Things to make & do

A fun way to explore this lovely seaside town and solve the crime of Margate's Missing Masterpiece. The Coates family donned their deerstalkers to solve the mystery.

Marwell Zoo will reopen on Wednesday 2 December and its Chief Executive has urged families to support their vital conservation work by visiting the Hampshire wildlife park this Christmas. 

Exploring the great outdoors together is sure to be a much-cherished bonding experience for you and your family. But what if you would like to cover more ground than the typical family walk, or get more exercise out of the day? Well, a family bike ride is a great way to go! It gives many outings a bit of an extra kick and a more stimulating sense of adventure, writes Emily Roberts.

Perfectly timed for the half term holidays and greater restrictions on our lives during the pandemic, comes Claire Balkind's Great Family Days In, reviewed by Anne Coates.

With Halloween just around the corner, why not change things up this year and get baking treats that the whole family will love to stay in for. Created in partnership with @feedingthegram and made with naturally sweet Yacon Viva's Yacon Syrup and Cacao Nibs, these vegan Salted Caramel Cookies are the perfect alternative to sweets this year.

To celebrate 80 years of inspiring children to dream big in 2020 with a variety of activities, initiatives and publishing, including the release of The Puffin Book of Big Dreams, available from 3 September Puffin has put together some activity sheets that are free to download.

Andy's Rock Star Training Camp is offering a free pack of summer activities to help ensure children stay creative, while having a bit of fun!

Bees are in danger of becoming extinct in our cities. Here experts advise parents and children on what to plant in their gardens, how to save a bee and what to do if one lands on you. Plus you can donate to specialist bee charities.

From Monday 6 July, BBC Bitesize Daily is hosting "Sports Week", a jam-packed week dedicated to daily sports activities from sport governing bodies, advice from top sporting heroes and even a virtual Sports Day at the end of the week.

Martial Arts aren’t just about fighting. They can help children develop new skills, qualities, and habits that will last a lifetime. Not only that, but your children will have a great time taking part too. Emily Roberts explores the options.

Waterstones Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell and the best-selling author illustrator of the How to Train Your Dragon and Wizards of Once series, has today announced a week of ‘Summer Camp’ activity celebrating children’s innate creativity and showcasing the enormous wealth of talent across the UK.

It's International Picnic Day and "love ‘em or hate ‘em" while you still can’t eat at your favourite restaurants, Brasserie Blanc has a few handy tips for a perfect picnic plus a recipe for coleslaw.

During lockdown we've all been exploring ways to socialise and keep entertained and so many have organised games and quizzes online. Anne Coates tried out the Whodunnit Murder Mystery games offered by MacMillan Cancer Support to raise funds for this excellent charity.

Little Cooks Co is a monthly subscription based recipe kit that’s posted through the letterbox, direct to kids, in a neat 100 per cent recyclable box with compostable packaging. The box is packed with all the natural and healthy dry ingredients of that month’s delicious and nutritious recipe for kids to bake in the home. Harriet Coates baked Sunny Lemon Biscuits.

Get Ready to Go Wild in June – 30 days of activities to get your children involved in and inspired by nature.

Oti Mabuse will be sashaying onto the CBeebies Channel and BBC iPlayer next week as she presents Oti’s Boogie Beebies from Monday 1 June, 2020.

Without intervention, many animals are being left without the food they rely on. So as lockdown eases and more trips to the park are allowed we can return to a favourite pastime of feeding the ducks on our ponds and waterways.

Casio Music UK, one of the world’s most renowned producers of musical instruments, is hosting FREE virtual keyboard and piano lessons via Facebook Live to help entertain people who are stuck at home.