If you are looking for something new to do with the children then why not try a Treasure Trail - an imaginative and fun way to explore - and learn about - the great outdoors. They are ideal for discovering more about where you live or for taking on holiday. And at just �6.99, they offer a great value activity for all the family.

Treasure Trails are available online at www.treasuretrails.co.uk. There are over 1,000 different Treasure Trails available, covering towns, cities and rural areas across the UK, which have entertained over an estimated one million people.  You can ch oose between three themes; a Treasure Hunt, a Spy Mission or a Murder Mystery. At the outset of each Trail the 'mission' is given - to find the treasure, crack the spy code or discover the murderer. You then follow an easy route and answer a series of clues involving some interesting, scenic and historical sights along the way to find the answers. The Trails are self-guided and include an average of two miles of walking and usually take a couple of hours to complete.

Treasure Trails are a great way to encourage children to get out in the fresh air, explore a new area and most importantly...have great fun doing so. Although no children are necessary, the Trails are suitable for children from the age of 6 upwards.

The National Media Museum, Bradford is teaming up with Skylanders SWAP Force to create a spectacular week of family fun, running from 22 February - 2 March 2014.

Fans of the Skylanders franchise, where toys are brought to life for truly immersive play, can take inspiration from their favourite characters to make their own craft and create animati ons, as well as play the latest Skylanders game - Skylanders SWAP Force - on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles.   

Elaine Richmond, National Media Museum Learning Events Coordinator, said: "We can't wait to join in the fight to help save Skylands at the National Media Museum. It will be a week of unstoppable fun, and a chance for fans to learn more about the making of the game."

For more information, please visit www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/skylanders 

Disney Stores offers free online safety drop-in.

On Saturday 15^th February Disney stores in Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Stratford City will be hosting free, fun and interactive online safety sessions for parents and children alike, including advice on how to set up internet enabled devices safely. The activity is a part of Disney's Club Penguin's It Starts With You online safety campaign, which aims to teach children and parents the rules of the road, when it comes to online safety.

Research reveals that nearly half (44%) of mums and dads confess their children have ventured online without regular supervision , so fully trained ambassadors from the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation & Online Protection (CEOP) Command will be on hand in store to provide help and advice.   According to the research, one on three parents also admit to feeling baffled by over-complicated user manuals, so Geek Squad Agents will be in store to come to parents' rescue. They'll be on hand to teach mums and dads how to make their laptops and tablets safe, as well as setting up those all-important parental controls to help children stay safe online.

Parents and children can pop down anytime from 11am til 3pm with their internet enabled devices. A variety of take-home handy information for parents, including a shopper's checklist and a helpful guide to internet safety, will be available.

Safer Internet Day was on 11^th February, and to support it, the number one virtual world for children will be offering a special e-hotline** giving parents the chance to e-mail any queries about online safety throughout half term to [email protected]

Where?

Stratford: 131 The Arcade Westfield Stratford City, Montfichet Road, Olympic Park. E20 1EL 

Manchester: Unit 22 Manchester Arndale, Manchester. M4 3AJ

Glasgow: Unit 26/27 St Enoch Centre,55 Enoch Square, Glasgow, Scotland. G1 4BW 

Cardiff: 37 Grand Arcade, St. Davids Centre, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales. CF10 2ER

Birmingham: Unit SU, 301 Bullring Shopping Centre BIRMINGHAM, WEST MIDLANDS B5 4BU

Encouraging children to enjoy healthy food and take an interest in what they are eating can be challenging at times, however getting them into the kitchen is a guaranteed way to make them curious about food, where it comes from and the effort that goes into preparing it.

Half-term is the perfect opportunity to get your children into the kitchen and get them excited about food and cooking. Viva strawberries have teamed up with parenting blogger and family feeding expert, Nick Coffer, to come up with some handy tips and tricks on how do this. They've also created a collection of recipes that are perfect for trying out with your little ones. Whether you want to start small with some fruit kebabs or be ambitious and whip up some home-made ice-cream, easy to follow recipe videos are on hand to make your time in the kitchen fun rather than stressful.

"Get your children into the kitchen with you and let them join in with the preparation. A mixture of self-pride and curiosity means they are much more likely to eat food they have been involved in preparing. An easy recipe like Viva Strawberries' Home Time Snack of Fruit Kebabs with Strawberry Milk is perfect for kids to try." Nick Coffer.  For more tips and recipes to help make meal times and cooking less about stress and more about fun, check out www.vivastrawberry.co.uk."  

 

Viva Strawberry Easy Ice-cream

  

Flambards Victorian Village creates the atmosphere of bustling streets and alleyways.  Over 50 different shops and domestic situations are authentically recreated with thousands of genuine artefacts and 'populated' by very realistic life-sized models of people and animals going about their daily business.  Step back in time and see history come alive!  

Discover the world of William White, a pharmacist who lived and worked in Somerset.  When he died in 1909, the shop was boarded up by his son who wasn't qualified to dispense drugs, the shop remained untouched for more than 80 years.  The walls are lined with medicine bottles, apothecary jars, quartz carboys, demijohns, pill dispensers and mortars and pestles.  This whole shop was carefully installed to Flambards as it was - lock, stock and cobweb!

Britain in th e Blitz exhibition is a life-size re-creation interpreting war-time.  Hear the air raid sirens and literally feel the floor shake as another bomb hits the target.  A visit will illustrate what life was like on the Home Front.  Peep in to a wartime kitchen, a classroom and an evocative railway platform scene showing children evacuating.  There' a series of letters to home from children evacuated to Cornwall  escape the threat of bombs.

Indoor Exhibitions only are open for Half Term 15 - 23 February 2014

Tel: 01326 573404. Email: [email protected]

Move over naughty step, goodbye golden stars, today marks the launch of the brand new reward system that truly works and is set to bring the tradition into the 21st century! Introducing Mumbucks, a fun and motivating way to encourage good behaviour, educate on discipline and help children learn the facts of life! 

The Mumbucks system is created around realistic looking note based currency which is EARNED for good behaviour, SAVED for special treats and TRADED for time towards doing favourite activities.  

Mumbucks comes in a beautifully presented box and includes 82 notes of different denominations, and a reward chart to monitor success.  The product provides families with a toolkit to create a positive, effective, and light-hearted parenting approach that can be incorporated into everyday family life.  

What makes Mumbucks brilliant is it can be personalised to fit into the lifestyle and values of each individual family, giving the system an enduring appeal. It's up to each family to collectively decide which behaviours are most important to them and to reward with the treats that matter most to their children. It's also up to each family to decide on the value of individual Mumbucks. For instance one family might decide that each Mumbuck is worth 25p or 15 minutes of TV or gaming time whilst another might make each Mumbuck worth 10p or 30 minutes of staying up late time. 

RRP: �14.99. More details at www.mumbucks.co.uk