Rex
Beat boredom this month with our round-up of fun family events and days out, whatever your budget, location or age of your children...
1. Collect eggs for pancake day
Where: Low Sizergh Barn, Kendal, Cumbria, Lowsizerghbarn.co.uk
When: Sunday 19 February, 2-3pm
Join Farmer John Park on a hunt for free range eggs, laid by his 700 brown hens free to wander, perch, dust-bathe, and roam the fields. With your freshest-of eggs and locally milled flour from the farm shop, you'll have the tastiest ingredients for your pancakes, just in time for Shrove Tuesday. Yummy.
Cost: The event's free – you just need to pay for your eggs and flour...
2. Star Gaze
Where: National Botanic Garden of Wales, Carmarthenshire Gardenofwales.org.uk
When: Friday 17 Feb, 6-9 pm
Swansea Astronomical Society is holding a Star Party - enjoy talks and tips on getting the most from your telescope. If it's fine, there'll be practical demonstrations outside observing the night sky.
Cost: £3 with under 16s free and the restaurant will be open for star-spangled snacks.
3. Enjoy a 'light night'
Where: Nottingham city centre
When: Friday 10 Feb, 5pm til late
See the city turned into a celebration of light, performance and music – with giant light projections on the Council House in Old Market Square and a raft of entertainment at Nottingham Castle plus lantern-lit rickshaw rides, live music, dance, food, drink and illuminated works of art – plus a search for hidden dream images that glow around the streets.
Cost: Free
4. Burst some bubbles
Where: Techniquest, Cardiff, Techniquest.org
When: Until 19 Feb
Tour the science centre then see an interactive show where you learn how bubbles are made, see bubbles you can fit inside and bubbles that burst into flames.
£7.00 adults, £5.00 child.
5. Fascinating Mummies
Where: National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Nms.ac.uk
When: From 11 Feb - 27 May 2012
An unmissable exhibition of mummy masks, coffins and memorabilia from the world famous Egyptology collections of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. A chance to book an 'unwrap a mummy' workshop for the kids too. Ewww...
Cost: Family ticket, 2 adults, 2 children, £26
6. LEGO Star Wars days
Where: LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Trafford Centre, Manchester, Legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk
When: Sat 25 and Sun 26 Feb, 10 am – 7pm
Come dressed as your favourite Star Wars character and meet LEGO Captain Rex and LEGO Chewbacca, plus real-life Stormtroopers and join in building giant Star Wars models such as R2D2 and Darth Vadar with Master Model Builder Alex Bidolak.
Cost: from £8.10 per person, after 4pm.
7. Cold war experience
Where: National Museum of Flight, Edinburgh Nms.ac.uk/flight
When: 11-12 February 10am to 4pm
50 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the National Museum of Flight takes visitors back in time to experience what life was like in the middle of the Cold War. Take guided tours around the site (featuring the Vulcan, Britain's own attempt at creating a nuclear warhead), photographs, newsreels, family spy trails and craft activities, reconstructed nuclear air raid shelters and 1960s memorabilia.
Cost: Adult £9.50, £7.50 Concessions, Child £4 (under 5 free), Family tickets available.
8. In the zone tour
Where: At-Bristol hands on science centre, Bristol, Bristol.org.uk
When: 8-29 Feb
Find out how athletes move so fast and jump so high. What happens inside our bodies when we're 'in the zone'? Test your own body to the max - see how high you can jump, test your reactions to light and sound and measure your speed on a running track. Phew!
Cost: Adult, £12.50, Child (aged 3-15) £8.
9. Book a hawk walk
Where: Exmoor, Devon, NorthDevonHawkWalks.co.uk
When: Throughout Feb, book in advance
North Devon Hawk Walks are offering a one-hour introduction to falconry this February. Take a walk around Exmoor accompanied by Lady Macbeth and Saffie, both female Harris Hawks, and Cassius a young male hawk. The birds will allow you to feed and carry them too.
Cost: £10 per person.
