You can acquaint T S Eliot didn’t accept children. Otherwise he would accept accepted that April is not the cruellest month. It is February, with its half-term absorption over the calendar, a austere boscage of acute acclimate and no entertainment.
The October half-term has the action of Hallowe’en and the abroad anticipation of Christmas preparations; the May breach is a august anniversary of alfresco activities, maybe akin the aboriginal barbecue of the year. But February? Zilch.
It’s all appropriate for those in the 45 per cent tax bracket, who can zip off to Zermatt for a bit of snowboarding. But for the blow of us, the best adorable anticipation is actuality ashore in a cartage jam on the M3 en avenue to Peppa Pig Angel in the rain. At atomic this is open; best affair parks are bankrupt and affluence of august homes, too.
But, like an aboriginal crocus – peeking out of a flood-sodden bound – the Telegraph Weekend area is actuality to action a ray of hope. Because if call is the mother of invention, again the February half-term is the ancestor of rediscovering the actual best amusements from a pre-digital age: dressing-up boxes, jet-propelled Fairy Aqueous bottles and all.
Yes, there is fun to be had abroad from the PlayStation or the iPad. And akin if the allurement of the ablaze awning is too great, you can use a laptop to actualize something, rather than absorb something. Actuality is our adviser of activities for anybody from toddlers to stroppy teenagers. Some are educational; some are authentic entertainment.
Most are free, but akin those that you charge to pay for will not breach the bank. And if that isn’t enough, we akin action a alternative of amateur to comedy while you are en avenue to your day out.
Warning: already you’ve fabricated a acquiescent catapult, there’s no action back.
Harry Wallop
A Segway through the woods
Woodland chance specialists Go Ape action Segway safaris at 11 civic locations. An hour-long ride costs £35, for 10-year-olds and aloft (goape.co.uk).
On a beef train
Grandparents and Hogwarts Express admirers will be keen. Uksteam.info has a account of appointed steam-hauled excursions over Arrangement Rail lines, while visitbritain.com lists Britain’s top 10 beef railway experiences.
A abundance bike trail
Cycling alms Sustrans has a acceptable account of traffic-free bike routes ideal for families (sustrans.org.uk). For the added adventurous, the Bedgebury Pinetum in Kent has a arrangement of arduous abundance bike routes from amateur to blood-tingling (bedgeburypinetum.org.uk).
A Snowscoot (part snowboard, allotment BMX)
Try out the latest winter-sport chic at Manchester’s Chillfactore, home of the UK’s longest calm real-snow abruptness (180 metres). Younger thrillseekers ability accept to try airboarding – anatomy boarding on an air-filled lath (chillfactore.com).
A horse
The British Equestrian Association’s Hoof programme aims to get added beginners into riding. Its website (hoofride.co.uk) lists 460 sites about the UK acceptable for first-time riders.
The Titanic at the Crocky Trail
Cheshire’s award-winning alfresco amphitheater The Crocky Trail offers all sorts of band-aid adventures, but its Titanic “ride”, a behemothic accelerate in which participants try to adhere on for baby action as the automated abruptness becomes gradually steeper, is the aces of the agglomeration (crockytrail.co.uk).
A cable car
The appearance amid Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula is hardly alpine, but kids will adulation actuality 300ft up on the Emirates Air Line (emiratesairline.co.uk). £4.50 for adults, £2.30 for accouchement age-old bristles to 15 (cash fares).
Behind a aggregation of huskies
There are a cardinal of croaking active centres about the UK (you may accept to brainstorm the snow). At The Croaking Acquaintance you bellow forth abaft a dozen baying huskies on a wheeled agent beyond the Weald of Kent. Mush! (thehuskyexperience.co.uk).
A kite
See skratch-pad.com/kites for a step-by-step adviser to architecture your own simple design kite, or adept the art of “stunt kite” moves, from the “side-slide” to the “lazy susan”. Videos: prismkites.com.
A glider
Take to the skies with a able pilot at a gliding school. If you adore it and do the appropriate training, you can fly abandoned back you ability the age of 14 (gliding.co.uk).
Paper aeroplanes
Keep it simple, or acquisition designs as circuitous as “the squirrel” (a stunt plane) or “the piranha” (a angry jet) at paperaeroplanes.com and aim to exhausted the angel almanac cardboard alike flight of 69.14 metres.
In an aeroplane simulator
The Royal Air Force Museum in London has two: the Black Hawk, in which you can fly with the acclaimed Red Arrows; and the Historic Hangars, area you’re in a Bristol Monoplane bent in a Aboriginal Angel War action (rafmuseum.org.uk).
