Ages 3-5
London area
July 31-August 4: Pizzazz. Interactive children's entertainment. Clowns and cabaret. 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Free. Bushy Park, Hampton Court Road, Middlesex . Tel: 020 8979 1586.
July 31-August 4: Wally! Children's entertainer performs slapstick stunts. 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Playground, Greenwich Park, Blackheath Gate, London SE10. Tel: 020 8858 2608 for prices. Throughout July and August:
Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood art workshops. Saturdays 11am, 12noon, 2pm and 3pm. Free. Cambridge Heath Road, London E2. Tel: 020 8983 5200. Throughout July and August.
Tate Britain art trolley activities. Sundays 2-5pm. Free. Millbank, London SW1. Tel: 020 7887 8000.
Around Britain
July 27: Teddy bears' picnic. Lunch, magicians, storytellers and best-dressed teddy contest. 2pm-4.30pm. Adults £2.50. Children £2. Charlecote Park, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire. Tel: 01789 470277.
July 22-23: Summer fair weekend, Paxton House. Fundraising weekend with stalls, children's entertainers and teddy bear auction. From 11am. Adults £2.50, children £1. Paxton House, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland. Tel: 01289 386291.
August 3: Children's day, Penhryn Castle. Mr Bimbamboozle and his puppet workshop followed by Punch and Judy. Noon-4pm. Adults £3, children £2. Free for National Trust members. Penhryn Castle, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. Tel: 01248 353084.
August 6: Tameside teddy bears' picnic. Entertainers and stories. 1pm-4pm. Free. Park Bridge visitors' centre, Park Bridge, Tameside. Tel: 0161 342 3006.
August 2 and 9: Family beachcombing with the National Trust. Children build sand and shell creations with their finds. From 2pm. Donations welcome. Sandscale Haws, near Barrow, Cumbria. Tel: 015394 35599.
August 19-20: Teddy bears' picnic. Fun and games with Blossom the Clown. Bring a picnic. From 2pm. Adults £2.50, children £1.30. St Mawes Castle, Cornwall. Tel: 01326 270526.
Ages 5-8
London area
Throughout July: Shadow puppet workshops. Put on your own puppet show. Daily at 12.30pm and 3pm. Children free. Adults £4.50. Theatre Museum, Russell Street, London WC2. Tel: 020 7943 4700.
Throughout July and August: Medieval brass rubbing. Create knights, kings and beasts. Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm. Sunday 12noon-6pm. Entrance free. To make your own metre-tall image costs £3. London Brass Rubbing Centre, St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, London WC2. Tel: 020 7930 9306.
July 24-August 3: Curious quest Art adventures, Tate Britain. Families solve a mysterious quest by exploring clues and signs in artworks on display. Monday - Thursday 11am-12.30pm and 2pm-5pm. £3 per child. Adults free. Tate Britain, Millbank SW1. Tel: 020 7887 8000.
July 25, August 1, 8, 15, 22: Tales from around the world. African and native American theatre and folk tales. 2pm. £1 per child. Horniman Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23. Tel: 020 8699 1872.
Around Britain
July 26-August 30: Ugly bug safari. Creepy crawlies exploration. Daily from 10am. £2. Berrington Hall, near Leominster, Herefordshire. Tel: 01568 615721.
July 26. Mini beast safari. Environmental project for children. Bring a jam jar and magnifying glass. 10am. Free but booking is essential. Marton Mere Nature Reserve, Blackpool. Tel: 01253 830805. (Big insect and bat safaris continue throughout August. Call for details.)
August 9: Reptile celebrities. Children can meet and learn about large, live reptiles. 10.30am-11.30am, 2pm-3pm and 3:30pm-4.30pm. £3. Booth Museum of Natural History, 194 Dyke Road, Brighton. Tel: 01273 292777.
August 12-13: More skulduggery! Pirate show and buried treasure. From noon. Adults £1.70. Children 90p. Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire. Tel: 01947 603568.
August 28: The Curious eyebrows family show. Performers teach children how to juggle and walk a tightrope. Noon-4pm. Adults £3.50 and children £1.80. East Riddleden Hall, Keighley, Yorkshire. Tel: 01535 607075.
Ages 8-11
London area
Throughout July: Circuswurx. Unicycling, juggling, stiltwalking classes. Thursdays, 7pm-9pm. £1.50 per child. The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, West Sussex. Tel: 01293 553636.
Throughout July and August: Explorers and viewpoints. Time capsule trails around Tate Modern. Go to the information desk in Turbine Hall, and Levels three and five. Daily, from 10am. Free. Tate Modern, 25, Sumner Street, London SE1. Tel: 020 7887 8000.
July 23: Flower power. Turn trash into wild beasts in this scrap-modelling workshop. 12.30pm and 5.30pm. Free. £1 parking fee. Bedfont Lakes Country Park, Middlesex. Tel: 01784 423556.
July 31-August 4: Zogg circus workshop. Learn the skills of the big top. Noon and 2pm. Free. Richmond Park, Pembroke Lodge, Surrey. Tel: 020 8948 3209.
Around Britain
July 22-23: Medieval siege. A 15th-century siege with skirmishes and assaults. From noon. £4. Barnard Castle, County Durham. Tel: 01833 638212.
23 July: Giant kite display. With kite specialist Phil Womack. 9.30am-11.30am. Free. Blackpool beach between North and Central Piers. Tel: 01253 478222.
