February half term seems to be arriving early this year—have you figured out how to keep the kids edifyingly entertained? Whether you want to drop them off or join in the excitement, here are some ideas for fun and creative (iPad-free) days:
Get arty: Kite Studios in Shepherds Bush offers different workshops on each day of half term, from Paolozzi prints to imaginary gardens, Rodin sculptures to Star Wars drawings. Techniques include painting, clay modelling and silk-screening, with inspiration from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matisse, West African masks and more. Sessions are grouped according to age (4 to 8 and 8 plus, with bespoke classes for 14 and up).
Join the circus: Take the kids to be dazzled by the circus show The Party, brought to Watermans this half term by Nearly There Yet. Plus children can learn some circus tricks in a workshop, make giant sculptures of circus characters or even acquire some breakdancing skills.
Dive in: With Swimming Rocks your kid can take a crash course in swimming to speed up their fluency in the water. The intensive program runs each weekday of half term at Chelsea, Kensington and Knightsbridge.
Design some furniture: Here’s one for older kids at the Design Museum, by Tower Bridge—a furniture-design course for 12- to 16-year-olds. They’ll learn how to generate and develop designs and test prototypes through model-making. It runs from Tuesday the 16th to Thursday the 18th from 10:30 to 3:30.
Parlez francais: Day camp Et Patati et Patata in Fulham takes the immersion approach to teaching French. Kids can get theatrical with French drama and improv, get down at the French mini disco, and tuck in to les galettes de Bretagne. Two age groups are catered for, 4 to 6 and 7 to 10, and the day runs from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday.
See a show: Head to the tunnels under Waterloo for the Mini Vault festival. Free events on the weekend of the 13th and 14th include a magic show and workshops, beatbox academy, and drama workshops, alongside ticketed dance, poetry, and theatrical comedies variously featuring a stinky cat, a tap dancing mermaid, and a ‘trickster you can trust’. (Check out our earlier write-up here.)
