With Heidi about to start school in September (boo!), this is the last hurrah of having random time off during the week to do random kiddie stuff. As a result, we went down to one of our favourite places in the world – the Rainbow Factory – for their Summer Holiday sessions, and we went to the Superheroes event.
The events change each week, but the concept is the same for each week. As a result, you could go every week during the school holidays, and have a different experience each time.
The general theme is there is a “warm-up” at 10.45am before the activities start at 11am. Each activity is timetabled for 30 minutes and there is a sequence to the activities so if you have got a clash, you can still do the activities that you want to do.
To get the most out of the day, the best tips are:
Get there for 10.30. It does get busy and you really want to get there for the warm-up
Sign-up to the activities. Once you know what you want to do, sign up to the activities on the sheets provided. They do get filled quickly and so it is a good idea to do that first. However, if you/your child changes their mind, cross off your name so someone else can do the activity!!
Go for the whole day. Even if you just pay for a couple of activities, there are loads of free things to do. Make sure you don’t have to rush off after an hour or so.
The activities are completely different each week, but we did Super Hero and Super Villain training, Controlling the Weather, Creating explosions (both science related) and Marshmallow target practice (which was just firing marshmallows at targets – very fun!).
In reality, we couldn’t have done another activity as the pair of us were tired. However, I think if you had an older child, then they could squeeze another activity in. We did the online VIP pass (£13.75), which made it easier at the reception and meant that you didn’t have to ration the activities. It also guaranteed entry, which is also a reassuring thing because it did get busy.
In terms of ages, I wouldn’t want to take a child under 3 to be honest. It would probably be a bit too much for them, and the top end would probably be about 10 years old. There were loads of 6 to 8 year olds, and the activities are best aimed for them.
When people ask me what the Rainbow Factory is, it is very difficult to describe, because everything is totally different. However, it is teaching children through play and structured activities so they become more creative and confident. However, none of this would be possible without the excellent staff there – always happy (at least on the outside!), always willing to help and always wanting to interact on your child’s level. They help the shy children come out of their shell and they interact with the uber- confident children. They are the stars of the show, and they put their heart and soul into every single thing they do for the children and it shows.
The Summer Holiday sessions are running until 1st September during the weekdays. There is a different theme each week, so there is no excuse not to pop down!!
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