Whit week Half Term Events And Activities For Families In The North West.

Whit week half term holiday is somewhat unreliable, so here is a list of special events and activities running over the week for families in the North West. As usual I've kept it to events and activities that don't cost any more than £12 each

Don't forget your local museum and library, they nearly always offer holiday activities and clubs for a small charge, and entry is usually free - here is a great post by Jollies And Jaunts with 10 quirky items you can find in Manchester Musems..

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Trafford Centre has a second new 4D movie arriving - LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS! The LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS have to defeat the evil Jestro, the Book of Monsters and all their Lava Monsters - think wind, water and smoke - bringing the battle to life all around the cinema. Visitors can also see The LEGO Movie 4D A New Adventure. Both movies will be on rotation with two to three showings every hour.
There is also the new play area, City Builder, where visitors can create cities and buildings in the most unique city that can be imagined, including everything from huge skyscrapers to cosy family houses, all from LEGO. From £9.95 per person booked in advance.

SEA LIFE Manchester at the Trafford Centre's newest occupant, Hank the Octopus is getting more relaxed in his new home and is now more willing to smile for the camera. From £9.95 per person booked in advance.

Entry to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre AND Sealife on a combined ticket is £20 per person. 

Z-Arts, Manchester have a range of activities at subsidised prices for local families.

One of the events at Z-Arts, which will also be in Burnley and Whalley Library over half term is The Last Post. A play inside a mobile sorting office

The Blackpool Tower has the amazing Tall Tales event running on the Saturday mornings. We reviewed it last Saturday morning and it's fantastic value at £19.95 per child with a FREE ADULT for Tower entry with 2 great storytellers, Jungle Jims, LEGO workshop and brunch. To find out more look at our Tall Tales Blackpool Tower review..

intu Trafford Centre, Manchester have special events each day through half term: 
Monday 30 May – Come and create some big teddy bear biscuit designs at our big bear biscuit station and take your yummy creation home with you. Teds can come too!
Tuesday 31 May - Calling all creepy crawly fans! Come join our team of explorers to hunt for creepy critters and make your very own fossils at the big bug fossil day
Wednesday 1 June - Big smiles as you can come create your very own emoji mood hanger at our amazing emoji-station
 Thursday 2 June - Let’s explore the great outdoors as you create your very own crazy hair cress pots complete with your silly snap on the front. Take your crazy cress pot home and watch your hair grow wild and free!
Friday 3 June - Make me a superstar! Calling all kids, come and get the superstar pamper treatment and have a shot at superstardom on our little stars stage!

Activities are free, with no booking required and are open to all ages, but are particularly suitable for children in pre-school and early years.

The Lost Carnival adventure begins Queen’s Park, Crewe, Cheshire 28, 29 & 30 May 4-9.30pm. £12 (under 3s free) The secrets of The Lost Carnival have now started to be revealed. Choose your friends, choose your foes, as The Battle of the Carnivals begins. For three short nights only, families will step into a world unlike any other in this large-scale outdoor immersive theatre experience from award-winning producers Wild Rumpus (Just So Festival) and So It Is (Bury Met, Ramsbottom Festival), brought to life by theatre partner LAS Theatre. Find out more at The Lost Carnival website

Imperial War Museum North’s interactive family friendly exhibition Horrible Histories: Blitzed Brits is running to find out what life was really like on the Home Front during the Second World War. See makeshift weapons, such as pikes and tin bombs, used by the real Home Guard, and learn about the sorts of jobs the Home Guard did to keep communities safe. FREE entry. Find out more on the IWM North website. 

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax, just off the M62 between Leeds and Manchester are hosting an event to meet some of the people whose inventions, creations and theories changed medicine. Archimedes – the man that inspired the Eureka! name – will tell you about some of his amazing inventions, and Florence Nightingale will show how she revolutionised nursing. Meet the infamous Dr Robert Liston to learn about his frankly peculiar surgical practices, and a wise woman from Tudor times, who is a big fan of leeches (urgh!). Hopefully you’ll avoid Dr Liston and his ability to amputate a leg in 2 ½ minutes (without anaesthetic – yikes).
 On 2–4 June, you can also see a Viking striding about Eureka! Learn whether the Vikings were really all about plundering and raids (and big beards and helmets), or whether they were actually really clever scientists (and mostly farmers).
All activities are included in the price of standard admission, or free to Eureka! annual pass holders - £12.95 per person but upgrade to annual membership FREE. Find out more on the Eureka website.

The Printworks in Manchester have some fun (and FREE) things going on...
- Tuesday 31st May: Fun day
Giant games, mascot racing and dancing with both Studio 25 and Shockout.
- Wednesday 1st June: Sow the City
A chance for children to learn how to plant their own vegetables, learn about being a Young Gardener and help The Printworks to make its very own recycled scarecrow for its rooftop garden!
- Thursday 2nd June: Story telling with Z-arts
Join Z-arts for some creative arts. There’ll be a bear hunt in a giant storytelling tent, stories by the much-loved children’s author, Michael Rosen and with a chance to send a postcard to your favourite teddy bear in our miniature post box.
- Friday 3rd June: Emergency services day
Children will learn how to stay safe with Manchester’s emergency services this summer – an educational yet fun day for all!

Jane over at Hodgepodge Days blog has been busy reviewing events recently too, and she's written about Fantastic Mr Fox and other Roald Dahl activities at Tatton Park in Cheshire, and compiled her own list of half term activities - including the Tatton Park Geronimo Festival.

Shamaila over at Mums In The Know has compiled a list of 10 half term events happening in the Preston area.