This is Summer: kids' days out

Grab and Cook, Devon

When? 28 July and 4 August, 10.30am-3.30pm
Where? River Cottage HQ, Dorset/Devon border. Full address provided on booking (01297 630 302)
How much? Children £80, adults £10
www.rivercottage.net

This summer, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage intends to teach children (suggested ages 6-12, but they're flexible) to "grab and cook". In the luscious River Cottage vegetable garden, kids have a "grab and nibble" session, then a pizza-making class, and a nature and farm trail which will give them a feel of farm life, before tucking in to the party-picnic they've made themselves. It's a parent-free zone until adults are invited to reunite with their children at River Cottage HQ over a Devon cream tea.

Vivace Theatre Summer School, Glasgow

When? 4-8 August, 10am-4.30pm
Where? The White Studios, 410-412, 62 Templeton Street, Glasgow G40 1DA (0141 554 3318)
How much? £75
www.vivacetheatreschool.co.uk

The Vivace Theatre in Glasgow, opened in 2003, becomes a summer school during the holidays, in a week which culminates in a grand performance. In their newly refurbished custom studios, there will be four classes a day – two acting classes, a singing class and a dance class. From Monday to Thursday, the children will rehearse, and on Friday afternoon, the show will go on! If the weather is inclement, the performance will move from their outdoor spot on Glasgow Green into the studio theatre.

Animation Summer School, London

When? 4-8 August, 10.30am-3.30pm
Where? Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD (0207 940 8782)
How much? £120
www.designmuseum.org/kids

If your child is an aspiring set designer, script-writer, director or animator, this is where he or she should be spending five days of their summer. The Design Museum's animation school (12-16 year olds) covers everything from storyboarding and plot development to set design and 3-D modelling. Professional illustrators lead the workshops, and there are trips to model-making studios to see experts at work. All excursions and materials are included in the fee, and at the end there will be a screening of each child's film.

Crabbing Championship, Walberswick

When? 10 August; register from 2pm, crabbing 3pm-4.30pm
Where? Walberswick, Suffolk (015027 25 204)
How much? £1
www.explorewalberswick.co.uk

You couldn't provide more unusual entertainment for your children than entering them into the annual Crabbing Championship in the little coastal village of Walberswick. Every year the event whips up a local frenzy as the contestants have a single line, the bait of their choice (time to get inventive), and 90 minutes to catch the heaviest crab they possibly can. All entrance fees go to the local charity, the Walberswick Sea Defence Group, and the winner gets an engraved silver salver and £50 prize money.

Get Den Building, Eden Project

When? 19 July-4 September, 10am-6pm; from 20 July, open until 8pm on Tues, Wed, and Thurs
Where? Eden Project, Bodelva, St Austell, Cornwall PL24 2SG (01726 811 911)
How much? Adults £15, seniors £10, families £36, children £5, under-5s free (from 20 July, reduced admission and children free after 4.30pm)
www.edenproject.com

The Eden Project has a host of summer activities. One of the most enjoyable is Get Den Building, where children learn survival skills – making fire from friction, tying the tightest knots – and how to build the best dens. Check out the kite-making workshops, take the orienteering challenge, and don't worry about getting tired: there will be hammocks strung throughout the Eden Project to give young fire-starters (or their parents) a break, as well as a tipi filled with bean bags. From 1 August there's even a fire pit where you can act like cowboys.

House of Fairy Tales, Winchcombe

When? 22-25 August
Where? Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire GL54 57D (0208 525 9665)
How much? Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £250
www.houseoffairytales.org

Created by the artists Gavin Turk and Deborah Curtis, this Festival of the Creative Act is a magical four-day event, weaving together the expertise of artists, film-makers, musicians, performers, philosophers and writers, to create one of the most surreal and fun "happenings" around – and all in the name of education. Build space-age flying machines, watch puppet shows, perform quests, explore the time-travel portals. And after you've collected your fairy passport, wander around this temporary universe, visiting towns such as "Nowsense", where clocks go backwards, you pay with fairy gold, and food from The Kitchen has a life of its own!

The British Museum, London

When? All year
Where? Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG (0207 323 8299)
How much? Annual membership £20
www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

If your child is aged 8 to 15, the summer is a good time to make them a "Young Friend" of the British Museum. It entitles them to four sleepovers a year (in the Egyptian mummies room!), as well as activity-packed nights after the museum closes its doors to the public – storytelling, sword fights and learning to write like Shakespeare are among some of the most fun-themed evenings. Don't miss the free family event on 25 July – open to everyone – called The Way of Tea, where at 1.30pm and 3.00pm there will be a Japanese tea ceremony in the museum's Japanese galleries.

The Ugly Bug Ball, Bedford

When? 20 July, 10.30am-4.30pm
Where? Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Bedford MK3 0PR (01234 767 037)
How much? Adults £4, children under 16 free
www.marstonvale.org

The Forest of Marsden Vale in Bedfordshire is celebrating all things creepy crawly this summer with The Ugly Bug Ball. Arrive early to take advantage of everything hidden within the woodland: there's a dragonfly walk, a mini-beast hunt, storytelling, fancy dress, a butterfly walk, and competitions for the best bug drawings of the day. And if you want to get around the activities faster than your legs can carry you, there will be bikes to hire for exploring.

