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A theatre company for children that actually does what it says. No clever remarks/jokes aimed at the adults, but instead a clearly understandable story with songs, audience involvement and lots and lots of fun!
Brunton Theatre
Ladywell Way
Musselburgh
East Lothian EH21 6AA
If you're staying in Santa Elena, Monteverde, it's worth paying a visit to the butterfly garden- especially if you have kids with you.
Included in the price (about $10) is a great tour of the insect room (most are alive!). This is fascinating and will help you come to appreciate the magical worlds of creepy crawlies (don't worry you don't have to touch them!). They even have a full leafcutter ant colony with micro cameras so you can see what's going on in the heart of the colony!
The butterflies in the gardens include the magnificent morphos, transparent glasswings, red postmans, and the glorious owl. You also get too see crysallis and if you're lucky butterflies hatching from them!
This is a great place for kids and adults to really learn about the smaller species of Costa Rican wildlife... and the staff/volunteers seem very passionate about it all.
Just ask someone in Santa Elena where it is, they should know- you can easily walk there - it's just down one of the smaller roads but quite difficut to explain here (takes 20 mins from central S.E). The best time to visit is when the sun is shining cause the butterflies will be basking in the sun in their full glory!There are good views of the valley too. They also run a volunteer programme with free board and meals. www.monteverdeinfo.com/butterfly-garden/butterfly-garden.html
A summer fete for kids throughout the summer. They provide everything from African dance workshops to face painting and book libraries. All in Italian, but all very accessible, friendly, a great play park and free!
www.lacittaintasca.it nr Circo Massimo
Anybody considering taking young children to a festival this year may want to consider buying a plain children’s tee-shirt and writing on it in permanent marker – “If I’m lost please call my folks on...” followed by your mobile number. A friend of ours dresses her little ones in them at every festival she attends, and while she has always managed to keep them together, they do have, as she tells me, “a habit of wondering away to look at all the glittery things like little magpies.”
We thought they'd be a great idea for keeping tabs on pre-teen kids - of course so did everyone else and all we could get was everyone else's conversations!
Slings are better than prams for babies. Even if it's a mud-fest, you can still feel some of the independence, mobility and excitement that you felt pre-kids, plus your baby will almost certainly sleep no matter what. As long as you remember their ear plugs you can even get in the throng a bit (not too drunk mind!)
Prams are what you need for a toddler. You're less mobile, but the good news is you can stash a box of wine, glasses, and camping chairs underneath. You won't have the same sense of freedom as with a sling, so you need a bunch of friends to find a patch with and claim it as your own.
Other tips:
Look for a small festival. With small kids it's more about the experience and the people-watching than the line-up. If you're too determined to prove to yourself that you're still hip and free, you might end up out of your depth at a manic festival, feeling more down-trodden and left-behind than ever.
Festivals that are known for being 'family friendly' might just be a big pram-fest. (Green Man 2007?) Similarly, avoid a festival that has grown very quickly. Finally, choose something that is within two hours of home. Just knowing you can get home if needed might stop you feeling trapped in a sea of mud and mucky nappies.
Every time I go to a festival it hurts me to see lil ones without ear protection. It's so important for them if you take them close to the bands. I've been taking my toddler to festivals since he was six months old and with some decent ear protection, I haven't had to worry about his well being.
They are also very fashionable, as seen on Apple Martin at Live Aid.
Buy them online
Good for families, it's a small festival with great loos. Take snacks and drinks for the kids with you so you have more dosh for the yummy pies and thai currys, swedish food etc.
A music festival that is totally eclectic and surprisingly kiddy friendly! One minute you can be dressing up in a dressing-up tent and doing a fashion show, then having a ride on a ferris wheel, then grooving to some funky beats on the main stage, then making wooden spoon puppets with your kids, then watching a wicker statue burn while drumming and chanting round it - and that's all in just one field!
If you have kids, I would recommend this festival. It's fun, vibrant, colourful and pure entertainment. My top tip is to get some of those mini hi-vis vests - in a dayglo neon colour like pink or orange, and write your mobile number on it. This is for your children to wear, so if they wonder off slightly, as they tend to, you can a) spot them and drag them back and b) if you don't see them, someone else will and they can call you to collect! Have Fun!