July and August: Artworks. Interactive exhibition where children fill rooms with sound, by moving their bodies near hidden sensors and finger painting with light. Sunday - Wednesday 10am-5pm. Thursday - Saturday 10am-8pm. £3.75. Free for under fours. The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays. Tel: 0161 876 2000.
July 30, August 6, 20: Bat and owl safari. Explore the woods armed with bat detectors. Bring a torch. Adults £2.50, children £1. RSPB Lake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve, Llanwyddn, Shropshire. Tel: 01691 870278 for times.
August 19-20: Roman kitchen. Make and taste Roman cuisine. From noon. Adults £3. Children £1.50. Lullingstone Roman Villa, Kent. Tel: 01322 863467.
Ages 11+
London area
July 29-August 13: Portobello festival breakdance events. Featuring Feet Per Minute (as seen on Da Ali G show). Free. Call 020 8964 4419 for times or www.portobellofestival.com
Around Britain
27 July: Poetry and pictures workshops. Write and paint with artist John Siddique, writer in residence at the Lowry. 11am-1pm, 2pm-4pm. £3 (£2.50 for Salford residents). The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays. Tel: 0161 876 2000.
July 27, 28, 29: Romeo and Juliet. Brazilian street theatre adaptation from Grupo Galpao, with stilt walkers, mime and puppeteers. 7.30pm. Free. Great Northern Square, Manchester. Tel: 0161 234 1964 or www.the-manchester-festival.org.uk
July 29-30. Have a go archery. 14th-century bowmen teach the art of firing an arrow. From noon. Adults £2.60. Children £1.80. Mount Grace Priory, North Yorkshire. Tel: 01609 883494.
August 13: Wild alive day: Up close. RSPB's wildlife photography workshop for 11-16 year-olds. 10am-3pm. £3.75. Bring a camera. Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve, Castleford, West Yorkshire. Tel: 01767 680551.
All ages
London area
Throughout July and August: Australia dreaming. Themed activities from boomerang lessons to digeridoo workshops. Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm. Free. Commonwealth Institute, Kensington, London W8. Tel: 020 7603 4535 or www.commonwealth.org.uk
July 14-August 13: Ealing summer festival. Stalls and performers, including a beach camp - a water-proof beach in a tent with end-of-pier shows, rides and workshops. Prices and times vary. Walpole Park, Ealing. Tel: 020 8579 5436 or www.ealing.gov.uk/summer
July-August: Coin Street carnival. Community celebration including puppet shows, face painting and a parade. From 11am. Free. Bernie Spain Gardens, Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1. Tel: 020 7401 2255.
July 22-23: East London mela. South Asian bazaar, crafts fair, children's events, storytelling and kite displays. From 11am. Free. Wanstead Flats, London E11. Tel: 020 8430 2000.
August 26-28: Notting Hill Carnival. Children's carnival day is August 27 with stalls and floats. From 11am. Free. Tel: 020 8964 0544.
Until September 1: annual summer festival of events at Theatre Square and terraces of National Theatre. Includes magic, street theatre, acrobatics, comedians. Free. Tel: 020 7452 3327 for times.
Around Britain
29 July: Fireworks fantasia. Fireworks and live music. 7pm. £5 or group ticket at £2 per person. Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston. Tel: 0121 464 2000.
August 1-4: Play Village 2000. Daily activities include painting, sculpture, sport and drama, rides and nature trails. 10am-5pm. £1 per session. Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston. Tel: 0121 464 2000.
August 2: National play day, Tameside. Arts in the park. Arts and crafs activities and a waterborne pageant. From 2pm. Free. Oxford Park, Ashton-under-Lyme, Tameside. Tel: 0161 342 3311.
August 2: National play day, Hove. Bouncy castles, face painting, drumming, workshops. 11am-3pm. Free. Hove Park, Old Shoreham Road, Hove, Sussex. Tel: 01273 292724.
August 2-6: Merseyside international street festival. Dancers, acrobats, puppeteers, workshops and more. Free. Albert Dock, Liverpool and Bluecoat Arts Centre, School Lane, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 709 3334 for details.
August 4-7: Beccles carnival. Clowns, music, drawings, stalls. From 10am. Free. The Quay, Beccles, Suffolk. Tel: 01502 712627.
August 5: Leicester Caribbean festival. Floats, parades and entertainers. From 11am. Free. Victoria Park, London Road, Leicester. Tel: 0116 2257770.
August 6: Manchester Northern Quarter street festival. Music, crafts, graffiti artists and urban sports, including skateboarding. Free. Stevenson Square, Manchester. Tel: 0161 834 5143 for details.
August 11 and 12. Street biz. Street theatre, comedy and circus. 11.30am-5.30pm. Free. Victoria Square, Chamberlain Square and New Street, Birmingham. Tel: 0121 464 2000.
August 12-13: Summertime spectacular weekend. Themed nature activities included guided walks and the chance to see seabird chicks being fed by their parents. From 11am. Adults £3, children £1.50. RSPB Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve, Bridlington, East Yorkshire. Tel: 01262 851179.
August 21-27. Blackpool elephant week. Elephant charity fund-raising events including a Hindu elephant festival. From 10am. Free. Blackpool Zoo. Tel: 01253 830830.
