School’s out, so takethemout
As the kids break up for the holidays, GrettaSchifano has somegreatdaysouttokeepthemamuseduntilSeptember
Six glorious weeks of summer holidays lie ahead — if you’re a child. Six weeks of entertaining if you’re a parent. But whatever your budget and whatever the weather, there are some great family-friendly activities. The world’s longest and highest tunnel slide is at the ArcelorMittal Orbit in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. One journey down the 178m slide takes around 40 seconds, circling the UK’s tallest public artwork 12 times then finishing with a 50m straight run. You must be at least eight/1.3m tall. HOWMUCH? Adults £15, children £10. WHEN? Open now. arcelormittalorbit.com/whats-on To celebrate the centenary of author Roald Dahl’s birth and the release of The BFG movie, there are family trails around London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester. The BFG Dream Jar Trail in London consists of 50 giant dream jars, inspired by the ones used by the BFG in the film. Holding the dreams of celebrities and artists, they will be auctioned for Save the Children. Visit the website for maps. HOWMUCH? Free WHEN? Until August 31 visitlondon.com/things-to-do The week-long Science in the City festival is part of Manchester’s European City of Science celebrations. Familyfriendly events include live, interactive experiments, the Inflatable Museum for under-fives, storytelling sessions, film screenings and a pop-up science lab complete with fun experiments. HOWMUCH? Free. WHEN? July 22-29 from a 178m slide manchestersciencecity.com/science-inthe-city-festival There’s music for everyone at the Jewish Museum in London, with a special one-day festival including a singalong session for five year olds and under, make your own gramophone workshop for ages six to 10 and DJ-ing workshop for 10 to 15 year olds plus a silent disco. HOW MUCH? Free with museum entry — adults £7.50, children £3.50 WHEN? July 31 jewishmuseum.org.uk Help Dr Watson to find Holmes at the new interactive Sherlock Holmes: The Experience at Madame Tussaud’s in London, with visitors taking an interactive journey through the most famous places and moments in the stories. HOW MUCH? Adults from £23.79, under-16s from £20.65. WHEN? Open now madametussauds.co.uk/london The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace have a child-friendly event as part of its summer opening, a Rex the Corgi storytelling session on August 29. Entry is included as part of the visit to one