Eastnor Castle, Ledbury
I recommend Sarnano for its beautiful mountain views. In the village there are lovely friendly shops. There's the Centro Storico and the market on Thursday. Not far from there is water rafting that you can do if you dare, there's hang gliding to face a vertigo fear and maybe stay at Villa San Raffaello to look at the fields to see some racing deer. This town is safe enough to let your kids go around, I would know because I do and I'm 11. I think it's perfect for children of any age and there's a water park and beaches near to Sarnano.
My four-year-old daughter and I found ourselves living it up in New York recently when we joined my husband on a business trip. We had a great time eating out, exploring the city on open-top bus tours, and doing museums and Broadway shows, but some of the best things we did really were free (or at least nearly free). Here are my top ten things to do with kids for next to nothing in NYC…
1. Lay out a blanket in Central Park (picnic optional) and soak up the atmosphere. The huge expanse of grass at the Great Lawn is a favourite spot and great for games too.
2. Visit Belvedere Castle in the middle of Central Park at 79th Street. It is the highest point of the park with great views, a visitor centre, walking tours and free educational programs.
3. Attend Saturday morning story time for children of all ages in Central Park at the Hans Christian Anderson Memorial (mid-park from East 73rd entrance. Check for times at www.centralparknyc.org).
4. Visit one of the spectacular toy shops: Toys-R-Us in Times Square or FAO Schwartz (the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South) which has a giant electronic keyboard built into the floor upstairs that children can play with their feet. You can easily spend an hour or more exploring and trying out the display toys without buying a thing.
5. Take the Staten Island ferry. Day or night this is one of the best free (or paid for) boat rides in the world. It takes about half an hour each way. You can get straight off and back on again or spend time on the dockside at Staten Island looking at the distant Manhattan skyline. The ride gives spectacular views of the downtown skyline and the Statue of Liberty, all lit-up to magical effect at night.
6. If it’s a quiet stroll you’re after and you find yourself in Brooklyn, take a walk along the Brooklyn Seafront for a great view of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. (And if you do want to spend a few dollars there is a great ice-cream parlour there too.)
7. Stand in the middle of Times Square for ten minutes and don’t forget to look up.
8. Stand just about anywhere and play how many yellow cabs can you count in a minute?
And if it’s summer…
9. Summerstage (held at Rumsey Playfield near 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue) and Shakespeare in the Park (at the open-air Delacorte Theater near the W81st Street entrance to the park) are two of the most popular summertime programs and both are free. Top-shelf acts and great performances.
10. Fancy a dip? There are 14 miles of public beaches in four of NY’s boroughs: Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Contact General Parks and Recreation Department Information at www.nycparks.completeinet.net for more info.
General info at www.nyctourism.com
Central Park info at www.centralparknyc.org
Summerstage info: www.summerstage.org
More info on Shakespeare in the Park can be found at: www.publictheater.org
New York style (how did you guess?) diner in the docklands development next to the IFSC. Next to the financial district, so I expect it's worth avoiding during the week. On a Sunday, though, it's a pretty chilled out place to get Eggs Benedict or a vast array of bagels. Next to the river (by the Jeannie Johnston boat).
Lower Mayor St.
Opposite NCI (National College of Ireland). A short walk from Busáras (the main bus/coach terminus) or Connolly Station (DART [rail] / LUAS [tram])
Every time I go there I discover something new: open spaces, extensive rose gardens, cool playground, woods, streams, ponds, ruins, pitch'n'putt next door, nice coffee, small Saturday market.
North Dublin, next to Coast Road. Killester Dart station's probably the closest - about 5mins walk (but we usually drive or bus it - Coast Road has lots of buses)
Public swimming pool complex at the Westbad tram stop. Just follow the scent of chlorine from the tram. Entrance was nine euro last time I visited.
Inside there's a water slide, a whirlpool, heated mineral bath, sauna and swimming lanes. Good place to take kids on a rainy holiday. Outside there are even more pools, plenty of grass to lay about and sometimes ducks come down to swim laps in the pools.
