Let CITV and Enjoy England fill up your half term!

29 September 2011

CITV will be dedicating a whole week of great TV shows during the half term, including Pokémon movies and  Horrid Henry. We've also teamed up with Enjoy England for outdoor ideas in the school break!

With October fast approaching, parents around the UK will be wondering what to do with their little ones for a whole week whilst the schools close for half term.

There’s no need to worry because CITV and Enjoy England have plenty of entertainment to go round. To make sure your kids are entertained for the whole school holiday, CITV will be dedicating a full week of great shows to enjoy and Enjoy England have uncovered 10 great places to visit around the UK. 

Firstly, CITV will be showing a different Pokemon Movie each day at 7.25am. Pokémon: Lucario & The Mystery of Mew, Pokémon Ranger & the Temple of the Sea, Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, Pokémon: Giratina & the Sky Warriors and Pokémon: Arceus & the Jewel of Life will mean there’s more little Japanese monsters than you can ‘Pokemon’ a stick at!

The channel will also be hosting a Purple Hand Gang Takeover, a whole week with back to back episodes of Horrid Henry until 6pm! Mischievous Henry will be playing practical jokes and getting in to trouble every day from 24th to 28th October.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

Also in the school holiday, CITV will announcing the winners of their Share A Story competition! Eight lucky children have had their stories turned into actual cartoons which will be shown on the channel. There’ll also be exclusive behind the scenes programmes where you will get to see how the stories went from drawings to animations. 

You can tune into CITV everyday on Freeview channel 75. For more information, vist http://www.freeview.co.uk/Channels/Children-s/CITV

Freeview have teamed up with Enjoy England to give you some great ideas of what to do this half term. This hand-picked list features something for everyone, up and down the UK! 

1.  Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

A day of horrid history and gory surprises at Warwickshire Castle will sort mischievous teens out! Head down to the Castle Dungeon and learn more about the castle’s murky history. You’ll be welcomed by rotting corpses, chanting monks, torture devices and ‘the labyrinth of lost souls’. Too scary? Try the Dragon Tower instead and dip into the magical world of Merlin, coming face to face with a fire-breathing dragon when you reach the top.

2. Heritage Coast Walk, Durham

Pull on your walking shoes and meander along an 11-mile coastal footpath from sandy Seaham up in the north down to the rugged seaside village of Crimdon. You’ll stumble across wild grasslands, secluded coves, flocks of and dramatic views of the North Sea. And while you soak up the undisturbed nature that simmers all around you, the children can tackle activities sheets that can be downloaded from the Durham Heritage Coast website.

3. A day out in York, Yorkshire

Treat your children to a day of Vikings, cake and terrible ghouls. Start at Jorvik Viking Centre, unravelling the colourful stories of the illusive Nordic horned warriors. You’ll unearth everything from their favourite foods to their weapons of choice in bloody battles. And when we say unearth we mean it, as there are excavation pits where you can dig for Viking treasures. Perfect your Nordic accent over afternoon tea at Bettys, and then as day melts into night join a ghost tour to discover the eerie secrets that haunt York’s cobbled streets.

4. Kensington Museums, London

Experience an earthquake, come face to face with a woolly mammoth and be chauffeured around by a cockroach. Yep, just another day in London’s museum quarter. The Natural History Museum’s majestic animal and dinosaur displays and the Science Museum’s six floors of futuristic exhibitions (complete with cockroach tour guides on the weekend) will keep the kids oohing and aahing all day. Meanwhile, aspiring Vivienne Westwoods will never want to leave the Victoria and Albert Museum.

5. Fossil hunting, Dorset

Spend a day hunting for fossils at a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Charmouth beach is one of the best places to find ancient relics nestled in the shingle and along the tide line. It might take a while but if you’re persistent, stop for tea breaks, stick to a particular area and are prepared to get a little messy pouncing along on the seabed (what kid isn’t?) you’re likely to unearth Iron Pyrites (Fools Gold), spiral-shaped Ammonites, crinoid fossils and maybe even reptile teeth. 

6. Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Lancashire

For a day of all-out fun and fooling around head to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and explore the brand new Nickelodeon Land with 12 cartoon-themed rides. Jump aboard SpongeBob’s Splash Bash to blast hovering jellyfish with on-board water cannons and join Dora the Explorer on her World Voyage. If you prefer more traditional rollercoaster rides, there’s always the iconic Big Dipper with its five daunting drops. Best save the candyfloss and ice cream for afterwards.

7. Cheddar Gorge Caves, Somerset

Journey deep into ancient caves at Cheddar Gorge, where the earliest human remains in Britain were found. The caves, coated in icicle–shaped stalactites and stalagmites, are yellow-tinged mystical wonderlands created by an underground river system and have acted as shelter for humans for thousands of years. If the eerie caves somehow fail to fascinate or scare the children silly, there’s always The Crystal Quest to ‘overcome the forces of darkness’ and a three-mile cliff-top walk that gives you unbeatable views of the luscious green countryside – the perfect spot for a picnic.

8.  Surfing lesson, Cornwall

Slip into a wet suit and learn how to rule the waves – or at least stand up on a surf board – with a family surfing lesson. Bluewings Surf School in Newquay offers lessons for all levels so don’t worry if you can’t tell a board’s tail from its nose. The Bluewingers will get you to grips with the fundamentals in no time, and before you know it you’ll have coolly shrugged off your first ever wipe-out.

9. Livingstone Safari Lodge, Kent

Go on an overnight safari in deepest, darkest Kent. We’re not lying. The 600-acre Port Lympne Wild Animal Park has been turned into a mini-Africa and is home to more than 1,000 exotic animals roaming free. You’ll wave hello to buffaloes, giraffes and even elephants and then stop off at the safari tent where you’ll be surrounded by the growls and roars of lions and tigers. Don’t worry, there’s a secure enclosure for the big cats, even if some children wish there wasn’t.

10.  North Wiltshire Rivers Route, Wiltshire

Explore ancient North Wiltshire with a bike ride along the North Wiltshire Rivers Route. There are plenty of intriguing sights to stop off at such as Lacock Abbey – which appeared in the Harry Potter films – the magical Cherhill White Horse and the strange Neolithic stone circles in Avebury, said to be used for ritual purposes. So while the children have a Gruffalo moment chanting and marching in circles you can muse over the megalithic monuments in awe and possibly confusion.

For more action-packed adventures, fun ideas and money-saving days out, visit http://www.enjoyengland.com .