Our Guide to Fun this Summer
As we have done for half term holidays this year we have brought together as many different suggestions we could find to help you keep your sanity this summer.
Indoor Fun
The weather, as we know, in England can be unpredictable so below we have some suggestions for places you can visit inside, but still get your kids out of the house.
Museums in Brighton and Hove
We are lucky in Brighton and Hove to have a number of museums of different kinds.
First we have the council owned and run museums.
Brighton Museum, Hove Museum, Booth Museum, are free to enter and have many different events that you and your family might have fun attending.
Other Council owned and run properties that are worth a visit are Preston Manor, Blatchington Windmill, Foredown Tower, and the Royal Pavilion.
Preston Manor and the Royal Pavilion offer discounted adult entrance fees to Brighton and Hove Residents when shown a proof of address that will allow you to bring a number of accompanying children in for free.
Foredown Tower is not only set in a beautiful location, it is also a centre of education in the subjects of nature and astronomy. With paid entry you also get to view the Camera Obscura which is one of only two located here in the Southeast of England.
To find out more about these various council run places, visit their website.
Old Police Cells Museum - When Brighton Town Hall was built in 1830 the town's first police station was in the basement. This police station was in use from 1830 until 1967 when Brighton police became part of the Sussex police force. In order to visit this piece of interesting Brighton history you must book a place by ringing Brighton Town Hall Reception on 01273 291 052. Entry is free, donations are welcome.
The Brighton Fishing Museum - Most of us has passed this museum when walking along the seafront, but when was the last time you visited it? The history of fishing in Brighton is brought to life through all the pictures and exhibits it contains. Entry is free, but donations are welcome.
Other Museums in the area are listed below:
Brighton Toy and Model Museum - There is an entry fee to this museum.
Stanmer Rural Museum - Entry is free
Mechanical Memories Amusement Museum - Entry is free
Swimming
As those of you that get our monthly e-newsletters know, swimming for under 16's is free at the following Brighton and Hove Council swimming pools.
|
King Alfred Leisure Centre Kingsway, Hove 01273 290290 http://www.kingalfredleisure.co.uk/ |
Prince Regent Swimming Complex |
St Luke's Community Pool |
Just take your child and their original birth certificate to your chosen pool and fill out the form. A picture will be taken of your child for a membership card that you must take with you every time you take your child to go swimming.
Free swimming is available in the following sessions:
- All general swimming
- Lane swimming
- Family and Fun sessions
- Women Only sessions (may be subject to restrictions)
Brighton Libraries
As parents we all crave a bit of peace and quiet from time to time. Why not drop by your local library and help your kids sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge 2009? This year it is called Quest Finders and also comes with its own website.
Check out the Brighton Libraries website to see what events they have coming up at your local library over the summer.
Outside Fun
We heard months ago that this summer was supposed to be a hot one, though it appears that no one told that to the sun yet.
We are lucky here in Brighton and Hove, because we have both the beach and the downs to go to when the weather nice. Here are our suggestions of fun outdoor things to do in the coming weeks.
Parks
There are lots of parks and green spaces in Brighton and Hove, in fact there are over 100. We have looked and there doesn't appear to be a definitive list of all of them. You can click here to access a list of the main parks.
Why not take the kids to a park you haven't gone to before? Sometimes going to a new park can break the week up and with some many different parks all with different equipment you might find a new favourite park to go to.
Play Projects in Brighton and Hove
Entertainments in the Park
This popular series of free events will begin on Monday the 27th of July and will run every week day from 11am to 3pm for the next four weeks at Hove Lawns, Preston Park, Hove Park, East Hill Park, and Queens Park. Aimed at providing fun for under 12's, each of the four weeks has a different theme.
Week 1 - Nature's Play Paradise
Week 2 - Playing for Health
Week 3 - Enchanting Environments
Week 4 - Brighton's Got Talent
All Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
The Brighton and Hove Mobile Play Project (Play Bus)
This summer the Play Bus will be spending mornings at the various Children's Centres around the city offering fun activities aimed at families with children under 5 from 10am to 12pm.
In the afternoons from 2:30pm to 5pm the Play Bus will be at various parks and Open Spaces around the city for all children and their families.
All Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Click here for more information on Play Projects here in Brighton and Hove and the schedule of when and where you and your family can join in the fun.
Walks
We all know that walking is good for your health, as well as a good way to tire out the children so that you can get other things done once in awhile.
Click the links below to see some of the various organised walks there are in our city.
Events in and around Brighton and Hove
We have been busy looking around to try to provide details on as many various Events (most of them free) that will be taking place this summer in our city.
We will be adding more as the summer goes on so keep a regular eye on our Event Calendar to find out what is going on for the next 6 weeks.
Do you know about something we haven't mentioned?
Either email your suggestions to info@bhparentsforum.org or click here to use our discussion forum thread.
