There’s plenty to keep all the family busy in the February half term holiday in and around Birmingham.
There are magic shows in Birmingham, a floating laboratory in the Black Country and a chance to go globe-trotting in Coventry.
You can delve deep into the ancient oceans at the Sea Life Centre, explore the wonders of the Staffordshire Hoard at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and dig for dinosaurs at West Midland Safari Park.
Find out about women in the war at the Black Country Living Museum, make your own robotic pet at the Transport Museum or learn how to ski in a day at Ackers Adventure.
Normal admission fees apply. Always check timings beforehand to avoid disappointment.
Treasure hunting at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Treasure hunters can enjoy a chance to discover more about the Staffordshire Hoard at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour on February 18 from 11am to 12.15pm.
Visitors will see the exhibition under the expert eye of one of the curators who will reveal more about this fascinating find then the group will head into the Conservation Studios where the conservation team will be on hand to demonstrate how they are conserving the Hoard.
Pre-booking is essential for this fundraising tour, which costs £20 per person.
The Staffordshire Hoard at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Delve deep in to the Ancient Oceans at The National Sea Life Centre Birmingham
Families are invited to experience a fun-filled Ancient Oceans event at The National Sea Life Centre Birmingham as part of its 20th anniversary year.
There will be a range of activities, workshops and talks taking place from February 13 to 21, and Dr Dug will be on hand to oversee archaeological digs.
Visitors will also get the opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of the oceans and the evolution of the mesmerising sea creatures, some of which have been around for over 200 million years, such as sharks, jellyfish and turtles.
Sharks at the National Sea Life Centre
Black Country Voyages in Birmingham
Join Ikon at Brewmaster Bridge in Brindleyplace to celebrate Black Country Voyages 2015 with free drop in family workshops on February 20 and 21 from 10am to 4pm.
Explore the boat and artwork produced during this year of travelling the Black Country canals.
No need to book, stay as long as you like.
The Lost Things at the mac
A boy falls and finds himself in a world of lost things: car keys, wedding rings, dads, and a mysterious girl who is building an amazing machine.
Performed in a unique dome structure, The Lost Things is about losing things and finding things you didn’t even know you were looking for. This is a dark fairytale set in a fantastical world, where nothing is quite as it seems.
Created by award-winning theatre company, Tortoise in a Nutshell and writer Oliver Emanuel, this show runs from February 18 to 20 at 11.30am and 2.30pm at the mac and is suitable for children aged 8+.
Tickets cost £10 (£8) and a family ticket costs £28.
Art Explorer Friday at Ikon Gallery
Join Ikon during half term for a free family-friendly Art Explorer Day.
Drop in, collect a bag and take a special trail around the exhibitions with Ikon’s learning team. No need to book, stay as long as you like.
Art Explorer Friday at Ikon Gallery
Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty at Birmingham Hippodrome
A Gothic romance for all ages, Sir Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty has smashed box office records across the UK and the USA since its premiere and is back at Birmingham Hippodrome by popular demand.
In a world full of magic, fairies, vampires, love and romance, all bought to life by New Adventures’ uniquely talented dancers, will Princess Aurora ever find her true love again?
The show runs from February 9 to 13. Tickets start at £19.50.
Sleeping Beauty by Matthew Bourne
Explorers Week at West Midland Safari Park
There’s lots of fun to be had in the Land of the Living Dinosaurs at West Midland Safari Park during half term week.
Children can help Livingstone the Explorer find the missing dinosaur by meeting at Base Camp, collecting their Dinosaur Explorer Log Book then testing their explorer skills with activities such as digging fossils and identifying footprints. Each completed trail will win a prize.
There will be extra talks with the Twilight Cave Feeds at 2pm and 4pm, a Dinosaur Explorer Craft Club and special appearances throughout the day from Livingstone the Explorer and his lemur friend Stanley.
And this is on top of all the regular fun.
Digging for dinos at West Midland Safari Park
MiC LAB: Bristle bugs at Coventry Transport Museum
Have fun making your own tiny motorised creatures called bristle bugs (a bit like Hexbugs) at Coventry Transport Museum.
Let them loose in the workshop to make fantastic artwork.
This drop in event costs £3 and runs from 10.30am to 4pm from February 13 to 21.
Morgan and West’s Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show at the mac
Time-travelling Victorian magic duo Morgan and West unload another boxful of bafflement and impossibility at the mac at 2.30pm on Sunday, February 21.
Witness a “mountain of mysterious magic, a hatful of hyper-reality, and of course a truck full of tricks and tea” in this show for kids and “childish grown-ups”.
Mixing brain-busting illusion and good old fashioned tom-foolery, Morgan and West present a show for all the family, where magic and silliness abound!
Fun for ages 5 to 105, tickets cost £10 (£8).
Morgan and Wests Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show at the mac
Go ‘Beyond the Petticoat’ at the Black Country Living Museum
Find out about the incredible history of women workers this half term at Black Country Living Museum’s one off event Anvils and Petticoats.
Step back in time to the turn of the century – a time of serious social upheaval for women – and meet a Black Country lady chainmaker fighting for equality.
Visitors will be able to “meet a munitionette” and learn all about a 700,000-strong female army who supported the war effort.
Hear about how these women took on the mammoth task of supplying 80 per cent of the munitions for WW1, risking explosions
and poisoning in the process.
Families will also be able to get hands on with themed craft activities.
Runs from February 13 to 21, from 10am to 4pm.
Anvils and Petticoats event at the Black Country Living Museum
The Nutcracker and Swan Lake at Malvern Theatre
Formed in 1981, the Russian State Ballet of Siberia has quickly established itself as one of Russia’s leading ballet companies and has built an international reputation for delivering performances of outstanding quality and unusual depth.
They will be performing The Snow Maiden, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty at Malvern Theatre from February 9 to 13.
Learn to Ski in a Day
Ackers Adventure is offering a Learn to Ski in a Day condensed ski course on February 13, for anybody wishing to learn how to ski quickly.
The course, which takes place from 10am to 4pm, aims to take you from a total beginner (who has never put on a pair of ski boots before) to someone who can ski without the supervision of an instructor.
The course is suitable for adults and juniors (12 years +). Please note that these are physically demanding days so organisers advise having a high level of fitness.
The day costs £95 for adults and £80 for juniors and includes five hours of tuition with a fully qualified, experienced instructor and all equipment.
The ski lift in the snow at Ackers Trust slope
Capturing Spring at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, showcases 100 awe-inspiring images, featuring fascinating animal behaviour and breathtaking wild landscapes.
Dive deep into the oceans, fly amongst the tree tops and journey across sand dunes discovering the variety of life this world has to offer.
Budding artists and photographers have the chance to take part in a drop-in workshop at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum to ensure you have all the tools and techniques you need to capture the onset of spring.
Source: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/