale, shapes and sensory materials to build new structures to move in and around. Sessions and admission are free, but entry tickets should be pre-booked.
February 14-16, Trafalgar Square, London, nationalgallery.org.uk
National Railway Museum
Price: from £12
The museum devoted to all things rail-related has an impressive range of fun, thought-provoking activities on offer. Station Hall is currently closed for a big refit, but there’s still plenty to see, including Mallard, the world’s fastest locomotive. Entry is free, but should be booked in advance, and there are optional paid-for activities, such as the Mallard simulator experience, which recreates the train’s record-breaking run. Tickets are £3 per person.
Wed-Sun weekly, National Railway Museum, York, railwaymuseum.org.uk
St Fagans National Museum of History
Price: free
Walk back through time into 40 buildings from different periods in Welsh history in the 100-acre parkland – houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and a workmen’s institute, all for free. Inside, see traditional crafts and activities as craftspeople demonstrate their skills. There’s also a chance to see native breeds of livestock and farming demonstrations.
Daily, St Fagans, Cardiff, museum.wales/stfagans
Royal Air Force Museum Midlands
Price: free
If rocket launching, spheros driving and cargo dropping is your thing, head to the Royal Air Force Museum’s half-term of STEM activities, workshops and shows. A great family day out whatever the weather, the museum has indoor hangars filled with flying machines, iconic cars, models and tanks.
Daily, Cosford, West Midlands, rafmuseum.org.uk
Stories From The Stars
Price: free
It doesn’t pay to be vain, as Cassiopeia learnt to her cost. Find out why, and how to spot her W-shaped constellation in the night sky in a free event, teaching the great myths from ancient Greece, the Kumeyaay and the Skidi Pawnee. Due to a fire, the We The Curious building is closed, but its team is running free activities in the nearby squares, in classrooms and on one of the city’s finest viewpoints. More dates keep being added – book a free place in advance.
Thurs, Brandon Hill, Bristol, wethecurious.org
Sound Sessions
Price: free
Make some serious noise in a series of free drop-in sound and music sessions. Each day there’s a Sound Session run by people that work with music or noise. Get hands-on and make your own instrument in fun workshops, or hunker down in the Acoustic Corner to experiment with materials that change how sound travels. Journey through Manchester’s rich legacy of musical and scientific innovations, then experience the thunderous mill sounds in the textiles gallery.
Feb 11-26, Science And Industry Museum, Manchester, scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk
Seven Stories
Price: from £4
Get lost in a story this half-term at the National Centre for Children’s Books. Admission is free, and the venue has objects and exhibits from more than 250 authors and illustrators, telling the tales of the development of children’s literature over the last century. There’s a series of paid events, with tickets starting at £2 for daily storytimes.
Thurs-Tues, city centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, sevenstories.org.uk
Universe Sandbox: Exploring The Universe
Price: from £10
Fly through space with Universe Sandbox software as Richard Negus from @thecosmoscorner leads a series of tours through galaxies and the solar system in a fun family workshop. While you’re there, check out the space gallery. The workshops and admission is free. For a small fee (£3 adults, £2 kids) there’s also the planetarium, which has a daily astronomy film.
Feb 14-15, World Museum, Liverpool, liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
Montgomery Bonbon: Museum Mystery Trail
Price: pay what you can
Solve puzzles at this museum mystery trail, inspired by Montgomery Bonbon, the world’s greatest 10-year-old secret super sleuth. Pick up a free moustache bookmark and start a detective mission, organised by Kids In Museums and Walker Books to celebrate Alasdair Beckett-King’s new children’s book, Murder At The Museum. While you’re there, there’s plenty to see at the national museum of democracy and workers’ rights. Entry is free but donations are encouraged.
Feb 18-26, People’s History Museum, Manchester, phm.org.uk
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source https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/03/12-half-term-activities-to-keep-the-kids-entertained-for-12-or-less-18211241/
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