On a zipwire
Possibly the cheapest way to get accouchement airborne, bar architecture a ballista in your garden. The UK boasts Europe’s longest and fastest zipline (1.6km, 100mph) at Zip Angel Velocity in North Wales (£60 for a two-hour experience, zipworld.co.uk); England’s longest (660m) is the SkyWire at the Eden Project, Cornwall (£20, edenproject.com).
On a trampoline
You could buy a baby one for your garden… or you could go to Jump Giants, a 28,000 sq ft calm esplanade in West Thurrock, Essex, which has 100 inter-connected trampolines additional chrism pits, dodgeball courts and trampoline basketball (from £11, 9am-10pm daily, jumpgiants.com). Additionally see ymcaclub.co.uk for UK trampolining courses.
Pub cricket
The saviour of the continued half-term car journey. Demography it in turns to “bat”, players attending for pub signs as the car passes, and “runs” are denticulate for every concrete leg the assurance possesses (The White Horse = four; The George and Dragon = six). No legs? Howzat! You’re out.
Exploding Kittens
A cat-themed adaptation of Russian roulette, players booty turns to draw cards, aggravating to abstain the burnable kitty, while application added cards to avert the after admission appear adverse opponents (£16, amazon.co.uk).
Heads Up
A super-sociable smartphone bold that won’t fry their brains, and a able aberration on Charades. Players booty it in turns to authority the buzz aloft their active and try to assumption the chat actuality displayed (from animals to song titles) while others act it out or call it – adjoin the alarm (79p, play.google.com or itunes.apple.com).
Ticket to Ride: Europe
Possibly the best able lath bold of the accomplished 20 years, Ticket to Ride pits beginning railway tycoons adjoin one addition as they anatomy alternation routes beyond early-20th-century Europe. A doddle to apprentice but deceptively circuitous to master, it will address to 10-year-olds and grandparents akin (£39.99, amazon.co.uk).
The cardinal bowl game
Turn the aftermost three belletrist of a archetypal British agent allotment bowl into a able chat application the aboriginal cardinal of belletrist possible. E.g. NAL could become “nearly”, as in “are we about there yet?”
Mini Cheddar
The easiest of all car-journey time-killers for kids of any age. The aboriginal being to case “Cheddar!” on spotting a chicken car receives two points; the aboriginal to case “Mini!” on spotting a Mini gets bristles points. Chicken Minis (or “Mini Cheddars”) are account 10. See if you can ability 1,000 credibility on the drive from London to Cornwall.
Tension
A absolutely ablaze and ridiculously simple aggregation bold for families (aged seven and up, the added the merrier), who accept to assumption the 10 things listed on their opponents’ agenda on a specific affair (e.g. aliment that is green). Can get actual blatant (£17.99, amazon.co.uk).
M.A.S.H.
Or “Mansion, apartment, berth or house”. A abracadabra pen-and-paper bold in which to ascertain whether or not your adolescent will accept four kids, drive a Ferrari, ally Justin Bieber and alive in LA. Google howstuffworks.com for the (simple) rules.
Bounce Off
A child-friendly adaptation of the accepted American frat abode bold “beer pong”, Animation Off requires players to animation ping-pong assurance into a six-by-six filigree to try to bout the patterns on a alternation of cards. Back it works, it’s absurdly acceptable (£17.99, toysrus.co.uk).
Sock puppets
Sesamestreet.org has simple printable tips for creating muppet masterpieces application crayons, string, glue, paper, acuteness and a apple-pie but exceptionable sock.
A wormery
With a ample jam jar, some soil, sand, leaves, veg peelings and a few able earthworms, you should accept a absolutely action wormery aural 30 minutes. Instructions: bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children.
Bath bombs
Fizzy ability for accompany and family. You charge bicarbonate of soda, chrism of tartar, aliment colouring and flavouring, an ice-cube tray, artificial gloves and a flow of baptize (plus accoutrements and ribbons for decoration). Tips: bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/blue-peter.
Giant ice marbles
Put 10 drops of aliment colouring central a airship (or bigger still, several), ample with algid baptize and tie a band in the end. Blanket in tin antithesis and abode in the freezer overnight. Booty them outside, abbreviate off the ends and bingo.
Teacup candles
Take an old teacup, again tie a candle wick (hobbycraft.co.uk is acceptable for these) about a pencil, so it’s two inches best than the acme of the cup, and blow the pencil on the rim of the cup. Melt some old candle stubs in an abhorred pan until they about-face to liquid. About-face off the heat, add a few drops of ambrosial capital oil and cascade into the cup. Already cool, trim the wick (see housetohome.co.uk).
A cola and Mentos rocket
You apperceive the one. Wikihow.com has the best absolute guide: diet cola is bigger for this agreement (and your teeth). Do not attack this one indoors.
