12 half-term activities to keep the kids entertained for £12 or less

Children are costly astatine nan champion of times and successful our existent economical climate, we’re emotion nan pinch moreover more.

Factor successful a half-term break – astatine clip erstwhile your small cherubs will apt request thing to capable their days truthful that they don’t thrust you up nan wall – and you whitethorn request to commencement dipping your manus successful your pouch moreover more.

Thankfully, location are a full big of fabulous activities, shows and exhibitions that’ll entreaty to each those youngsters, immoderate of which are very reasonably priced (nothing present is much than £12) and others free.

Take a look astatine nan astonishing action beneath and scheme a budget-friendly half-term break that’ll person your kids enthused, enthralled – and retired of your hair.

Galleries And Galaxies

Price: from £9

Get hands-on and make your ain abstraction monster astatine a free trade station, aliases bask intergalactic demonstrations and entity handling astatine nan Spark Cart, arsenic portion of nan National Museum Of Scotland’s drop-in half-term activities. There are immoderate pocket-friendly paid activities too, specified arsenic nan 360° immersive planetarium shows (£2.50 for adults, kids £2). Relaxed sessions for children pinch further support needs are disposable too.

Feb 13-18, National Museum Of Scotland, Edinburgh, nms.ac.uk

Manchester Museum

Price: free

Following a £15m refit, nan expansive aged depository reopens this month, filled pinch caller galleries and aged favourites. Walk beneath nan skeleton of a sperm whale, meet nan rarest frogs successful nan world and spot 1 of nan best-preserved Egyptology collections, and each for free. The first awesome exhibition, Golden Mummies Of Egypt, has toured nan world while its assemblage was closed, but now it’s backmost arsenic nan museum’s opening blockbuster.

From Feb 18, Oxford Road, Manchester, museum.manchester.ac.uk

Super Sleuths

Price: free

Have you sewage what it takes to lick nan enigma of nan missing money? Fort Nelson is going backmost to Victorian times this half-term, pinch a free detective situation to way down everyone’s wages missing from nan quartermaster’s office. Explore nan fort and grill nan costumed characters to lick nan riddle. Along nan way, find retired each astir nan fort’s maze of tunnels and much than 700 pieces of artillery from crossed nan world. Book ahead.

Feb 11-19, Fort Nelson, Portsmouth, royalarmouries.org

Explore, Build, Play

Price: free

Budding architects will emotion these drop-in sessions, tally by nan squad astatine Play Build Play astatine nan National Gallery. There’s a situation to spot arsenic galore ornamental specifications arsenic imaginable passim nan assemblage – from level mosaics to colourful motifs, examining nan beautiful building down nan paintings. Then, get hands-on and activity pinch scale, shapes and sensory materials to build caller structures to move successful and around. Sessions and admittance are free, but introduction tickets should beryllium pre-booked.

February 14-16, Trafalgar Square, London, nationalgallery.org.uk

National Railway Museum

Price: from £12

The depository devoted to each things rail-related has an awesome scope of fun, thought-provoking activities connected offer. Station Hall is presently closed for a large refit, but there’s still plentifulness to see, including Mallard, nan world’s fastest locomotive. Entry is free, but should beryllium booked successful advance, and location are optional paid-for activities, specified arsenic nan Mallard simulator experience, which recreates nan 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 backmost done clip into 40 buildings from different periods successful Welsh history successful nan 100-acre parkland – houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and a workmen’s institute, each for free. Inside, spot accepted crafts and activities arsenic craftspeople show their skills. There’s besides a chance to spot autochthonal 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, caput to nan Royal Air Force Museum’s half-term of STEM activities, workshops and shows. A awesome family time retired immoderate nan weather, nan depository has indoor hangars filled pinch flying machines, iconic cars, models and tanks.

Daily, Cosford, West Midlands, rafmuseum.org.uk

Stories From The Stars

Price: free

It doesn’t salary to beryllium vain, arsenic Cassiopeia learnt to her cost. Find retired why, and really to spot her W-shaped constellation successful nan nighttime entity successful a free event, school nan awesome myths from ancient Greece, nan Kumeyaay and nan Skidi Pawnee. Due to a fire, nan We The Curious building is closed, but its squad is moving free activities successful nan adjacent squares, successful classrooms and connected 1 of nan city’s finest viewpoints. More dates support being added – book a free spot successful advance.

Thurs, Brandon Hill, Bristol, wethecurious.org

Sound Sessions

Price: free

Make immoderate superior sound successful a bid of free drop-in sound and euphony sessions. Each time there’s a Sound Session tally by group that activity pinch euphony aliases noise. Get hands-on and make your ain instrumentality successful nosy workshops, aliases hunker down successful nan Acoustic Corner to research pinch materials that alteration really sound travels. Journey done Manchester’s rich | bequest of philharmonic and technological innovations, past acquisition nan thunderous mill sounds successful nan textiles gallery.

Feb 11-26, Science And Industry Museum, Manchester, scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk

Seven Stories

Price: from £4

Get mislaid successful a communicative this half-term astatine nan National Centre for Children’s Books. Admission is free, and nan venue has objects and exhibits from much than 250 authors and illustrators, telling nan tales of nan improvement of children’s lit complete nan past century. There’s a bid of paid events, pinch tickets starting astatine £2 for regular storytimes.

Thurs-Tues, metropolis centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, sevenstories.org.uk

Universe Sandbox: Exploring The Universe

Price: from £10

Fly done abstraction pinch Universe Sandbox package arsenic Richard Negus from @thecosmoscorner leads a bid of tours done galaxies and nan star strategy successful a nosy family workshop. While you’re there, cheque retired nan abstraction gallery. The workshops and admittance is free. For a mini interest (£3 adults, £2 kids) there’s besides nan planetarium, which has a regular astronomy film.

Feb 14-15, World Museum, Liverpool, liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Montgomery Bonbon: Museum Mystery Trail

Price: salary what you tin

Solve puzzles astatine this depository enigma trail, inspired by Montgomery Bonbon, nan world’s top 10-year-old concealed ace sleuth. Pick up a free moustache bookmark and commencement a detective mission, organised by Kids In Museums and Walker Books to observe Alasdair Beckett-King’s caller children’s book, Murder At The Museum. While you’re there, there’s plentifulness to spot astatine nan nationalist depository of populist 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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