Top 3 half term events: Dunham Massey, Manchester Museum & Wheelers at Longford Park

Brighten up your half term with a teddy bears picnic at Dunham Massey, £2 cycling fun at Longford Park and the chance to meet some rather special moths at Manchester Museum.

1. Dunham Massey – Messy sessions and a teddybear’s picnic with puppets
National Trust’s Dunham Massey park and house has a bumper helping of fun for all the family this half term. First up, its an Extra Messy week from Tuesday to Friday. The Messy sessions are part of the National Trust’s outdoor and active campaign, 50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾. Tuesday’s session (31 May) offers the chance to create a picture using natural materials from the garden with a ‘Wild Art’ session. If that sounds like fun, you could come back on Wednesday (1 Jun) and make your own fat ball bird feeder. On Thursday (2 Jun) it’s time to have a go at barefoot painting, while Friday (3 Jun) is likely to be popular thanks to a ‘Create with Clay’ session. The Teddybears’s Picnic on Saturday (4 Jun) and Sunday (5 Jun, both noon-4pm) includes games, music and a puppet show. All you need to bring is teddy, something to eat and a picnic blanket.
Tue 31 May – Sun 5 Jun, Dunham Massey, WA14 4SJ. Tel: 0161 941 1025
www.nationaltrust.org.uk

2. Marvelous Moths at Manchester Museum
Find out more about these intriguing creatures at Manchester Museum’s Marvelous Moths activities, running every day from 11am-4pm during half term. These sessions are taking place alongside an exhibition called Climate Control which investigates the impact that environmental change has on wildlife. It includes polar bears, Peppered Moths, tropical frogs and many other animals directly affected by human impact on the environment.
Mon 30 May – Fri 3 Jun, Manchester Museum , The University Of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL. Tel: 0161 275 2634, 11am-4pm, FREE, www.museum.manchester.ac.uk

3. Simply Cycling Wheelers sessions at Longford Park
Suitable for all abilities and ages (including grown ups), Simply Cycling’s Wheelers sessions are a feature of Longford Park. They have around three sessions each week, half term or not, and these are Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. The bikes come in all shapes and sizes with various wheel numbers meaning that they can be ridden by almost anyone.
Fri 3 & Sun 5 Jun (and weekly), Longford Park Athletic Stadium, Ryebank Road, Stretford, M21 9TA. Enquires: 07871 621778, Fri 9.30am-noon, Sun 1-3pm, £2 per person, www.simply-cycling.org