All will be done with the sounds of a live band in the background – and watch out for the magicians, too.

Nature Detectives! Norfolk

When? Every Tuesday in August, 11.30am and 3pm
Where? Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk PE32 2XD (5 miles north of Swaffham) (01760 755 394)
How much? Adults £4.90, children £2.50, families £12.30
www.english-heritage.org.uk

The beautiful ruins of Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk make up one of the largest monastic sites in England. While the buildings, which date back to 1090, are fascinating for parents (there's a medieval porch, still intact, and a chapel with traces of original wall paintings), that's not necessarily what's going to appeal to the children.

Fear not – they'll be enchanted by the Nature Detectives! project, which will be up and running every Tuesday in August. A carefully planned nature trail around the castle will turn up all sorts of surprises... Unleash their inner explorer.

Kids Week in the West End, London

When? 28 July and 4 August, 10.30am-3.30pm
Where? At a selection of theatres in London
How much? 15-19 August
www.kidsweek.co.uk

It can be expensive to take the family to see big name productions, which is why Kids Week is such a good idea. For two weeks during the summer holidays, children go to productions free as long as they're accompanied by a full-paying adult.

Get in there early – it's an extremely popular scheme, and a range of big productions are taking part: the list includes Chicago, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Billy Elliot and The Sound of Music. Many are offering special free workshops, lessons in singing and dancing with the cast, and backstage tours as part of the deal.

Flying Dragon Circus, Newcastle Upon Tyne

When? 15 July-19 July
Where? Theatre Royal, 100 Grey Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 6BR (08448 112 121)
How much? From £10.50
www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Straight from a world premier in Beijing, the Flying Dragon Circus is coming to Newcastle for its European debut, as part of the city's Asian festival East '08. Promising non-stop action from flying monks and punks to Kung Fu Shaolin warriors and the gravity-defying cloud swing, the show is packed with thrills and spills from Chinese and British artists. Live music – a new score – by Chinese musicians and a local band will accompany the high-flying performers. There will be little chance for anyone to claim they're bored. (Local eateries are doing special offers for ticket holders; more information on website.)

Manga Summer Days, Manchester

When? 28 July-1 August and 11-15 August, 10am-4pm
Where? Urbis, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester M4 3BG (0161 605 8200)
How much? £100 for 5 days
www.urbis.org.uk

Urbis, in Manchester, is a cool urban exhibition centre that focuses on city life. This summer it is hosting what it calls "The Ultimate Holiday Club for Super-Cool Kids", and for good reason, because it's a club about all things Manga – the very coolest, of course, in Japanese illustration.

Designed with ages 7-16 in mind, the club will teach the participants how to draw Manga style, tell them all about Japanese culture, show them how to make an animation, teach Kamishibai (Japanese paper theatre), T-shirt design, and – most importantly – how to be transformed into a Manga superhero by home time!

Down on the Farm, Tatton Park

When? 29 July-29 August; farm open noon-5pm
Where? Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6QN (01625 374 400)
How much? From £4 per adult and £2 per child
www.tattonpark.org.uk

Tatton Park in Cheshire is an historic estate with mansion house that sits in 50 acres of gardens with a deer park of over 1000 acres. There's plenty to entertain for a family day out, but over the summer there are special activities. On the estate's farm – with traditional breeds, and 1930s features – they're hosting scarecrow-making events, donkey grooming days, animal quizzes and picture painting sessions. If that's not enough, visit on the 6 or 13 August to join the bug hunting crowd: there'll be trailer rides, pond dipping, and a search for the most interesting creepy-crawlies (booking essential).

Summer Holiday Beach Carnival, St Ives

When? 28 July-29 August (contact Tate for times)
Where? Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall (01736 729 226)
How much? £3 for children, accompanying adults free
www.tate.org.uk/families/stives

Tate St Ives is a very family-friendly gallery – they put on interactive talks, and provide Family Packs throughout the year – so it's no surprise that they're organising a Summer Holiday Beach Carnival, especially for children, on Porthmeor Beach this year. There's disabled and buggy access, and workshops that involve the whole family. Expect to get very hands on. The Tate promises workshops that are designed to engage and inspire, and provoke some creativity in the bracing sea air.

V&A Museum of Childhood, London

When? Throughout August
Where? V&A Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA (0871 871 4232)
How much? From free
www.vam.ac.uk

Every day in August there's a free event here. Every Friday will be Funky Friday: bring a picnic and join in the Olympic-themed outdoor family activities. If you're in the mood for a performance, swing by on Friday 1 August to see classic Ladybird tales told by puppets (there's a chance to make your own too). On Friday 8 August help create the World's Longest Plasticine Snake; Friday 15 is Family Games Day (can you win the Push-A-Ping-Pong-Ball-With-Your-Nose race?); Friday 22 is the Teddy Bears' Picnic, and the Kids' Carnival on Friday 29 August rounds up the summer of fun.

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