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Don’t forget that clocks go back on Sun 25^th October at 1am, so you’ll get an extra hour in bed at the beginning of half term (26^th-30^th Oct) and by the looks of what you could be getting up to that week, you’ll more than likely need it! Here’s our rundown of the top 10 things to do to keep the kids busy at half term:

1. The Science Museum has its Wallace and Gromit exhibition open until the 1^st November, so its your last chance to take the children if you haven’t already. Check out the museum’s website for more information on half term activities.
2. The Museum of London in October are going Roman-crazy with kids’ activities and best of all? It’s all free! For more info, click here for their website.
3. At the Natural History Museum, lots of volunteers will be helping families learn with interactive science. Enter the Cocoon for a behind-the-scenes look at the scientists’ work. For more of what’s on that week, visit the website.
4. From storytelling to hands on costume-making, the Horniman Museum has lots of kids’ events planned to keep little ones busy all week long! Visit http://www.horniman.ac.uk/events/eventsnew.php for more details.
5. The Tate Modern has various family activities where kids can interact with multimedia art and history throughout the week. Check out their calendar for ideas.
6. There a various free events going on at Museum in Docklands, but due to their intense popularity, you’ll need to reserve ( call 0207 001 9844 to do so). For details on what to try out, click here.
7. If you want your kids to get out and about this half term, then look no further than the London Wetland Centre for daily activities throughout the week. They have a great Discovery Centre to get children involved and learning about nature in the city. To visit or to get more information, click here.
8. Always a favourite, London Zoo has various daily feeding times and activities, plus special events throughout the week, visit http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/whats-on/ for more information.
9. The Big Draw’s Campaign for Drawing is hosting big art events all over the country. For what’s going on near you, visit the website.
10. Finally, if you’re tired out from trekking all over the city, the BFI Imax will be showing great 3D films all week long. Go to http://www.bfi.org.uk for listings. Try Up 3D for Disney-Pixar’s latest release.

If you do try out any of these events, make sure you let us know what you likes, what you didn’t and what your kids thought of the whole thing! Email [email protected] with your feedback, comments and questions!

If you are not already tired out from half term activities, don’t forget that it is Halloween on Saturday 31^st November and if you’re looking for something spooky and exciting to do with the kids, then why not try out Phobophobia at the London Bridge Exhibition on Friday 30^th and Saturday 31^st October (7pm-2am)? The evening is quite spine-tingling so younger children may not enjoy it as much as older ones.

A skeleton gets ready to scare on the canal

For the tiny tots, try the London Canal Museum’s boat trip or the Witch Trick or Treat at the London Eye will be running activities and trips throughout the half-term week for children. It costs only £6 for under 4s.

A coati exploring a pumpkin at London Zoo

At London Zoo there will be various activities running throughout the half term week as part of their Animal Adventureaaargh!, a makeover of their Animal Adventure exhibit. Children will be able to listen to stories, carve pumpkins and even go on explorations in the dark!

The National Maritime Museum is holding a Haunted House Family Fun Day for all ages on Saturday 31st. A family ticket costs £15 but you must book in advance (see website). The best costumes will win prizes and everyone can join in and learn the dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, make ghoul masks and find some ghosts who will tell you a little history about Queen’s House!

However, if you would rather stay at home and have a little Halloween party, then have you tried out our Halloween cupcake recipe? It’s a great activity that the kids can get involved in and that is enjoyable for the whole family! Why not have a competition to see who can decorate their cakes in the scariest way?

In terms of party games, why not try apple bobbing? The original and still the best, apple bobbing is fun, cheap to set up and easy to tidy up if you have a wipe-clean floor, as water can go everywhere! You’ll need a couple of buckets filled with water and a few apples in each. Split children into teams and see which team can remove all of their apples from the water first! But there’s a catch: They can only use their teeth to pick the fruit up! Trick or Treat is also an option, but better if you know your neighbours and live in a family area. Also, if you want your kids to get creative, you could provide various materials for them to make scary masks or they even whole costumes! For example, see who can turn their friends into mummies the quickest by wrapping their friends up in toilet paper!

Whatever you decide to do, have fun with it and let us know what you get up to! Email [email protected] with your tales or leave a comment on this blog.

The Unicorn Theatre is putting on a quirky and inventive adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale of the search for a real princess with a pile of mattresses and a single pea. Princess and the Pea is guaranteed to get even the youngest of children enthralled and involved in the story with the use of sheets, puppets and dreamlike projections. The play is ideally for ages 2-5 and was originally shown at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon a few years ago. Back by popular demand, it is advisable to book in advance and quickly so that you don’t miss out. It runs from this Thursday (22nd October) until Sunday 1st November. Times are 10.45am and 1.45pm Thurs-Sat and 1.45pm on Sundays.

