Sports Calendar

13 Go wild in the city Pack a sleeping bag for a Midnight Ramble at Kew Gardens. The evening kicks off with a torch-lit search for badgers, bats and owls, then there’s a plant hunt in the conservatory, marshmallow-toasting on the campfire and bedtime stories beneath giant flowers. Ages 8-11, with adults; kew.org.uk

14 Dig it One of Britain’s most popular theme parks, Diggerland gets adults and children alike behind the controls of full-sized dumper trucks, or zooming 8½ ton JCBs around muddy assault courses. The terrifying pièce de résistanceis being spun around in a dumper truck’s bucket. Parks in Kent, Devon, West Yorkshire and Durham; diggerland.com

15 Baby loves to dance Junior groovesters can do no better than get down to Baby Loves Disco for a bit of day-clubbing. Hot tunes are spun at levels friendly to junior eardrums, and parents can rediscover their old disco moves without fear of ridicule. Ages 7 and under, plus their progenitors, in London and Manchester; babylovesdisco.co.uk

16 Go to chocolate heaven At the luscious Notting Hill chocolate emporium Melt, a weekly Children’s Hour teaches youngsters about the science, geography, art and cooking of the brown stuff. Participants also paint moulds with molten chocolate and make and decorate a lollipop to take home. Every Wednesday and Saturday; meltchocolates.com

17 Get out If the kids have cabin fever, the 202 hectares of parkland in Pembrey Country Park, Carmarthenshire, and the seven miles of adjoining beach at Cefn Sidan are the places to go. Activities include a dry ski slope, a toboggan run, an adventure playground, a miniature railway and riding, but you’ll probably just end up building sandcastles on one of Wales’s loneliest and cleanest beaches. 01554 833913

18 Get creative The Little Experience sells creative kits for boys and girls to while away a rainy afternoon. So, if you fancy making a rag doll or rocket, this is where to go. If your budget is tight, you’ll find ideas for making things with what you have at home. the-little-experience.com

19 Grow You get dirty and you get to eat – no wonder children love gardening. Get them outdoors growing tomatoes, avocados from pips or, for a really quick indoor result, cress and nasturtiums.

20 Start gluing Papier-mâché appeals to all ages. Mix up strips of torn newspaper with wallpaper paste (purists do it with flour, water and sugar), then apply to clingfilm-covered bowls, cups and so on. Paint when dry.

Times recommends

• The Boxing Day tsunami: five years on
• What took place in 2010...
• Can you really cure a hangover?