I recently put a plea out on “Louise nhm Smith“, asking if anyone has any suggestions of posts they would like me to investigate.
Wendy came back with some great suggestions. One of her suggestions was for me to do some more research on places, other than soft play, to go on a weekend when its raining.
Great suggestions for a post, so thank you Wendy and here are my suggestions. Hope they are useful!
22 things to do with an under 7 year old in North Hampshire when it’s raining
1. Libraries
Libraries are a great place to take your little one when it’s raining. They nearly always have an area that is dedicated to children. They also have some fantastic services available. Did you know that it isn’t mandatory for your child to pay late fee’s on their books (I pay anyway, as I love my local library and if we don’t support them, then they could easily be shut down).
These are some previous posts that have featured on NHM about libraries in the area and the services they offer:
Below is a list of Libraries in the North Hampshire area:
- Aldershot Library
- Alresford Library
- Alton Library
- Andover Library
- Basingstoke Discovery Centre – Open on Sundays!!!
- Chineham Library
- Farnborough Library
- Fleet Library
- Kingsclere Library
- North Baddesley Community Library
- Odiham Bridewell
- South Ham Library
- Tadley Library
- Whitchurch Library
2. Local Museums
Our local museums do lots of events for children.
3. Kids Cinema
Saturday Morning Cinema Club – Odeon or Vue
- Cheap tickets for children and adults go free.
- For Odeon – recommend joining their premier club as it allows you to collect points and use them to pay for tickets or food.
- Don’t forget to check out the Newbie session if you have a baby.
4. Places to Go
Lots of places close down for the Winter season so it can be hard to know what’s still open. These are the places that I know that are still open over Winter:
Intech Science Centre in Winchester
The Living Rainforest, nr Newbury, Berkshire (keep your receipt as it’s valid for a year)
This is a list of all of the places that I’ve Reviewed since NHM began, including lots of places that are free to visit.
5. Coffee Shops
There are lots of coffee shops in the area who are particularly welcoming of children. Check out the post below with a list of local cafe’s:
Reasonably Priced Afternoon Tea’s
I particularly like the Little Roses Coffee shop and The Parlour Tea rooms, who go out of their way to make children welcome.
6. Swimming
We are very lucky to have so many swimming pools in the area. I’ve been meaning to do a post about local swimming pools for AGES. I published a post in the very early days but it didn’t have the links in. I really should get that sorted and published again!
This is a list of swimming pools in the area:
- Basingstoke Aquadrome
- Queen Marys College Swimming Pool
- The Sports Centre swimming pool
- Tadley Swimming Pool
These posts may also be useful:
Swimming Pools in North Hampshire suitable for Babies and Children
8. Covered Shopping
If your lucky enough that your children can be restrained in a pushchair, you can’t beat wondering around a shopping centre, window shopping and people watching.
Mothercare, Hatch Warren – they have baby changing facilities and it’s great to let your children have a look at all the toys. Honest.
The Oracle at Reading
Ikea at Southampton or Reading – excellent breastfeeding room and great free creche for your over 3’s.
Marks and Spencers Camberley
9. Puddle Jumping!
Wrap everyone up in their waterproofs and go splashing in the puddles. This works for pushchairs too, but I recommend making sure the rain cover is on ;-).
Miss NHM has been puddle jumping since she could walk and it’s by far one of her favourite activities. Even without her welly boots on. Grr :-D.
10. Pots2Paint – Viables Craft Centre
I love Pots2Paint and it’s great fun to work with the team to create presents that are going to be treasured.
11. Breakfast with Children
Also check out the posts listed below for posts that have been published on NHM that you may find useful:
10 Places to Breakfast “out” with Children in North Hampshire
12. Games you can play with your little ones
Other Suggestions
13. Airkix Indoor Skdyiving – 4 years and upwards apparently!
14. Hobbycraft – do free pre schooler classes during term time, but I can’t see anything on their site that shows this. Maybe it’s school holidays only?
15. Bowling – we took Miss NHM Bowling on her 2nd birthday and she loved it!
16. Ice Skating . Try the Ice Tots class first if you are nervous about taking your little ones out on the ice.
17. Pets At Home, Tadley Pet Supplies or the Aquatics shop at Wyevale Garden Centre.
18. Trampolining at the Active Life Centre and JumpFactory.
19. Show your children some of the military history of this country. You could try the Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport, the Army Flying Museum near Andover or the Gurka Museum in Winchester.
20. Take your child on a steam train. The Watercress Line isn’t far away and is a brilliant experience.
21. Visit an Aquarium. I think the nearest ones to Basingstoke are the Blue Reef Aquarium in Portsmouth or the London Aquarium. Or you could take your children along to one of the local fish shops.
22. Take your child to the theatre. The Anvil and The Haymarket have regular children’s performances.
23. Nature Detectives – great for inspiring the family!
Do you have any suggestions that should be added to this list?
Related Posts
8 Cheap or Free Rainy Day Activities in Basingstoke
5 Places for Sunday lunch, with Children, in North Hampshire
8 “Cheap” Restaurants in Basingstoke (Meal for 2 for under £15)
9 Foody Places to go as a group of Mums with babies/toddlers
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