As the half term break approaches you may be wondering how you might be able to keep your kids entertained. With weather unpredictable and budgets tight this time of year Vision have a wide range of activities to suit everyone. So take a look for a day-by-day breakdown of what’s going on around Redbridge.
Monday 13 February
Balance Bike Skills
Location: Redbridge Cycling Centre
Times: 9.30am-11.30am & 1.30pm-3.30pm
Suitable for: ages 3+ – this is a guideline, please speak to the centre to check whether this is suitable for your child.
Cost: £12.50 (includes bike hire)
This fun two hour session is a great way to get a rider used to riding without stabilisers.
For the Love of Nature
Location: Hainault Forest
Time: 11am-12.30pm
Suitable for: 3-8 year olds
Cost: Standard – £5; Concession – FREE
Show your love for nature this Valentines Day! Kids will join in with a scavenger hunt to collect items to decorate a cardboard heart and use natural paints to make it stand out!
Hamlet
Location: Redbridge Drama Centre
Times: 1.30pm & 4pm
Suitable for: ages 8+
Cost: £10 per ticket – Use code ‘BOGOF’ to get buy one get one free on all tickets!
This is a perfect, bitesize way to experience Shakespeare’s iconic Hamlet for younger audiences. With just two actors, one musician and a suitcase, you’ve never seen Shakespeare done quite like this!
Creepy Crawling – An Invertebrate Adventure
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 2pm
Suitable for: ages 7+
Cost: £2 per child
Enjoy a mini garden safari from the comfort of the nice, warm library! Using games, experiments and activities children will learn all about the some of the most important creatures in our gardens and what makes them so important!
‘We’re Going on an Animal Hunt’ – with ZooLab
Location: Gants Hill Library
Time: 3pm
Suitable for: ages 3+ (children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian)
Cost: £1.50 per child
Based on the classic children’s story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ join our ZooLab Ranger as they go on an adventure through all terrains before finally meeting some amazing ZooLab critters! You’ll have the chance to meet and even handle some of the animals if you want to as well!
Tuesday 14 February
Novice Go-Ride Skills
Location: Redbridge Cycling Centre
Time: 9.30am-12.30pm
Suitable for: 5-10 year olds – this is a guideline, please speak to the centre to check whether this is suitable for your child.
Cost: £12.50 per child; £5 per additional bike hire
This is for riders who are already riding without stabilisers but but will help build up confidence and skills while riding a bike. Riders will do exercises to practice balancing, co-ordination, cornering and braking.
Zine Making Workshop
Location: Redbridge Heritage Centre, 2nd floor of Redbridge Central Library
Time: 10am-4pm – drop in anytime
Suitable for: ages 8+
Cost: FREE
Redbridge Museum have teamed up with the National Portrait Gallery for this exciting workshop! Not sure what a zine is? No problem – that’s exactly what the workshop is for! Come along and find out and also make your very own zine.
Woodland Detectives: Dragon Sneezes and Campfire Cooking
Location: Hainault Forest
Time: 10.15am
Suitable for: 4-6 year olds
Cost: Standard – £5; Concession – FREE
Join Hainault Forest Rangers to find out how a dragon can help cook on a fire! Kids will take their first steps into learning about campfire cooking and enjoy a story around the campfire.
Forest Explorers: Fire!
Location: Hainault Forest
Time: 10.15am
Suitable for: 7-11 years old
Cost: Standard – £5; Concession – FREE
The Hainault Forest Rangers will teach how to make a fire using only natural materials! No matches needed! Just use what you find in the forest.
Under the Sea – A Virtual Reality Experience
Location: Lab Central, Redbridge Central Library
Time: 10.30am-12.30pm
Suitable for: Families with children 7+
Cost: FREE
A wonderful Virtual Reality experience to see the delights of the sea. Drop in anytime between 10.30am and 12.30pm but there are only a limited number of VR headsets and it is first-come, first-served.
‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ with Cat & Hutch
Location: Hainault Library
Time: 11am-12pm
Location: Fullwell Cross Library
Time: 2.30pm-3.30pm
Suitable for: All ages welcome – recommended for ages 4-7
Cost: FREE
Cat & Hutch bring this wonderful Margery Williams story to life at the library this half term. A toy rabbit wishes to become a real rabbit! A combination of story-telling, games, and nursery magic will bring a new dimension to this story. No need to book, just turn up!
Explore Learning – Be a Master Maths Sorcerer
Location: Goodmayes Library
Time: 12pm
Suitable for: 8-11 years old
Cost: FREE
Join Explore Learning for this maths workshop which will inspire and help children discover the magic of learning.
Wild Adventures: Hot Chocolate Challenge!
Location: Hainault Forest
Time: 1pm
Suitable for: 12-18 years old
Cost: Standard – £5; Concession – FREE
This challenge is a step above the usual forest activities. The challenge is to take a bucket of dirty water and make hot chocolate with it! What will need to happen to work out what’s in the bucket and how to make the water safe to drink. Do you know anyone up for the challenge?
‘We’re Going on an Animal Hunt’ – with ZooLab
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 1.30pm
Suitable for: ages 3+ (children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian)
Cost: £1.50 per child
Based on the classic children’s story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ join our ZooLab Ranger as they take you on an adventure through all terrains before you finally meet some amazing ZooLab critters! You’ll have the chance to meet and even handle some of the animals if you want to as well!
