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Parents don’t need reminding that the summer holidays are only at the halfway stage: the evidence is staring you in the face (and getting under your feet!) at every turn. Don’t despair, help is at hand with a handful of kid-friendly events and workshops.
Clash of the Knights is a chain-mailed and adrenalin-fuelled weekend of medieval-themed activities. Feel the heat of the battle at DOVER CASTLE on Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17 as four teams fight with shield and weapons in a genuine contest of skill and strength. Soak up the sights, smells and sounds of medieval encampments as food is cooked on open fires and the past is brought to life as medieval folk go about their daily lives. Enjoy merry music while your budding young knights test their bravery and burn off energy in battle drills. Open both days from 10am to 5pm.
Entry costs £19.30 for adults, £11.60 for children and £50.10 for families. Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk or call 01304 211067.
A free seafront air display will quicken the kids’ heartbeat with exciting airborne antics from a Typhoon fighter plane, Spitfire, Lancaster bomber and Hurricane. HERNE BAY AIR DISPLAY takes place on Sunday, August 17 from noon onwards. Justyn Gorman Aerobatics will put on a crazy show, and the fun isn’t confined to the air. High-energy musicians will play out from the bandstand in Clock Tower Plaza until 7pm, including local faves Rubber Biscuit, and the kids can let their play spill over onto the beach.
Free. Visit www.baypromoteam.co.uk
It’s the perfect opportunity to run around and let off steam – a traditional outdoor sports day event. Races and games will abound at IGHTHAM MOTE, near Borough Green, on Thursday, August 21 from 11am to 3pm. But if working parents can’t make a weekday trip then Ightham Mote is the place to be on Saturday, August 16 too, for den building at a cost of £5 per child for over-sevens.
Entry to the whole property costs £10.40 for adults, £5.20 for children and £26.30 for families. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Children can experience the fun and friendship of singing in a choir at free sessions called SUMMER SINGERS. Aimed at seven to 11-year-olds from the Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Sevenoaks areas, the sessions offer the experience of working together in a choir and are suitable for children with little or no experience of group singing. The workshops, held at Mascalls School, Paddock Wood, run from 10am to 12.30pm on Wednesday, August 20 to Friday, August 22. The final session will be followed by an informal concert for family and friends, starting at 1pm.
Places must be reserved in advance. Email summersingers@kent-music.com or call Penny on 01622 691212.
Animals, egg-painting and a host of practical workshops around rural life will thrill young visitors to the FAMILY COUNTRY LIFE SHOW at Challock, near Ashford, on Sunday, August 17. Taking place at Beech Court Gardens, there will be the chance to see ducks, geese and chickens; learn all about bees; and meet the alpacas and see how to make socks, neck wraps and pullovers from their wool. For parents, the chance to taste Kent’s finest cow and goat cheese, hand-turned butter and homemade lunches and teas will be available from the Oast House Tearoom and should also be a big draw. The show lasts from 11am to 4.30pm.
Tickets cost £5 for adults and £1 for children. Visit www.beechcourtgardens.co.uk or call 01233 740735.
Take a chance to recreate history with the free MYTHS AND LEGENDS children’s workshops at three venues in Medway. Taking inspiration from the 400-year-old plaster ceilings and carved wooden faces at Rochester’s historic Eastgate House, artist Wendy Daws will teach visitors how to create their own mythical design using a clay mould and casting with plaster-of-paris. The workshops are suitable for children aged eight to 12 and are free, but must be booked in advance. There is a maximum of 18 places per workshop, so don’t wait to book. There are sessions on Wednesday, August 20 at 10am at Strood Library and then at the Guildhall Museum in Rochester at 2pm, and on Thursday, August 21 at 2pm in Rochester Library.
For more details call 01634 337799.
If yours are a high-adrenaline bunch then they’ll love the flying monster trucks, fearless BMX riders and screeching tyres of the EXTREME TORQUE SHOW at the Hop Farm Family Park at Paddock Wood. Monster trucks Extreme and Lil’ Devil will battle it out in the Monster Arena to prove they are the best car-crushing monsters in Europe, while over in the Bike Arena, petrol heads will be showcasing incredible tricks including wheelies, burnouts and stoppies. The all-day show is on Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17 from 9am.
Tickets cost £15 for adults and £7 for children. Visit www.thehopfarm.co.uk/events or www.extremeeventseurope.com
Fireman Sam will be appearing to his legion of little fans at a theme park on the Sussex border. Be at DRUSILLAS PARK on Wednesday, August 20 for your chance to catch the animated action hero. Other reasons to visit Drusillas include the recently opened Hello Kitty attraction, which includes three children’s rides and over 100 different animal species in naturalistic environments. Open daily from 10am to 6pm.
Ticket prices vary and cost less online; from £15.50 per person to year-long passes for £59 per person. Visit www.drusillas.co.uk or call 01323 874100.
