1. Visit some dinosaurs
A great indoor activity for rainy autumn days is visiting a museum. And there’s no better exhibit than a dinosaur, is there? I bet that your local museum will have some kind of dinosaur/fossil-related display, so do your research and find somewhere nearby to explore. Or, if you’re up for travelling further afield, you’re guaranteed to see dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum.
If that means staying over in London, you can always do an ebooking online to get a good hotel deal and make a weekend of it, and see many more attractions in the capital. I recently went to Norwich to see Dippy the Diplodocus in the cathedral, who was on our from the Natural History Museum. It’s a really impressive to see such a giant dinosaur inside this historic building and I can only imagine how amazing the full dinosaur collection at the NHM is!
2. Go to space
One of my geeky passions is all things space-related (you can bet that I’ve been glued to all the recent rocket launches!) so I know just how much fun a trip to a space-themed exhibition is. I’ve previously been to Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre to see the giant Jovell telescope in action and it’s such an impressive sight. We spent many hours there (and we’re a couple of grown-ups!) so there’s plenty to keep kids interested.
There’s also the National Space Centre in Leicester, which I’ve never been to but am so keen to visit. Plus, if you can’t get to one of the impressive space/science centres around the UK, have a look for a travelling exhibition, such as Museum of the Moon, which is currently in Norton Priory, Durham Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral and at the Marlborough Dark Skies Fest. I saw this exhibition in the Harris Museum in Preston and I really enjoyed the vastness of the moon. Likewise, I went to see Gaia ‘My Earth’ in Norwich this month and that’s also touring the UK.
3. Play with clay
If you’re staying at home and the weather turns wet or windy, here’s a fun activity you could try – playing with clay. Using either plasticine, modelling clay or Fimo you and the kids can make-along with one of Aardman’s top modelmakers Jim Parkyn on his YouTube channel. Each video is a step-by-step guide to make your own models creatures – and then you can use an animation app on your phone to animate the little critters. If you’d like to join a live Zoom workshops with Jim Parkyn, there’s a free class available as part of the Digital Craft Festival in November, which you can register for via Eventbrite.
4. Dance the day away
Another sure-fire way to keep your children entertained (and wear them out!) is by doing some dancing. Of course, you could just pop on some must and bop around the house, but there’s also a great kids dance class available online. You can join a live Zoom dance class wherever you are in the country with the Oti Mabuse Dance Studio (yes, that’s Oti from Strictly Come Dancing!) and learn dance choreography from a professional dancer. Kids classes on on Friday evenings and, as someone who has attended many online dance classes with Oti and Marius, I know just how much fun it is!
Let me know if you have any other suggestions for rainy day activities to keep the kids entertained this half term. I’d love to hear your plans and what you get up to over the school holidays so please leave me a comment below.
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