Family activities

Eating Creepy Crawlies

Not many children could be persuaded to trade their Coco Pops for a cockroach, but here you can learn where in the world crunching on creepy crawlies is the norm. Probably not in a kosher kitchen near you.

Until December 14, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2. Information on 0113 2243732

Rapunzel And The Tower Of Doom

Enjoy this traditional tale of the girl with the endless ponytail. This enchanting show includes innovative puppets and an original soundtrack.

Until November 8, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King St, London W6. Box Office: 0871 221 1729

 

After School Art

A priceless (literally) and fantastic opportunity to introduce your children to the world of art. Your budding Turner Prize-winner will be shown how to decipher the current exhibition, then be encouraged to show off their own artistic and literary skills.

Tuesdays until December 9. Ben Uri Gallery, 108a Boundary Road, St John's Wood NW8. For more information call 020 7604 3991

 

Red Fortress

Three young friends get caught up in a holy war in 15th-century Spain as the Catholic armies battle to take the last bastion of the once-mighty Moorish forces, with the Jewish community of Grenada caught in the middle. UK premiere of Carl Miller's drama for ages 10-16.

October 18-November 8, Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, London SE1. Tickets on 020 7645 0560

 

Art Trolley at Tate Britain

The Art Trolley offers fresh ideas to help children get the most out of looking at art in the free Tate Collection displays. It is packed with activities and materials for kids to take away into the galleries.

Every Saturday and Sunday 11-5pm, Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. For information, visit www.tate.org.uk

 

Enjoy-A-Ball

Have a ball with the ongoing coaching programme across North London, packed with basketball, hockey, football, touch rugby, netball and golf. Party games, arts and craft, parachute games and giant snakes and ladders are also up for grabs.

Mon-Fri 1.30pm-6.30pm, centres in Hampstead, Finchley, Mill Hill. For more information visit www.enjoy-a-ball.com

Thackray Museum

For all those budding Jewish doctors, experience life as a patient in the Victorian slums of 1840, where you will be flabbergasted at the incredible lotions and potions once offered as cures. In ‘Pain, Pus and Blood', experience surgery without anaesthetics, and in ‘Having a Baby' see how childbirth has become safer. Finally, in ‘Life Zone!' enter a giant model gut and explore the human body.

Daily, Thackray Museum, near St James's Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9. For information visit www.thackraymuseum.

 

Peregrine Falcons at Tate Modern

It's not just art at London's Tate Modern. The gallery is also home to a pair of falcons who nest most years in the converted power station's huge chimney. The birds are back this summer. Check them out with the help of RSPB members who will be on hand to supply telescopes and information about the nesting habits of these part-time city dwellers.

Daily from midday-7pm, Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1. 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk

Hats Off at Manchester's Jewish Museum
A collection of headgear from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Afro-Caribbean communities which collectively make up the Cheetham Hill of Manchester will be on display at the museum. This exhibition is one way that people can easily see the similarities between the faiths and cultures while exploring their differences as well.

Open daily, Manchester Jewish Museum, 190 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M8, for more information visit www.manchesterjewishmuseum.com

 

Horrible Histories at the Manchester Imperial War Museum
Discover, smell, hear and explore the tales and experiences of the war in this free exhibition based on Frightful First World War, one of the popular books in the Horrible Histories series.

Until January 2009, The Imperial War Museum, The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road. Manchester M17, for more information visit www.iwm.org.uk