Coding with Blocks for Kids
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 2.30pm-4.30pm
Suitable for: Families with children aged 5-7 years old
Cost: FREE
Come along and learn with your kids the basic concepts of coding. Using a free app for tablets, ScratchJr, you’ll create fun and colourful animations. Can you complete all 7 projects available?
Session is drop-in. Come anytime before 2.30pm and 4.30pm but there are limited spaces and it is first-come, first-served.
Wednesday 15 February
Radio Course
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 10am-12pm (this is a three day workshop from Wednesday – Friday)
Suitable for: 9-12 year olds
Cost: £2 per child
This three day workshop is brought to Redbridge Central Library by East London Radio and will give children the chance to create their very own radio show. Children will need to be able to attend all 3 days.
Write On!
Location: Valentine’s Mansion
Time: 10.30am & 2pm
Suitable for: Ages 5+
Cost: FREE
Get your creative juices flowing in this special poetry writing workshop for children. Includes rhyming word games, fun props for inspiration and a wax-sealed copy of your creative masterpiece to take home. Morning session includes bonus story-telling!
GoSlime Workshop
Location: Fullwell Cross Library
Time: 11am
Suitable for: 5-12 year olds
Cost: FREE
GoSlime will host this exclusive workshop at Fullwell Cross Library. There are only limited spaces so book before it gets full!
Discover Diversity Workshop
Location: Fullwell Cross Library
Time: 11.30am
Suitable for: All ages
Cost: FREE
Discover diversity and embrace equality through art! Join us for a unique workshop where you’ll be guided by the Barkingside Art Club youth ambassador and creative leaders. No need to book, just drop in and be a part of this inclusive project!
Thursday 16 February
Novice Go-Ride Skills
Location: Redbridge Cycling Centre
Time: 9.30am-12.30pm
Suitable for: 5-10 year olds – this is a guideline, please speak to the centre to check whether this is suitable for your child.
Cost: £12.50 per child; £5 per additional bike hire
This is for riders who are already riding without stabilisers but will help build up confidence and skills while riding a bike. Riders will do exercises to practice balancing, co-ordination, cornering and braking.
Woodland Detectives: Following Footsteps
Location: Hainault Forest
Time: 10.15am
Suitable for: 4-6 year olds
Cost: Standard – £5; Concession – FREE
The Hainault Forest Rangers need help! A storm has scared their forest friends into hiding and they need help to find them again. Can you find them by tracking their footsteps?
Forest Explorers: Animal Tracking
Location: Hainault Forest
Time: 10.15am
Suitable for: 7-11 year olds
Cost: Standard – £5; Concession – FREE
Come and find the tracks and trails that have been left by forest animals. The Hainault Forest Rangers will help you to find what to look for and how to identify tracks. You’ll also make your own footprint cast to take home.
Harmony Heroes Craft
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 11am
Suitable for: All ages
Cost: FREE
Celebrate harmony! Make & decorate a people paper chain inspired by world famous artist Keith Haring. No need to book, just drop in!
Pinocchio
Location: Kenneth More Theatre
Times: 1.30pm & 4.30pm
Suitable for: Families of all ages
Cost: Tickets – £11.50; Family ticket (multiples of 4) – £10 each
Watch as acclaimed puppet director, Steve Tiplady, plays Gepetto and creates a puppet called Pinocchio. This show includes elements of improvisation where the audience will help to guide what happens.
Over the Rainbow Craft
Location: Wanstead Library
Time: 2pm
Suitable for: Ages 5+
Cost: FREE
Join Wanstead Library to make your own rainbow suncatcher to hang in your window at home! No need to book, just drop in!
Have Fun With Numbers
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 2pm-4pm
Suitable for: ages 7+
Cost: FREE
This free session is designed to help build children’s confidence with numbers and sums through numeracy puzzles, games and crafts. For parents and children over 7.
Friday 17 February
‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ with Cat & Hutch
Location: Goodmayes Library
Time: 11am
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 2.30pm
Suitable for: All ages welcome – recommended for ages 4-7
Cost: FREE
Cat & Hutch bring this wonderful Margery Williams story to life at the library this half term. A toy rabbit wishes to become a real rabbit! A combination of story-telling, games, and nursery magic will bring this story to life. No need to book, just turn up!
Hulla Balloony Moon Time
Location: Redbridge Drama Centre
Time: 11am & 1pm
Suitable for: ages 2+
Cost: Full price – £10; Concession/Child – £8.50
Based on the book ‘Pat-A-Cake Baby’ by Joyce and Polly Dunbar, Long Nose Puppets bring Hulla Balloony Moon Time to the Redbridge Drama Centre. A marvellous moonlit show full of riotous rhyme, zany puppets and spiffy special cake; all iced with music and songs.
Nahla and the 3D Machine
Location: Redbridge Central Library
Time: 2pm
Suitable for: Families with children aged 6+
Cost: FREE
A heart-warming story based on real life. Eight-year-old Nahla jumps into action during the global pandemic and uses her grandma’s 3D printer to try and help with the national shortage of protective equipment but something stops her in her tracks.
Join Nahla as she tells her extraordinary story!
Saturday 18 February
Beauty and the Beast Ballet
Location: Kenneth More Theatre
Time: 1pm & 5pm
Suitable for: Families
Cost: Full price – £18.50; Concession/Child – £16; Family ticket (multiples of 4) – £16 each
Ballet UK presents the timeless story of Beauty and the Beast. Belle must rescue her father when the Beast imprisons him in his castle. While there Belle and the Beast start to learn more about each other but Belle doesn’t realise that the Beast is actually Prince that has been cursed. Will they reveal their feelings before it’s too late?
Do More 