Easter fun stuff – ideas to keep kids entertained over Easter half term

Activities

Published on Tuesday, 01 April 2014 19:12

Last Updated on 01 April 2014

Monica Costa

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Just what you need! Here is Easter fun stuff, ideas to keep kids entertained this Easter half term holidays.

People who go to church attend special services on Easter Sunday. In Battersea Park in London, there is a large Easter parade and lots of other special activities for families (see a list below).

Many people celebrate Easter Sunday by decorating, exchanging or searching for eggs. The eggs may be fresh or boiled eggs or chocolate eggs. Kids believe that the Easter bunny or rabbit comes to their house or garden to hide eggs. They search for these eggs or find that the Easter bunny has left them in an obvious place.

Easter eggs treats? Go for the non sugary ones this year!

This year you can actually opt for a sugar-free Easter treats for your kids as Playmobil has created the very first Easter Calendar (RRP £9.99) & Playmobil Gift egg (RRP £5.99) with super Easter themed gifts inside.

 

 

London Activities during the Easter half term holidays

You can chase Edwin the Easter ‘Bunny on the Run’ at the London Eye over Easter. It is a great fun activity and a lot is FREE.

From Saturday 5th to Monday 21st April 2014 children can help Edwin find his bunny pals who have gone on strike and taken all of the Easter eggs with them!

The amazing view of London from the big wheel in the Spring is priceless! I have seen London from the London Eye in any season in any weather and it fascinates me every time. There’s something about it… It’s my 7 year old son’s favourite London attraction, believe it or not. We particularly love the Champagne ride as it avoids the queues and you have your personal waiter to serve you drinks while aboard.

 

 

 

 

Easter half term holidays at the WWT London Wetland Centre

Voted the UK’s Favourite Nature Reserve 2012 by Countryfile magazine, over Easter it’s probably the best time to take walks amongst the lakes and pools of this 105 acre wildlife haven, perfect for spotting birds and other wildlife.

World Wetlands is home to rare birds from around the globe plus a family of otters, or watch wild birds from numerous hides or from the comfort of a heated Observatory.

You can join one of free daily walks led by expert guides. There’s a Water’s Edge Café where you could let the kids run free in their own adventure areas, both indoor and out. It’s based in Barnes, well connected with buses and only 10 minutes from Hammersmith Tube.

 

 

BNY Mellon Boat Race – Oxford and Cambridge University – Sunday, 6 April 2014

The 160th Boat Race will start at Putney Bridge at approximately 6pm, but many will people arrive earlier in the day to take advantage of the many special retail offers and live/DJ music. Why not invite some friends along to enjoy the riverside or visit our World Village Market in Church Square (by the Odeon), and nearby St Mary’s church forecourt will have live music and fantastic  ‘street-food’ to help drive away the hunger pangs during the daytime! This is just one of many great places to enjoy good food, drink and coffee in Putney. Lots of the local pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants are child-friendly and  some even have live/DJ music both before and after the race – for details see www.wandsworth.gov.uk/putney/events Putney is a truly great place to celebrate Boat race Day, and is also the HQ of London Mums magazine 🙂
 

The Thames is amazing – Enjoy it at its full with more river activities for the family!

Here are other ideas to make the most of the Thames.

It’s time for a waterborne adventure with our great value Kids Cruise Free offer. Enjoy unlimited travel on a ‘hop-on hop-off’ river cruise along the world-famous River Thames for an entire day. Pass by some of the capital’s best-loved landmarks and enjoy the open-air deck or shelter inside! Visit this website to book a river trip http://citycruises.com/

The Thamesjet experience combines sightseeing and a high-speed tour of the Thames. Military-grade and highly maneuverable boats driven by experienced skippers give you the aquabatic ride of your life! Start at Westminster Pier, two minutes walk from Big Ben, and at the speed we travel you’ll appreciate the waterproof clothing we provide. Check http://thamesjet.com/ for more information.

 

 

 

FREE ACTIVITY SHEETS TO DOWNLOAD

If you and your kids haven’t seen Disney Frozen yet, the good news is that you can now get it on DVD, 3D BLU-RAY, BLU-RAY™ AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD. Disney’s “Frozen” has taken the world by snowstorm with its accredited animation and musical success, this includes taking home a Golden Globe® for Best Animated Feature and two Critics Choice Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Song for ‘Let It Go’. The DVD includes great BONUS CONTENT too: Original theatrical short – “Get a Horse” (a great Mickey Mouse short movie). Read our review here.

 Click on the left image from Frozen to download your FREE activity sheets to keep kids entertained over Easter half term.

