Things to make & do

At National Trust gardens across the country, they are getting ready to roll out the white carpet as pure snowdrops transform the woodland floor and spring to life after the winter months. From enchanting bulb meadows to the UK’s largest winter garden, experience nature’s new beginnings and lift your spirits with a refreshing snowdrop stroll.

Shake off the post-Christmas sluggishness and explore the winter loveliness of some of the National Trust's properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Here are our top 12 places to visit.

Chocolate Advent Calendars are a bit passé and if you have small children you don't want them to get the taste! So a great alternative is the Playmobil Advent Calendar which creates a scene day by day.

Germany may be famous for its Christmas markets but here in the UK, we also know a thing or two about creating the magic of the festive season in towns and villages around the country. This year, Debbi Scholes has selected a few that go beyond the traditional stalls and decorations.

If you've bought a pumpkin to make a scary face for Halloween, why not use the inside vegetable to make this delicious and nutritional soup?

Parenting Without Tears has teamed up with Voucher Codes to offer some great money off savings on key attractions and meals out with the kids.

From Baby's First Year to Mum's Favourite Recipes, Bathtub Admiral has a growing number of photobooks to make your own. Anne Coates tried out the site and produced a lovely book about Harriet.

VisitEngland pinpoints the nation’s best stargazing locations – from a car park to an observatory –  where you can join the hunt for solar storms and catch a true glimpse of celestial glory.

Calling all tennis enthusiasts between the ages of 11 and 13 years and adults, beginner or intermediate – Old Wilsonians' Lawn Tennis Club in Hayes Kent is offering free tennis coaching on Thursday 22 September, 2011.

The National Trust will once again be helping to celebrate the annual Heritage Open Days by opening up over 200 of its historic places to the general public, free of charge. Here are the top ten highlights.

Healthy living initiative teams up with the University of Sussex's Mass Observation Archive to hold the first ever observation project specifically for young people and their families as part of Change4Life's Really Big Summer Adventure.

For a fun family day out this summer, head to Millets Farm in Oxfordshire which offers a wide variety of activities and places to explore from the farm zoo and Phoebe Wood to the  PYO, farm shop, and the a-mazing maze.

From 1 to 26  August, 2011 the National Trust is offering free entry for children.

National Family Week begins today and with 5326 events taking place around the country there's no shortage of things to do as a family during half-term. Here are our top events to give you a taste of what's on offer.

For hundreds of thousands of young families across Britain, Monkey Music has become a rite of passage, introducing pre-school children and their parents to the joys and benefits of music. Launched in 1992 by concert oboist and music teacher, Angie Coates, Monkey Music is now a major franchise throughout the UK.

Famous toy giraffe Sophie has been celebrating her birthday with a card competition. See the exhibition of them at Battersea Park Children's Zoo. Get a discount voucher when you visit during May.

Helen Webb, author of Shoot the Baby, gives her top ten tips for taking perfect pictures.

If you are looking for somewhere to enjoy fresh air and stunning gardens, see what the National Trust has to offer. Here we list their top spring gardens to visit.