Cost: £10 (Concs £7.50), Family ticket £28

Where? 147 Tooley Street, Southwark, LONDON SE1 2HZ.

Station: London Bridge or Tower Hill

For more information, or to book, click here.

And if you do go, let us know how it you find it by either leaning a comment below or emailing [email protected] !

How to get there

There are two very simple ways of getting to Paris. The most simple is probably the Eurostar if you live in, or within easy reach of, London. The beauty of going by train is a shorter check-in period and the lack of luggage restrictions. Plus, you are bang in the heart of the most beautiful city in the world when you alight. With a Leisure Select ticket you can book a table and food and drink is included so if you’re travelling at a meal time, the kids won’t get fidgety. If travelling in Standard, you’ll have to make do with the buffet, but the selection is not too bad and there is at least plenty of room for kids to stretch out in the aisles if they come to pick what they want.

If you’d prefer to fly, you can get a quick and easy flight from most airports in the UK with Air France, British Airways as well as Easyjet, Ryanair (from Scotland and Ireland) and BMIbaby from East Midlands Airport.

Getting Around

A lot of the centre is walkable, which is good because many metro stations lack lifts/escalators which can be a problem with pushchairs and buggies. Taxis aren’t that expensive in Paris if you need to get somewhere quickly. However, if you do choose to take the metro, the bigger stations are more accessible and the system is open from about 5am until gone midnight. The maps are colour-coded and easy to decipher. Prices depend on the type of ticket that you get, but a ParisVisite pass is good if you plan on visiting museums and galleries as it offers many discounts and free entries.

Eating

Most restaurants are family friendly and kids will love simple meals followed by crêpes or un chocolat chaud! Walk around and check out what’s on offer. Often the best places will have kids’ menus and a selection of Menus du Jour at various prices for adults and older children.

Sleeping Arrangements

Hotels.co.uk has a fantastic selection of Family Friendly Hotels in Paris, so you’ll be safe in the knowledge that the children are just as welcome as you are. Expedia also have a family hotel category. Self-catering apartments are an option if you fancy more of a home away from home.

Where to go

If the weather is lovely, it’s worth taking a boat trip down the Seine. There are various stops along the river where you can hop on and enjoy the sights! Company Bateaux Mouches also offers amazing lunch and dinner cruises too if you fancy eating a little differently!

The Eiffel Tower is always a great idea and after all, what Paris is best known for. With children, it is definitely worth paying a little bit more to take the lift. Try to avoid the queues too by avoiding weekends if you can although it’s always busy. It may be possible if you book into the restaurants, as you can queue jump, but it’s all worth it once you see the views anyway! Also, to keep children busy, they do sell a cool activity book on the first floor that includes a quiz to do on the way around the tower.

The Louvre has a great programme of workshops for children and you can print out thematic trails in English to follow around the museum.

For fabulous outside spaces, Paris is full of parks, such as the Jardin des Tuileries just next to the Louvre Museum. At the other end, if you cross Place de la Concorde, you’ll also find the Champs Elysées. If you fancy a bigger park, the the Jardin du Luxembourg boasts a puppet theatre, an aviary, boules games, a pond and statues to look at, so the kids will be entertained for hours! Take a picnic on a sunny day and enjoy the atmosphere.

If your kids are more into discovery centres, you’ll find the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (City of Science and Industry) and the Cité de la Musique at the Parc de la Villette. It’s not very central so you may have to make a day of it. For amusement parks, try the Jardin d’Acclimatation, Parc Asterix and of course Disneyland Paris, but you’ll probably need a whole other weekend to get around that!

The Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Natural History Museum) has various attractions that interest children, such as a mini zoo in the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden, as well as skeletons, fossils, stuffed animals and crystals to look at in the museum itself.

Finally, for something a little bit different, try the Musée des Egouts de Paris (Paris Sewers Museum!), where you’ll find an intricate world underneath the buzz of the city.

Fowey Hall was the inspiration behind Toad Hall in the classic children’s tale Wind in the Willows. The hotel sits in a spectacular location on the South Cornish coast, close to the local town and beach at Readymoney and overlooks the sailing and fishing port of Fowey. Sitting within its original walled gardens, the views are magnificent over the river estuary and out to sea. In terms of things to do, The Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are within easy reach.

The hotel boasts brand new exclusive spa facilities to pamper mum and dad, whilst the kids take part in a whole range of activities from the Four Bears Den for the little ones to a games room for older children. And don’t worry about leaving the dog at home, as pets are welcome for an extra £7 a night! The restaurant has magnificently crafted menus with classic European dishes for you and the kids to enjoy in beautiful surroundings. After dinner, why not sit and chat in front roaring log fires during the winter time?

Fowey Hall is one of the best luxury hotels in Cornwall. An extremely child-friendly place, which is recommended by luxury hotel specialist mrandmrssmith.com, it is perfect for a relaxing, family-oriented half-term break.