Steph Smith, who manages the Hale, Altrincham and Sale area for Mums in the Know, chooses five great things to do with the kids over the next week.
1. Family Weekends: Memories, Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum can be a provocative place to visit with the family and is of particular interest to children studying the Second World War at school. Every weekend, the museum holds special family-friendly events so visitors of all ages can get involved in family workshops, tours, games and activities. Weekends throughout January focus on the theme of “Memories”. You can discover this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme ‘Keeping The Memory Alive’ by decorating a fabric square with your favourite memory, to add to IWM North’s patchwork Memories quilt.
There are also storytelling sessions – at 10.30am on Saturdays and Sundays, you can hear about a group of shapes who learn to get along despite their differences; at 1.30pm, you can join Nancy and hear her tales of life in the Land Army in the Second World War. The IWM is free to visit and is open from 10am to 5pm.
Imperial War Museum North, Quay West, Trafford Wharf Rd, Manchester M17 1TZ
2. Manchester Airport’s Runway Visitor Park
While most of us aren’t jetting off on holiday this month, Manchester Airport’s Runway Visitor Park is a fun destination in itself. Quite exhilarating to get up close to the aircraft as they take off and land, it’s a great place to spend a couple of hours with the kids. The Visitor Park is open from 8am – perfect, if you want to get out and about with early rising kids!
There’s an outdoor play area as well as several aircraft to explore for free including the DC-10, Trident and Avro RJX. And if you’re ever dreamt of boarding Concorde, you can book a tour of the infamous supersonic airliner! You can also tour Nimrod, the RAF’s patrol and attack aircraft that was decommissioned in 2010 (there is a minimum height restriction of 1.2m for this tour). The Concorde Restaurant and Coffee House is open from 8am until 4pm and there’s also an Aviation Shop which sells reasonably priced souvenirs. Parking is £3 per hour or a flat fee of £12 for 3 hours or more. Many visitors choose to park in the lanes leading up to the park and then they can just enter for FREE.
Runway Visitor Park, Sunbank Lane, Altrincham, WA15 8XQ
3. Breakfast / Brunch at Oxford Road Cafe, Altrincham
You can’t beat the superb breakfast menu at Altrincham’s Oxford Road Cafe. Served all day, the selection is spot on and you’ll find yourself a bit spoilt for choice! The children’s menu is great value at £3.95 and varied enough to please even the fussiest of eaters. Open from 9am on Saturdays and 9.30am on Sundays, this is deservedly a firm family favourite.
Oxford Road Cafe, 4 Oxford Road, Altrincham WA14 2DY
4. Lookout, it’s Saturday Playhouse at The Lowry Theatre (Saturday January 17th)
These FREE weekly playhouse art sessions are held at the Lowry Theatre’s dedicated Lookout space – a great escape from the cold outdoors! With a new and excited theme each week, the sessions take inspiration from the theatres, galleries and surrounding landscape at Salford Quays and MediaCityUK. This week’s focus is “At the Circus” where children can make their own traveling mobile circus complete with juggling bear. For more information and to check for any changes to the schedule, please see here.
Times: 11.00-12.00. The Lowry Theatre, Pier 8, Salford Quays M50 3AZ
5. Yogi Claire Hatha Yoga – Parent & Toddler Yoga Classes
Yogi Claire Hatha Yoga is a yoga business run by Sale-based Yoga teacher and mum of two, Claire Pickin. If you like the sound of a calm start to next week with your little one, why not give her parent and toddler yoga class a try. The sessions, suitable for children aged 18 months to 5 years, involve stories, songs, rhymes and games using a variety of yoga postures and breathing techniques. A lovely opportunity to engage and bond with your kids in a mindful way.
The parent and toddler classes are held during term time at LA Fitness/Brooklands Sports Club on Mondays between 10.15 and 11am. All equipment and a fruit snack are provided. Drop-in price is £5 with block-booking discounts available. Click here for more info or contact Claire via cdpickin@hotmail.com, or call 07979 410225.
LA Fitness/Brooklands Sports Club, Whitehall Rd, Brooklands, Sale, M33 3NL
