Easter family fun

from Families Solent East Magazine Issue 87 March/April 2020

Encouraging reluctant readers

Spies in the Sky

Join the team of spies in the sky this Easter at Portsmouth’s very own lookout Tower! The iconic harbour side destination is open every day of the Easter break, offering breath-taking views across the coast. The glass floor, with a staggering 100 metre drop below, is always a hit with the kids too!

Receive your mission on arrival from the Tower’s captain, rise up in our high-speed lift, get ready for action and explore the Tower to complete your mission. Impress the team and earn your spy certificate! Make sure to collect your Spy ID souvenir photo on your way out too!

Advanced booking recommended.

Chase Meet & Greet

Chase from the ever-popular Nick Jr show, PAW Patrol is coming to Emirates Spinnaker Tower! Meet your favourite police pup at intervals on Saturday 11 & 18 April. Don’t forget your camera! Pre-booking admission advised.

Eggsplore at the Weald and Downland this Easter

Keep the whole family entertained this Easter with a trip to the Weald & Downland Living Museum, from egg painting and bonnet making, there will be plenty of special activities to keep you and the family entertained.

You and your young eggsplorer(s) can wonder the 40- acre site and join in with an Easter trail, find the clues and win a chocolate prize!

Eaten too much chocolate and full of energy? Hop into action and play traditional Easter games and get creative with craft making. Activities vary daily and will run from 9 – 19 April. As you walk around the site you can also see heavy horses, as well as Southdown lambs, sheep and other traditional farm animals!

From Good Friday to Easter Monday (10 - 13 April) visitors can experience traditional Easter preparations and celebrations, which begin with the traditional Good Friday bake in Winkhurst Tudor kitchen and end with the Easter bonnet parade on Easter Monday.

Dogs on short leads are welcome and there is free parking. If you are not full from all your chocolate eggs, come and enjoy a hot drink and warm food in the Museum’s waterside café. The café will be open from 9am and there are lots of picnic areas for you to sit down and enjoy the stunning backdrop of the museum site in the South Downs National Park.

Looking for a great day out during the Easter Holidays?

Join us at the Aldingbourne Country Centre where we will be hosting two weeks of fun packed events, with something for the whole family to enjoy.

Our Country Centre is open every day (except Easter Sunday) from 9.30am to 4.30pm, with so much to enjoy on any day. Explore the woodland walk, meet our animals on the open farm, have a game of mini golf, race about on the ride on tractors, learn outside in the sand and water play area, discover the indoor soft play, get lost in the Maze and have fun in our wooden train and castle play area.

For more information visit aldingbournetrust.org/events

Easter Fun at West Dean Gardens 10 – 13 April 2020

Visit the award-winning West Dean Gardens, near Chichester, this Easter to enjoy a trail through the beautiful Gardens, abundant with spring flowers and get creative with a host of Easter craft activities.

Choose from two trails, tailored to under 5s or 6-9 year olds, both with a chocolate prize. Easter themed craft activities include making a colourful felt egg (designed by milliner Victoria Brown), egg and daffodil decorations made from recycled materials, a collaborative Easter mural and outdoor easels. Plus have a go at flower pot bean bag toss, an egg and spoon race and challenge friends and family to a game of giant noughts and crosses.

The Gardens Restaurant offers breakfasts (from 9am at weekends/Bank Holidays), hot and cold lunches, afternoon teas and children’s meals.

Take advantage of a Spring Pass and enjoy unlimited entry to the Gardens from 1 March to 31 May, price £20, available online or from the Gardens Shop.

Adults £10 (normal entry), Children £7.50 – includes all activities and chocolate prize.

Book online: www.westdean.org.uk/gardens/ events/easter-trail

Easter Fun

10 - 13 April, 9am - 5pm (last entry 4pm) Easter Crafts • Trails • Activities Adults £10 (normal entry) | Children £7.50 Make a felt egg decoration, daffodil and egg crafts with recycled materials, and more.

Did you know that Stansted House has activities for children? You may already have tested your navigation skills in the Maze or taken a ride on the Miniature Railway, but did you know that Stansted House offers hands-on activities and art and craft workshops for families?

What’s more – kids go FREE during school holidays. This spring look out for our Mother’s Day Gift-Making workshop or come along and decorate our Easter Tree and make your own Easter egg ornament.

House opening: 1-5pm from 12 April, Adults £10, Children £5 or become a Family Friend £30 and come in free all year.

www.stanstedpark.co.uk

From spring flowers blossoming to animals yawning after hibernation, nature is waking up all around the Uppark estate.

Blankets of Daffodils, stunning springtime views and delicious foodie treats make Uppark a fun-filled family day out. Come and explore our woodlands and build your own den in our new Woodland Play Area; or pick up a trail and go on an adventure around the estate solving clues; or if you’re more of a free-spirit, why not just roll down our hills and run around our meadow?

Whatever your family’s preference, Uppark House & Garden is the place to come this Spring.

See www.nationaltrust.org.uk/upparkhouse-and-garden/ for more details

Family Fun at Horizon Leisure Centres

There are lots of fun activities to entertain the kids this Easter at Horizon Leisure Centres. Oceans of Play (Havant) and World of Play (Waterlooville) are two of the largest indoor children’s play areas in the South. There’s plenty of comfortable seating for adults to relax in, separate area for toddlers, free WIFI and café. Check out the school holiday timetable for trampolining, gymnastics and swimming with regular fun and inflatable sessions. And for teens, there’s supervised teen workout sessions for young people aged between 10 and 15 years old.

School Holiday Club - If you’re busy working, why not let the kids come to the school holiday club where they’ll have a fun packed schedule of swimming, crafts, cooking, bouncy castles, team games and so much more! Full-day, half-day and full week options at affordable rates.