Holidays: INCREDIBLE DAYS OUT FOR CHILDREN

Sunday Mirror, Jul 20, 2003 by MARJORIE YUE

SCHOOL'S nearly out for summer but don't panic - there's so much you can do to keep the kids from getting bored.

With more family attractions per square mile than any other country, you don't even need to travel far to keep them amused.

Here are 25 great ideas that will entertain even the most hyperactive youngster...

1STANDING 15ft tall and 7ft wide, the latest, largest and greenest attraction at London's Madame Tussauds promises a memorable experience. The floor even vibrates as The Hulk vents his anger. Admission: from pounds 14.99 per adult, pounds 10.50 child (5-15).

Details: Call 0870 400 3000 or see website at www.madame- tussaudscom

2AT The Life Science Centre in Newcastle, it's a reversal of Honey I Shrunk The Kids as visitors come face to face with a 6ft scorpion on the attack, or a larger-than-life ladybird pursuing its lunch. The Return of the Monster Creepy Crawlies exhibition features other giant- sized insects, including 14 animatronic models, and workshops. During August the Creepy Crawly Bus will have bugs lurking on board! Admission: pounds 6.95 adult, pounds 4.50 child (4-16), under-fours free, family ticket pounds 19.95.

Details: 0191 243 8210 or see website at www.lifesciencecentre.co.uk

3 STARTING on July 25, the London Eye is giving children the chance to play the ultimate I-Spy game. Before boarding, each child will receive a free pack with clues to identify spy-related buildings seen from the Eye. Also included is a child's cinema ticket (valid with accompanying adult ticket) for Spy Kids 3D (opening August 1). Combine the flight on the Eye with an entertaining Thames cruise, and experience the city from two different angles. There's also the added bonus of a free aerial photograph exhibition to be staged outside the Eye.

London Eye and river cruise: pounds 19 adult, pounds 10.50 child (under 16), under- fives free.

Details: 0870 5000 600 or see website at www.ba-londoneye.com

4 PUT your daughter or son on a West End stage for a peek behind the scenes during Kids Week. Between August 20 and 31 more than 50 free fun activities, including backstage tours and musical workshops, have been arranged. Kids can do anything from learning to sing Summer Nights from Grease to doing the Shakalaka Baby routine from Bombay Dreams. There are also free children's tickets (5-16) to many of the musicals (when accompanied by a paying adult).

Details: 0870 444 6066 or see website at www.kidsweek.co.uk

5 TAKE a journey back in time to The Court of Good Queen Bess at Hampton Court Palace and mingle with the courtiers for some royal entertainment and gossip - you may even be granted an audience with Queen Elizabeth I herself. The Great Hall will come alive with dancers and fools with dramatic presentations by costumed guides, while the Watching Chamber will be filled with the music of Ye Merrie England. The daily celebration takes place between August 2 and 31. Admission: pounds 11.50 adult, pounds 7.50 child, pounds 34 family ticket.

Details: 0870 753 7777 or see website at www.hrp.org.uk

6 IF your child is a budding archaeologist, head for Bliss Hill Victorian Town, a living history museum in Telford, Shropshire, on the weekend of August 9 and 10 to catch some of the stars of Channel 4's Time Team in action. In the town - one of 10 museums in the Ironbridge Gorge - the team will be excavating the site where the original Blast Furnaces

stood. You can even join in the dig to search for hidden remnants of the region's industrial past. On Saturday there's also a chance to see a typical Victorian wedding ceremony. Admission: pounds 8.25 adult, pounds 5.15 child.

Details: 01952 432166 or see website at www.ironbridge.org.uk

7CHILDREN will not only discover there's more to mud than meets the eye at the UK's only Mud Festival, but they'll have a gloriously mucky time finding out. The National Wetlands Centre of Wales, at Penclacwydd, near Llanelli, will hold tug-of-war contests, a Muddy Mugs competition using mud instead of facepaint and mud safaris on the estuary. Admission: pounds 5.50 adult, pounds 3.50 child, under- fours free, pounds 14.50 family ticket.

Details: 01554 741087 or see website at www.wwt.org.uk

8 EUROPE'S largest annual hot air balloon festival will take off in the rolling parkland of Ashton Court Estate. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta starts on August 7 with a pop concert - Busted and Kym Marsh are among the acts appearing. Other highlights during the four-day free event include parachute jumps, aerobatic wing-walkers, sky diving displays and fireworks.

Details: 0117 953 5884 or see website at www.bristolfiesta.co.uk

9 FUNFEST, Edinburgh's new festival, promises a Family Fun Day Out on both August 30 and 31. There are lots of activities in different zones, from Kidz, Activity and Hobby to Music Countryside & Sports. Admission: pounds 8 adult, pounds 4 child (5-15), under-fours free.

Details: 0131 335 6200 or see website at www.funfest.co.uk