Address: Weinbergerstraße 11, Westend, Munich, 81241
Phone: +49 89 23617701
Nearest Station: Westbad: Tram 19, Bus 72
Neighbourhood: Westend
Take the kids on 5th December for the arrival of "Sinter Klaas" by boat into the city.
The big Dutch Christmas celebrations are on St. Nicholas Day. A unique experience for all the family with street celebrations, treasure hunts, sweeties from Black Pete and clogs filled with carrots!
There are lots of choices on the Isle of Skye; hotels, B&B, hostels and camping sites.
Our family stayed in a camping site called Torvaig near Pontree for two nights. It was cheaper than the one we had stayed at near Ben Nevis. The services were the same; showers, bathrooms, clean drinking water for free, although at Ben Nevis there was a shop. The ground was hard, but there was a beautiful view at sunset.
We liked cooking so we didn’t eat out much. But when we did there were big portions. The food was similar to Irish food; haggis is just like a mix of black puddings and mince meat. If you asked for an apple pie you would expect to get a slice but there you get a whole pie. The Pike Hotel had particularly big portions.
When we cooked it was easy to find the supplies to cook on our own in any supermarket. There are also shops on the Isle of Skye so don’t fret.
We didn’t stay long, so we only got one trip done; a boat trip.
We saw a brochure in the campsite and my dad thought it would be a good thing to do. The boat left Armadale and got to Mallaig in 45 minutes. When you get there you can stay or you can walk back to the pier. It takes a couple of hours to get back on foot. It was a great boat ride. I even got to drive the boat. The view was spectacular. It was so spectacular - that I had a dream about it. When we pulled into the bay, it was lovely and calm. To the left of me there was a mountain sheltered under a beautiful white cloud. The bay had lovely turquoise water, warmer than the sea because of the surrounding rocks and big boulders. Just right for swimming. If you don’t like salt water there is a river up beside it.
The overall view from the high rock over looking the bay was really pretty, and one you don’t see everyday.
I would recommend the holiday to outgoing people and families with teenage kids.
I had a wicked time.
Restaurant Chartier is possibly the best restaurant in Paris (although I haven't been to many!).
They change the menu every day so you can try a different meal anytime you go and the food is always gorgeous.
The waiters are really friendly and, with a mixture of English and French, you can always have a good chat with them. They have time for everyone even though it's a busy restaurant.
There's not many problems with it apart from it's quite hard to find - it's on Rue Du Faubourg, Montmartre and there are at least four Rue Du Faubourgs in Paris!
The other thing is the room vibrates a bit when the Metro train passes underground!
from Roisin (age 12)
7 Rue Du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris
www.restaurant-chartier.com
There's a Metro Station just outside the Restaurant.
I am 6 years old and I love ocean commotion. It is in a converted chapel and now is a brilliant place to play. There is a little slide for toddlers and much bigger and faster ones for older children. I can run around for an hour and I am very hot and sweaty afterwards. Mummy and daddy can have a cup of tea and then join in with us, if they want to. It is a great place for parties and I love it.
From Lily Rose Lawrence, from Pembrokeshire.
Lower Frog Street, Tenby.
Tel: 01834 845526
St Mary's is the largest Island out of all the Scilly Islands, it also is the busiest. I'd recommend St Mary's because it's a nice place to go and have a break and since you're only allowed a car if you live there, it's quite a 'Global Friendly' place. It's also brilliant for a midnight cycle adventure!
It has a lot of great beaches to picnic on, where you can paddle in the sea even in April! Watching the gigs race whilst having fish and chips is fun too. There are plenty of interesting little shops to potter around in. You can get to any of the islands by boat.
My favourite island is Tresco because of the Abbey Gardens and the shell grotto inside it.
From Katie Lawrence (age 10) from Pembrokeshire.
Last year me, mum, dad and my brother Aidan went on holiday to Jura. We stayed in a cottage beside the sea. There is a beach and a little park just along the road. Sometimes it rained but mostly it was a sunny day. One day we went down to the beach and found a crab crawling around the rock pool. When we went back to the beach one day we saw a wild otter.
Jura
Heatheryknowe
Craighouse
Isle of Jura
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