Cheap days out with the kids

1. Go to the woods
Your local woods, especially those run by the Forestry Commission, can play host to a great day out. Try Alice Holt Forest - there's so much to do! You can walk, cycle, play or just have a picnic in these lovely woods. Experience life in the trees with Go Ape, take a relaxing break in the café and finish your visit with a quiet stroll in one of the more remote parts of the Forest.
If you don’t mind spending some money there is theatre in Alice Holt Forest as well. Chapterhouse Theatre Company will be there on Friday 14th August with an open-air production of the classic favourite, Cinderella. You're welcome to have a picnic in the performance area before the show. Kids are invited to come in fancy dress and the show starts at 5.30pm.
For more details http://www.forestry.gov.uk/aliceholt
Check out what your local forests are putting on by visiting http://www.forestry.gov.uk/


2. Go to the theatre

Kids Week - Children aged 5-16 years old can see over 28 dazzling shows for free, as long as they are accompanied by an adult paying full price.
As well as all the amazing shows on offer, Kids Week are sorting out a whole raft of free linked activities and workshops. Children can peek backstage, learn to dance, sing with the cast and enjoy exclusive post show Q & As
Hurry - booking for Kids Week is open for performances 14-28 August
For more details go to http://www.kidsweek.co.uk/

3. Go to a local park

Heaton Park in Manchester, a council-run park with a great Animal Centre, two dedicated children’s play areas that provide a range of activities for children aged from 3 years up to 14 years is a good example. There’s loads to do here, including tram rides, pitch and putt and rowing boats.
http://www.heatonpark.org.uk/HeatonPark/

4. Go to the beach

The British weather is pretty miserable for some of us this summer, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the beach. Just accept it's going to be wet and grab some waterproofs and a picnic and head on down to your nearest beach for some fun and games.
When preparing a wet weather picnic, think about taking some warm food. Sausages and baked beans can be kept warm in wide mouth flasks and homemade soup with chunky bread always go down well. And of course don’t forget the trusty flask of hot chocolate.


5. Go to Covent Garden

‘The Kids Are Alright’ – two weeks of top entertainment and special offers for children of all ages, set in the historic surroundings of Covent Garden’s Piazza, runs from Monday 10th – Sunday 23rd August.
The Piazza becomes a kids’ playground, complete with sandpit, ball pit, face painters, balloon modellers, as well as juggling and plate-spinning workshops from Covent Garden’s very own street performers.
Meanwhile, budding chefs can get messily creative with icing and silver balls as they get stuck into cupcake decorating classes and chocolate making tutorials on food market days (Thursday 13th and Thursday 20th August).
For more details go to http://www.coventgardenlondonuk.com/kids-are-alright

6. Visit a museum

Most museums run a free entry scheme and can be a great day out. Have a look and see what your local museum has to offer.
For a fantastic free day out in York visit the award winning North Yorkshire National Railway Museum, home to some of the world’s railway legends including Mallard, the world’s fastest steam locomotive, the iconic Japanese Bullet Train and the Chinese locomotive, one of the largest steam engines ever built in Britain and You can even learn how to control signals.
With daily demonstrations, loads of interactive exhibits, a special event programme and FREE museum admission, enjoy action-packed fun for the whole family.
For more details go to http://www.nrm.org.uk

7. Go stargazing

Stargazing makes a great trip out with the children and you'll be amazed how patient they can be. My own children used to spend hours waiting patiently to see a shooting star and August is the month to see shooting stars. During the Perseid showers in mid August you can usually guarantee to see comets and shooting stars and if you're lucky enough to live right up north you might get even a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis.
It's a fun night out and you could incorporate it into a nighttime barbecue with stories and campfire songs. Just make sure you dress warmly and take a blanket.
>>How to make a homemade barbecue for your campfire

8. Find out how television works at the BBC

The BBC run tours all over the country – what does your local television centre offer?
The CBBC Interactive Tour lets you have a go behind the scenes! You can visit the Blue Peter Garden, a dressing room, take a peek into some of the studios at Television Centre and then have your photo taken by the Prank Patrol Car. If you are ready to be challenged by the bravest warrior of them all, take part in the Raven game and then become 'Diddy Dick and Dom'!
The CBBC Interactive Tour is aimed at children aged from 7 to 12 years old and lasts one and a half to two hours. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
For more details go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/tours

9. Go foraging for your dinner

Unleash your hidden hunter. Get out into the countryside or parks and riverbanks and go looking for your dinner. Children love picking blackberries and will spend hours searching for tasty morsels. All along the lanes and towpaths you can find an abundant supply of wild garlic, blackberries, sloes and other delicious goodies.

To add to the fun you can always go home and make your own jam with your ill gotten gains.