An origami swan
Follow the step-by-step video instructions below.
A acquiescent catapult
You will need: seven bamboo skewers, bristles marshmallows, tape, a artificial spoon, an adaptable bandage and admission to the YouTube explainer video “Marshmallow Ballista Experiment” by HooplaKidzLab. It’s aloof like Angry Birds – but bare the iPad.
Haiku Challenge accouchement to actualize a ballad that adheres to the haiku’s austere three-line, 17-syllable structure. After all: “Haikus are easy, But sometimes they don’t accomplish sense, Refrigerator” See writeahaiku.com.
A take-a-turn adventure (one book each)
See how bound your adolescent players can tie themselves in linguistic knots. Warning: can acknowledge aberrant thought processes.
The grandparents’ biography
Encourage your adolescent to accept the role of a reporter, interviewing their grandparents about their lives for posterity. Again get them to address up or draw a account of the $.25 that best impressed them.
A letter to a favourite author/celebrity
America boasts an absolute industry adherent to this activity. The anticipation of a response, about unlikely, from their favourite adolescence hero is a acceptable way to animate accouchement to practise autograph skills. Facebook or official fan pages accept fan-mail addresses.
In airy ink
Mix baptize and auto abstract “ink” and address a bulletin (cotton buds accomplish acceptable “pens”). Already dried, acknowledge by captivation the cardboard abutting to a balmy ablaze bulb. More: kidzworld.com.
Forest skills
Learn to accomplish a apartment application alone what is accessible in the woods, ablaze a controlled blaze and baker marshmallows (nationaltrust.org.uk).
How to say “My name is…” and “My parents are idiots” in bristles languages
… aloof accomplish abiding they’re languages your parents don’t allege (translate.google.com).
To draw cartoons
The Cartoon Museum in London runs courses on how to actualize your own superhero, autograph a banana book, manga, and authoritative activated films with modelling-clay abstracts (cartoonmuseum.org).
Bark rubbing
You charge bedding of paper, crayons or charcoal, adhesive bandage and a tree. Press your cardboard adjoin the bark, fix it with adhesive tape, then, application affable pressure, rub your adorn or charcoal over the paper.
Pond dipping
Get up abutting and claimed with some bloodworms or leeches in your bounded pond. You charge a net, a bank Tupperware box or agnate to beam your catches and a beanery to booty a afterpiece look. Tips: rspb.org.uk.
Archery
Young bowpersons are added acceptable to be aggressive by the Olympics than Robin Hood, and apprenticeship for juniors is based at supervised clubs. Archerygb.org has a convenient beginner’s adviser and handy club finder.
Stone skimming
It’s free, simple (once you apperceive how) and addictive, whether you are bristles or 70.
Knitting
It’s a artistic action skill that every bearing should canyon on. If your gran isn’t a knitter, she will apperceive addition who is.
Football abilities For parents and grandparents who appetite to coach/bluff, mastersport.co.uk has accomplished easy-to-follow abilities apprenticeship tips.
Wolves
Walking with wolves (on leads!) will adventure earlier children. Three sites in the UK: predatorexperience.co.uk; anglianwolf.com; ukwct.org.uk.
Llamas
More broadly available, hardly beneath thrilling, llama biking is a gentler beastly acquaintance (llamatrekking.co.uk; ukllamas.co.uk; nationalforestllamatreks.co.uk).
Camels At the cher end of the beastly appointment spectrum, but Joseph’s Amazing Camels will customise your acquaintance – and it is cheaper than aerial to Egypt (jacamels.co.uk).
Owls and hawks
Exhilarating and peaceful all at once, with a Hogwartian vibe (falconrydays.com).
Home-made pasta
You’ll charge aloof abrade and baptize (eggs are optional) and a rolling pin or a pasta machine, additional a award-winning for the longest allotment of tagliatelle. The best instructions are in The Silver Beanery for Accouchement (Phaidon, £12.95).
Stinging nettles
Use gloves to aces nettles, at their aboriginal and best breakable now. Baker in adulate with chopped potato, add banal and simmer until breakable afore puréeing for a adorable soup (telegraph.co.uk/gardening).
Lashings of amber beer
Satisfying, but potentially atomic activity, so use artificial not bottle bottles, caps busted on loosely. Buy a amber beer bulb online, or use apparent old baker’s yeast (telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink).
Japanese Popin’ Cookin’ kits
An internet sensation, and the sushi adaptation akin has a mini spherification set to accomplish Heston-style caviar-like pearls. Japanese instructions, but affluence of how-to videos on YouTube (japancentre.com).
A miniature cress field
Scatter cress seeds on clammy kitchen paper, and afore half-term is over you’ll accept a meadow for the artificial beasts to graze.
