Out of the box half term activities for the whole family

With the nation still in lockdown and parents acting as teachers, the upcoming half term can feel quite daunting. 

But fear not, we've created a list of fun things for you and the kids to enjoy throughout lockdown that hopefully give you a bit of a break too. 

Here are some fun half term activities: 

Complete your own nature trail challenge

Challenge yourself to walk a new route each day over half term and treat yourself with a family movie night at the end the week. 

With spring just around the corner now is the ideal time to make the most of your daily exercise by getting out and about to see what different wildlife you can spot. 

There are plenty of free and printable resources online, with most nature reserves offering activity packs to enjoy as you walk around. 

The RSPB also have a range of resources including a bird spotting guide that can help you track what types of wildlife live in the area.

Not only is this educational but it gets you outside in nature all whilst exercising. 

Make a desk

If your children are constantly working at the kitchen or dining room table and you'd like to get your space back without forking out - why not build a desk? 

Building a desk is much more straightforward than you might have first thought. 

Firstly, building a desk is a great activity for your children to help with, no matter their age, as it gives them a range of important skills. 

From sanding to varnishing and building - this is a great home economics lesson for the family and it can help your kids to get ready for school to start again. 

Secondly, industrial style reclaimed furniture is super trendy right now and it's much cheaper to build a desk than buy one brand new. 

What you'll need: 

- Two scaffold boards cut to size

- Sandpaper

- Gorilla glue to stick the two planks together

- Two short ply wood strips to act as support joints

- Wood wax

- Table legs, these are really affordable and come in lots of designs - hair pin legs cost an average of £30 for four and give you the ultimate scandi vibe. 

There are lots of ">tutorials online and on YouTube that walk you through step by step how to make a reclaimed table or desk - on average this projects costs £40 to £60 for a standard single desk. 

Sign up to the Wild Challenge

The RSPB's Wild Challenge replaces the Wildlife Action Awards - an awards scheme for schools and families which we've been running since 1988.

The Wild Challenge is fully customisable to each child, the purpose of the challenge is to help and experience nature. 

There are three awards - bronze, silver and gold: 

Bronze award: you need to complete six activities, three from Help Nature and three from Experience Nature.

Silver award: you need to complete six further activities, another three from Help Nature and another three from Experience Nature (making a total of 12 activities completed). 

Gold award: you need to complete another six activities, again three more from Help Nature and three more from Experience Nature (making a total of 18 activities completed).

On completion of each level you receive an exclusive Wild Challenge award certificate and sticker sheet. 

Find out more on the RSPB website. 

Have a party for Chinese New Year

School breaks up on Friday, 12 February the same day at Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year.

This colourful and historic holiday is 15 days in length, meaning you can plan and create your party for any day of the half term. 

Don't forget to make the most of the holiday by including it in your home school curriculum. 

Get active with some new outdoor kit

Whether you're an active person or not, there's nothing better than switching up your daily exercise with some new equipment. 

You could invest in a slackline which are around the £30 mark, or some rope and a few carabiners - all relatively affordable on Decathlon - to help with your next tree climbing expedition. 

Luckily in Brighton we are spoilt for choice with nature and getting some new equipment can really help us make the most of it.

Go travelling

We wish we could hop on a plane and travel the world this half-term but the reality is that's just not possible. 

So, some of the world's greatest spots have opened up their doors virtually for us all to enjoy. 

Whether you want to explore Australia's Great Barrier Reef  through their new children's microsite which features lots of games. 

Or, you fancy a drive through South Africa's Thanda Safari - their website has game drive films, stories and more. 

Chester Zoo also has virtual zoo days which have gained more than 17 million viewers so far and Edinburgh Zoo also has live webcams. 

Host your own dinner party

Get creative in the kitchen with your family this half term and reimagine the classic dinner party.

Everybody brings a dish, gets dressed up and you can even decorate your home if you want. 

Pick a theme and give each person or team a dish to cook - starter, main or dessert - they then have to find a recipe and cook it. 

Younger ones need to be supervised so  give them a couple of recipe options to choose from. 

This is a chance to really relax and have some fun - if the meals don't all taste fantastic, then that's part of the fun too. 

If there's anything we've learnt over lockdown it's to embrace the chaos!

If you have any fun suggestions then leave them in the comments below for other families to enjoy.