 

 

 

 

 

Self-train your kids to become a film critic

At press conferences these days Kids’ film club members take the front seat to interview movie stars… Well, these kids are no geniuses, but they simply have a strong interest in films. This Easter if the weather is not great, why not self-train your kids to become film critics? There’s a great book published by DK in Association with FILMCLUB / FILM NATION UK called Children’s Book of Cinema (RRP £14.99) that will come in handy for this task. The world of film has never been easier to access and as a result cinema is now intrinsic to most children’s lives. The Children’s Book of Cinema is a behind-the-scenes look at all the classic silver screen films and everything the goes into creating them. It covers a myriad of films, both adult and children’s, leading the reader on a vibrant journey through film. Bursting with photos and artwork each showing the rich history of film from the initial silent films, the advent of Technicolor, to the golden age of film and the modern use of 3D.

The book is divided into clear sections enabling children to easily explore the innovation that brings films to life, from the heroes and villains of cinema, the music of the movies, to the dramatic costuming and chorography.

From classics such as Toy Story, King Kong, and The Hunger Games, the Children’s Book of Cinema reveals all the on screen secrets that has made cinema magical since its inception. Eye catching spreads show how films are written, the way special effects are used, how animation works and include feature pieces on some of the greatest directors, producers and actors of all time such as Charlie Chaplin, Steven Spielberg and Walt Disney. As well as covering all genres of film from around the world, the Children’s Book of Cinema also details how children can make their own movie with a feature giving everything they need to get started, from planning their ideas to tips on how to get the best shot. This book is perfect for all aspiring young film buffs that are eager to learn more about the exciting world of the film industry and all the secrets it holds.

Film clubs give children and young people the opportunity to watch, discuss and review films, as well as training and online resources to make their own films.
From a 25 school pilot in 2007, there are now over 7000 film clubs across all four nations of the UK, reaching over 200,000 children and young people every week. The BFI is investing £26 million of National Lottery funds to deliver a programme over four years (2013-2017), which is the largest investment in film education ever seen in this country.

Indoor activities for children

Get dancing around the house while you Spring Clean your house with the kids 🙂

Kids love to help out around the house. So make the most of these Easter half term holidays to get things done. Best Spring Cleaning music with kids is Favourite Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs. Over 35 sing-a-long animated and classic nursery rhymes and songs created by BAFTA nominated children’s producer Neil Ben (Thomas & Friends, Pony Tales).  A must for all pre-schoolers. Sing-a-long to all your favourite nursery rhymes and songs including ‘Wheels on the Bus’, ‘Polly put the kettle on’ and ‘Mary had a little lamb’. The perfect DVD for you to enjoy with all pre-schoolers.

Here’s a little taster!

 

 

 

 

 

If it rains (hopefully not!), Go to the cinema to watch the latest kids’ movie releases

Muppets Most Wanted and Rio 2 are our favourite ones and have just been released! Click on the movie links to read our reviews. Kids have also posted their comments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get some great new DVDs for indoor relaxing moments (for both mums and kids)

Our favourite ones are Shaun the Sheep Spring Cleaning and Postman Pat.

Everyone’s favourite farmyard friend is back, as Shaun the Sheep™ returns on DVD on 7th April 2014. From Aardman, the acclaimed creators of Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep™ Spring Cleaning follows Shaun and pals as they get into more mischief than ever before around the farmyard. Featuring ten short episodes, viewers are welcomed to Mossy Bottom Farm to follow Shaun, the leader of the flock, Bitzer and the rest of the gang as they embark on madcap adventures. In the comical episodes, the flock run into skateboarding trouble, take on a vicious pet rabbit and try out window cleaning on the farm. As well as a range of exciting behind-the-scenes features, the DVD also includes one episode, never-before-seen on TV, where Bitzer gets into trouble for trying out graffiti art! The best part of this DVD is the behind the scenes footage of the animators showcasing how this incredibly cleverly made plasticine cartoon is made. Really priceless watching for 7+ kids who have an interest in movie making. 

Another great new DVD is out from the nations favourite Postman. Thirty years on: Postman Pat makes a special delivery to DVD.  For the first time,Postman Pat and Jess the black and white cat in new digitally enhanced episodes from the complete 1980s and 1990s original TV Series. Postman Pat is also back in brand new episodes of ‘Special Delivery Service’ from series 2, with deliveries more challenging than ever before! All DVDs are available at Amazon

 

 

Gardening activities to do with children

If the weather is great, there’s nothing better and cost effective than doing a bit of gardening with the children. They love to get muddy while doing some experiments with seeds, plants and insect, don’t they? A refreshing source of ideas to help your children learn to grow their own patch of earth, is a new book called Gardening Lab for Kids that encourages children to get outside and enjoy nature. This fun and creative book features 52 plant-related activities set into weekly lessons, beginning with learning to read maps to find your heat zone, moving through seeds, soil, composting, and then creating garden art and appreciating your natural surroundings. The labs can be used as singular projects or to build up to a year of hands-­on outdoor experiences. The lessons in this book are open-­ ended to be explored over and over – with different results each time! And the images are excellent and instructions easy to read for primary school children.