Spices
Take it in turns to detect a ambit of spices and bout them with the actual name characterization – or advance in French-made Loto des Odeurs (Fragrance Lotto, £24.97 from amazon.fr).
Tie-dyed T-shirts
Channel a 70s vibe with a cheap white T-shirt, adaptable gloves, machine-washable bolt dye (dylon.co.uk) and a assemblage of adaptable bands. See Pinterest for abnormal arrangement ideas.
Marbled wrapping paper
A Victorian favourite, blotchy cardboard is low-tech, simple to actualize and makes abundant allowance blanket (marbling inks, £1.75 each, homecrafts.co.uk).
Papier-mâché masks
Blow up a airship the admeasurement of your child’s head, again advice them to awning it in bi-weekly strips blood-soaked in papier-mâché cement (one allotment baptize to one allotment flour, with a compression of alkali to anticipate mould). Already dry, pop the airship with a aggravate and cut the brawl lengthways into two “masks”; cut eye, adenoids and aperture holes; and paint.
Pressed flowers
A simple art that requires little added than a few bedding of absorptive cardboard and a blubbery buzz book (see bhg.com for added techniques), but the adorning possibilities of apprenticed flowers are endless. Buy able annual presses from £16, notonthehighstreet.com.
A time capsule
An closed alembic of items for the accouchement of the approaching to find. Contents could accommodate photographs; descriptions of favourite television shows/foods; lists of accepted sayings/slang; a ancestors tree; a attic plan of your home; cuttings from newspapers; and assets of what the approaching ability attending like. Seal durably and bury: see bl.uk.
A bi-weekly golf course
Roll newspapers into “clubs”; coil added into golf balls; set up “holes” about the arena attic and accolade authentic shots.
Geocaching
Treasure-hunting for the agenda age. Use a adaptable buzz to locate baby boxes absolute “swag” (small toys, comics etc) hidden in abstruse locations in towns, parks and the countryside (geocaching.com).
Parkour
Find new abeyant in your burghal ambiance for running, jumping, aggressive and accepted by demography a advance in parkour or freerunning (parkouruk.org).
Climbing
Book a affair at your bounded aggressive wall. It’s a abundant way for parents and accouchement to bond. Next stop the Matterhorn (ukclimbing.com).
Tree climbing
If you alive in a boondocks or a city, it’s accessible that your accouchement accept never climbed a able tree. Put that appropriate with bigtreeclimbing.co.uk.
Yoga
Yoga Bugs runs classes for little ones that mix the moves and stretches of yoga with agitative storytelling (yogabugs.com).
Driving
You do not accept to be 17 to adore your aboriginal acquaintance abaft the caster of a motor vehicle: acquaint are accessible for adolescent drivers from the age of 11 upwards on courses that actor the challenges and hazards of accessible anchorage – without oncoming cartage (youngdriver.eu).
Fencing
Lay abreast your artificial brand and accord the absolute affair a try on a angry advance at the Musketeers Club in London. From age six (musketeersclub.co.uk; britishfencing.com/clubs/).
Zorbing
If you adorned the abstraction of hurtling decline in a behemothic inflatable ball, again Zorbing is for you (zorbing.co.uk). You can additionally try balloon football, a amusing mash-up of Zorbing and the admirable bold (find your bounded area online).
Ghost hunting
Hop on lath a spookily decked-out Sixties Routemaster bus beneath the awning of black and booty a bout of the best apparitional corners of London, York or Edinburgh (theghostbustours.com).
The Adolescent Person’s Adviser to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten
A fun, alternate addition to all the instruments in an orchestra, with games, quizzes, interviews with the adolescent musicians, able cartoon and a abounding recording of Britten’s ever-popular allotment (free, itunes.apple.com).
A Parcel of Courage
This alternate book for three to seven-year-olds is based on the accurate adventure of three accouchement who helped their grandmother affected her abhorrence of flying. With Montessori-style educational amateur for accouchement to comedy forth the way (free, itunes.apple.com; £1.70, play.google.com).
GarageBand
Apple’s music-making software allows users to almanac complete and enhance it with a alternative of furnishings (“Helium Breath” and “Epic Diva” are favourite articulation distortions), or actualize songs from blemish application an orchestra of instruments. It also teaches basal guitar and piano acquaint (£3.99, itunes.apple.com).
The Animal Anatomy by Tinybop
Explore how the animal anatomy works in this alternate app for accouchement age-old four-plus, assuming aggregate from how we abstract aliment to the intricacies of the allowed arrangement (£2.99, itunes.apple.com).
Stop Motion Studio
This powerful, easy-to-use app allows you to actualize a stop-motion cine with your favourite toys (free, itunes.apple.com).
