IT IS half-term next week and while families cannot enjoy many of the usual activities because of lockdown restrictions, there are still plenty of ways to have fun during the school break.

Hampshire County Council has come up with suggestions for families to enjoy this half-term at home, from getting creative with beeswax to breaking free from a virtual escape room.

Councillor Roz Chadd, the county council’s executive member for education and skills, said: “Under the current national restrictions we’re all having to spend much more time indoors, and we know parents and carers will be looking ahead to the half-term holiday next week and thinking about how to keep the family entertained.

“That’s why we’re sharing a host of creative ideas for some ‘homespun’ fun, from transforming the sitting room into a cinema or den, to playing a good old-fashioned board game and baking treats for an indoor picnic.

“Hampshire County Council also has plenty of challenging and exciting activities on offer, which are guaranteed to while away the hours and help families relax and enjoy a well-earned break from remote learning.”

Here are some activities suggested by Hampshire County Council:

• Hampshire Outdoor Centres may be closed, but families with children aged 5+ can still download the Hampshire Outdoor Centre Home Activity Pack, with 10 challenges to try at home, such as sock archery, orienteering, and making your own sailing boat. Download it here. 

• Get family and friends together to discover clues and solve virtual puzzles, to break free from Hampshire Libraries’ The Wrong Door, a virtual escape room. The challenge is suitable for children aged 12+, takes roughly two hours to complete and is best for 2-6 players. Find out more.

• Children can get cosy with Hampshire Libraries’ Winter Reading Challenge, and read or listen to any four books by Saturday 27 February. This can include books read or listened to together with friends or family, bedtime stories, non-fiction books, ebooks and audiobooks. Find out more and sign up online.

• Have fun while being kinder to the environment, by making your own reusable and compostable beeswax wraps to use instead of cling film. Hampshire Countryside Service’s instructional video will show you how, with ranger and beekeeper Jean. Find the instructions here.

• connect4communities has funded a wide range of local voluntary, community and charity organisations to provide February half-term activity sessions, with a meal, free of charge for vulnerable children. More information about these schemes, and other welfare support available locally, can be found by searching the connect4communities online directory on the Family Information and Services Hub.