NB. Two words of warning - go to your local library and borrow a book on foraging so that you know that what you're eating is safe. And avoid foraging for mushrooms unless you really know what you are doing! For some top tips on foraging try www.selfsufficientish.com

>>For some top tips for jam making
>>How to make strawberry jam

10. Visit the Bank of England

We all know what the banks have been up to lately, but do your children? Do they know where money comes from? The Bank of England Museum tells the story of the Bank from its foundation in 1694 to its modern role of keeping inflation low, issuing banknotes and working to keep the financial system stable. Interactive displays with graphics and video help explain these many and varied roles.
Did you know that Kenneth Grahame, the author of Wind in the Willows, worked at the Bank of England for thirty years? He became Secretary in 1898 and remained in that position until 1908. Little known details of the famous author’s Bank career can be found in one of the Museum displays. During August the museum are running MASKerade where children are encouraged to step into the roles of Ratty, Mole, Badger or Toad and colour their own mask of one of the well-known characters from ‘The Wind in the Willows’
MASKerade runs between 20 July - 28 August - 10.30am - 4.00pm
>> http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/museum/exhibitions/maskerade.htm
>> http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/

For more ideas for free days out try visiting these sites

>> http://www.familydayoutuk.co.uk/
>> http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/
>> http://www.letsgowiththechildren.co.uk/

10 Ideas for Cheap Days and Nights Out

We may be in the midst of a recession, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get out and have some fun. Here are 10 cheap/free outings to get you out and about. From the sublime to the downright ridiculous, we guarantee you will have fun.

1. Go stargazing
One of my favourite pastimes is to take off to the beach or a field with a blanket, a pillow and picnic to go stargazing. How much more romantic can you get, unless of course in my case, you are accompanied by a herd of rampaging children. But even the children love it and will spend hours patiently watching the night sky. It has to be said that there is something quite magical about watching and waiting for a shooting star to wish upon.

One of the best times of the year for a shooting star is July and August. In July we have the Delta Aquarids and August the Perseid Showers. Or for something even more spectacular you could always head up to the far north of Scotland for a potential glimpse of the amazing Aurora Borealis.
2. Go foraging
Unleash your hidden hunter. Get out into the countryside or parks and riverbanks and go looking for your dinner. Alright you probably won’t be able to provide the protein part of your dinner without a visit to the shops, but you could easily find yourself some salad, herbs and fruit to go with it. Along the lanes and towpaths you can find an abundant supply of wild garlic, blackberries, sloes and other delicious morsels.

NB. Two words of warning go to your local library and borrow a book on foraging so that you know that what you are eating is safe. And avoid foraging for mushrooms unless you really know what you are doing! For some top tips on foraging try Selfsufficientish.com

3. Go to the theatre
Did you realise that there is a UK government scheme to get young bums on seats? If you are aged between 14 –26, you could get free theatre tickets. In an attempt to encourage young people into the theatres the government and more than 200 venues across the UK are giving away free theatre tickets.
• For more information visit www.anightlessordinary.org.uk

4. Go to a Gallery
If you enjoy a bit of culture, a cheap night out at a gallery opening should be right up your street. Many galleries host exhibition launches during the evenings. These are great opportunities to see some exciting new work and you may even get some free food and wine thrown in as well.

Several of the larger galleries and museums offer late nights and some have regular themed events. The Tate Galleries have late openings, as do the National Gallery in London and The Victoria and Albert Museum.

For more information go to
• The V and A Museum
• The Tate
• The National Gallery

5. Become a piece of art work
Got an hour to spare and fancy becoming the centre of attention? You could be become even more involved in the art world. Sculptor Anthony Gormley is looking for 2,400 volunteers to stand for an hour on a plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.
• For your chance to enter visit www.oneandother.co.uk
6. Watch your favourite TV show being filmed
Fancy being in the audience of the X-Factor? Want to se QI being filmed? Ever thought it would be fun to go and see Top Gear in action? You can, because it is a little known fact that it is very easy to get tickets to be in the audience of TV shows and it doesn’t cost you a penny. All you have to do is go online and register and you will be sent a regular update of tickets that are available.
• For more information go to www.applausestore.com
www.bbc.co.uk/tickets
www.freetickets.org.uk

7. Go to the cinema on Orange Wednesday
If you are an Orange subscriber you can get 2 tickets for the price of one on Wednesdays at most cinemas in the UK.
However, even if you are not an Orange subscriber you could still get tickets if you buy a free pay as you go SIM card. This will only cost you £5 to top up with credit and will entitle you to 2 for 1 tickets every Wednesday. You will soon earn your money back.
• For more information

8. Listen to music
Take a blanket and a picnic and enjoy some afternoon delights. Many parks provide free music in the afternoons and some carry on to the evening.
Go online and check out the free festivals in your area.

For those of you who prefer something a little livelier, Modular records host a completely free party event called ‘Recession’ every first Sunday of the month through the summer.
• For more information visit www.cargo-london.com
9. Learn something new
Many local universities put on free lectures, which the public can attend.
They won’t award you a degree for attending, but you will have the chance to listen to some of the great brains of the country and learn about a variety of fascinating subjects. Some Universities even throw in a free glass of wine.
Visit your local university for more details.

And leaving the best to last
10. Go worm charming
Yes, you read it right – you could go worm charming. This bizarre event started out life as a fund raising event at a school fete in Nantwich, Cheshire. However the event has now grown into an annual event that anybody can enter.
Entrants are given a 3mx3m plot and 30 minutes to charm as many worms from the ground as possible (digging is against the rules). The person who charms the most worms is declared the winner and receives a or a trophy in the shape of a golden rampant worm.
• For more information