10. Skate by the sea
Where: Fort Fun, Eastbourne, East Sussex www.fortfun.co.uk
When: weekends until 19 Feb and 13-22 Feb
Show 'em what 'dancing on ice' is all about at this seafront ice rink. Brrrr.
Cost: Adult £7.50, Child £5.00 for 45 minutes
11. Make your own scarecrow
Where: RHS Hyde Hall, near Chelmsford, Essex, Rhs.org.uk/hydehall
When: Saturday 11 Feb
Create your very own Wurzel Gummidge to take home - the garden will provide you with all you need to make your scarecrow - just bring some old clothes to preserve his modesty!
Cost: Pre-bookable sessions on 0845 612 1253. Normal admission applies: Family: (2
adults/2 children) £18.90 plus £7 per scarecrow kit.
12. Take the train with Thomas
Where: Llangollen Station, Llangollen-railway.co.uk
When: 11 - 12 Feb and 16 - 19 Feb
Meet everyone's favourite engine Thomas, plus Sir Topham Hatt , Daisy, Goliath & Clarabel. Enjoy train rides, face painting and colouring and crafts.
Cost: Adults £15, Children £10.
13. Play stimulated golf
Where: Urban Golf, London, Urbangolf.co.uk
When: Daily
Urban Golf centres (there are three in London) offer a virtual golf experience in state-of-the-art simulators – so of course kids will love it, even if they don't have a clue who Tiger Woods is...There's a non-stuffy club room for drinks and eats afterwards too.
Cost: From £20 an hour
14. Take a Peter Pan afternoon tea
Where: Lancaster Hotel, London, Lancasterlondon.com
When: Daily 3-5.30pm
The afternoon tea includes "Lost Boy Sandwiches" and "Mrs Darling Scones" served with a map to direct guests to the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park, and a fairy dust pouch filled with breadcrumbs to feed the ducks when they arrive in the park
Cost: £20 per person, £29 with a glass of Champagne, mums.
15. Follow a bird feed
Where: WWT National Wetland Centre Wales, Llanelli, Wwt.org.uk/visit-us/llanelli
When: 12 Feb
Join a warden on a bird feed and watch hundreds of ducks waddle alongside the wheelbarrow and splash in anticipation of their afternoon mea! Then head to the flamingo house, where tempted by the food, the flamingos will often come and feed right in front of you.
Cost: Adult: £8.20, Child: £4.50 (4-16 years).
16. Sample Wallace and Gromit's favourite cheese
Where: Wensleydale Creamery, Hawes, Yorkshire Dales Wensleydale.co.uk
When: Daily 10am-4pm but ring ahead to check if they're making cheese that day!
Tour the cheese museum and see the lovely stuff being made in the cheese-making viewing
gallery, then enjoy tastings in the shop and restaurant and go home with a W&G souvenir.
Cost: £2.50, adult, £1.50 Child.
17. Feed the penguins
Where: Newquay Zoo, Cornwall, Newquayzoo.org.uk
When: 12 midday daily – pre-booking essential
Hand feed the penguins fish, watch their graceful swimming and get up close – you may even be lucky enough to enjoy a cuddle with Pickle the hand-reared penguin.
Cost: £45.00 for 2 people including full day admission to the zoo with an inclusive hot drink.
18. See Cirque Du Soleil's Totem
Where: Royal Albert Hall, London, www.cirquedusoleil.com
When: Until February 16
Catch this amazing spectacle on its only European stop off point on tour. Totem traces the journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly.
Cost: £22.50 adult £16.50 Child.
19. Go robotic
Where: Hove Museum and Art Gallery, Hove, Brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk
When: Daily except Wednesdays until 21 Feb
See robots and space toys on display and build your own robot too.
Cost: Free.
20. Once upon a wartime
Where: Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, Iwm.org.uk
When: 11-19 Feb
A new exhibition filled with the drama of five war novels – including children's favourites War Horse by Michael Morpurgo and Carrie's War by Nina Bawden. Storytelling, walkabout performances and family-friendly activities
Cost: Free.
Do you have any events of attractions which are family favourites for February?
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