Half term is round the corner! And Daily Info has the perfect ways to spend the extra time with the bambinos. Check out our picks and book some of these fabulous things to do.
A Natural Fit
While the weather may be a tad brisk for outdoor activities, Oxford is chock full of museums that offer terrific free entertainment. As well as their exhibitions, the Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers both have activities to get involved with. At the Museum of Natural History there’s Frosty Friends, which offers craft activities and handling specimens all focused on the North & South Pole. And for those children who are a bit older, why not try An Insect Adventure Workshop, with the chance to handle some of the museums specimens and the use of microscopes to explore bugs even more.
And in the Pitt Rivers (conveniently connected to the Museum of Natural History through a doorway in the back) there’s a See, Touch, Make session focusing on the dolls that can be found amongst their specimens. And did we stress that all of these activities are free!
All the World's a Stage
Theatre can offer the perfect respite for an hour or two and there are several treats for younger audience members this half term. The Mill Arts has a pair of shows to enjoy, with a rollicking adaptation of Shark in the Park and a play with clay rich with audience participation in Claytime (for 3 to 6 year olds).
The Oxford Playhouse are tickling funny bones with the terrific Comedy Club 4 Kids (suitable 6+) with a line-up of comedians that includes Ternan Douieb (a writer on Hey Duggee) and Bec Hill (CITV’s Makeaway Takeaway).
Over at the Aylesbury Waterside, Pop Princesses is a child-friendly pop concert featuring songs from Little Mix, Taylor Swift, and several others. And Pegasus Theatre have The Moon and Darker Tales (suitable 7+), retelling some of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales with live music and songs.
All week long
Several venues have activities throughout the week. Waddesdon Manor have a giant colouring board to add to, a woodland playground to enjoy and an on site café. River and Rowing Museum have special sessions each days, with themes including Pancakes, magical creatures and river-based birds.
Cogges Manor Farm is open for its new season at Half Term, with 17 acres to explore, opportinites to meet the farm's residents and story time & baking demos throughout the week. And Blenheim Palace has activities including a petting pen, colouring competition and storytelling sessions.
What's the story
The Story Museum is chock full of activities this half term, so much so that it gets it own section. On Saturday 10th Emma Boor’s Suitcase Stories pulls in for some puppet-based fun, with two session in the day including a sensory session featuring a reduced audience size, partial Makaton signing and specially designed sensory activities.
During the week there are three days of Story Explorers, which will explore the world of mini-beasts, with activities and crafts. This will pair well with Garlic Theatre’s puppet musical Snug and Bug Catch a Grub.
Also on this week is a wonderful hour of story time in the form of Drag King and Queen Stories and an adaptation of Arthur McBain’s In the Dead of Night.
Other activities include a Cardboard Sculpting session, where you can craft your own insect costume, and Winnie and Wilbur: The Switches Sports Day, featuring animator Korky Paul.
Getting Active
A pair of activity days offer fun for the whole family. Hill End are running days where you can explore their Oxfordshire site, with activities around the theme of bird nesting. And the Watermill Theatre (near Newbury) has a Neverland Family Fun Day as they prepare for a production of Wendy and Peter. This means an activity trail in their garden, crafts to take part in and story sessions to take part in.
Lights, Camera, Action
A trip to the flicks is always in order and there are a handful of options this half term. The big release is Illumination’s Migration, following ducks as they travel to a warmer climate. The voice cast includes Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Danny DeVito, Awkwafina and David Mitchell.
For younger audiences there’s Peppa’s Cinema Party, a whole hour of Peppa Pig cartoons, with the children’s TV marking their 20th anniversary this year.
Alternatively Pixar’s Turning Red is finally getting a cinema release, having gone straight to Disney Plus on initial release. The charming animation follow a young girl who transforms into a giant red panda at moments of high emotion, and is one of the studio’s strongest endeavours in recent years. It is the first of a trio of Pixar films that are getting a belated run in cinemas, to be followed by Soul and Luca.
Another classic worth making time for is Brad Bird’s The Iron Giant, with the heartfelt 2D animated boy and his robot tale coming to the Phoenix Picturehouse. The Picturehouse also has a screening of the Chicken Run sequel, Dawn of the Nugget, a rare treat for some Aardman magic as the film went straight to Netflix last December.
Going out with a bang
Finally the half term is bookmarked by a trio of festivals. The first weekend sees the Ashmolean’s annual One World Family Festival, which celebrates the communities and faiths of Oxfordshire with performances, talks and activities across the two days.
Then the weekend of 17th & 18th has the Bodleian’s Spring Festival, with a focus on the Chinese New Year. And the Earth Trust will show off the progress on their archaeological dig, with a previously unknown Roman villa and Iron Age Settlement. The Archaeology Festival of Discovery will have artefacts on display and information on the techniques that allowing them to step back in time.