NATIONWIDE
National Play Day takes place across the country on August 2. Children and families have the chance to play at hundreds of community events, from mass adventures in woodlands to street parties with games. Find your nearest ones at playday.org.uk Pick up a bat and play table tennis at hundreds of free locations around England as part of Ping, the free street sport festival. There are 24 towns and cities participating this year, from Blackpool to Poole. pingengland.co.uk Learn how to love your furry or fishy friends at free children’s workshops at Pets at Home stores. My Pet Pals Activity Club includes games, puzzles, advice and the chance to meet some shop residents. Various dates and locations, booking essential. petsathome.com/workshops Get free access to thousands of historic buildings and sites, some normally closed to the public, as part of Heritage Open Days in England from September 7-10, with similar events taking place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. heritageopendays.org.uk Join the Scouts and earn your badges. There are 8,000 groups across the UK and all will be running free activities across the summer. Many also organise camps and day trips which come with a small fee. Find out more at scouts.org.uk. See the latest releases before anyone else by registering with showfilmfirst.com, which organises free movie previews for target audiences at cinemas nationwide. Charity Tennis For Free offers free two-hour coaching sessions at 38 locations in England and Scotland every week. Children from age three are able to take part with no booking required. tennisforfree.com Become a Gruffalo Spotter on a visit to one of 26 forests around the country on a special adventure led by an augmented reality app. Just download before you go and follow clues on an interactive trail to track signs of the Julia Donaldson characters. Find out more at forestry.gov.uk/gruffalo Get them moving at Junior Parkrun, regular 2km runs for 4-14-year-olds in open spaces around the country. Open to all abilities and safe to take part in. Find your nearest one at parkrun. org.uk – or apply to set one up for your community. Reading charity Bookstart hosts thousands of free literary events for little ones in libraries and community spaces around the country. See what’s on offer at bookstart.org.uk Bethnal Green. Michael Morpurgo: A Lifetime in Stories features draft manuscripts, photographs and artwork from the likes of Quentin Blake, along with Joey, the original life-size West End horse puppet from the National Theatre’s award-winning stage adaptation of War Horse. Opens 22 July. vam.ac.uk Explore rock pools, a treehouse, rope bridges and sand pits at Tumbling Bay Playground at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. It is designed to offer children the chance to play in a real, natural environment, but there are plenty of slides, swings and spaces to explore too. Open daily. queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk Follow the space trail at the Science Museum, South Kensington, and discover amazing facts about the universe. sciencemuseum.org.uk Celebrate India on Wednesdays in August at the Horniman Museum, with activities from storytelling to dance, inspired by traditions from across the sub-continent. For children of three and older, from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Part of the south-east London museum’s Indian Summer season. horniman.ac.uk Vauxhall City Farm is a piece of countryside in the centre of London, where children can meet horses, goats, ferrets, pigs and lots of feathered friends. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10.30am-4pm. vauxhallcityfarm.org The Notting Hill Carnival, held on August Bank Holiday weekend, is set to feature 20 miles of colourful costumes and hundreds of Caribbean food stalls. Sunday August 27 is the Children Parade and Family Day, with workshops at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance park. 9am-8.30pm. thelondonnottinghillcarnival.com Put your sculpture skills to the test at the National Portrait Gallery on August 20. Play-Doh artist Eleanor Macnair will be leading two workshops for children of 3+ and 7+ to bring black and white photos to life in vivid colour. Places limited, free tickets available from one hour before the events. npg.org.uk Take your bucket and spade down to London’s South Bank where 85 tonnes of golden play sand (and hopefully some sunshine) are waiting for you to enjoy. Open daily, 10am-10pm, until September 24. Cool off in the Appearing Rooms fountains. southbanklondon.com See show animals, flower display, live theatre and bands at Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park, near Brixton, on July 15-16, 12-8pm. lambethcountryshow.co.uk An outdoor performance of Wind in the Willows is just one event at the Family Summer Festival in Canary Wharf, which runs throughout July. canarywharf.com