WEEKLY UPDATE: 16th – 22nd February | Half Term Days Out, Horrible Science & Pancake Fun
- Mar 4
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 9
February half term always feels a little busier than a normal week, and this one was packed with family days out, museums, theatre trips and a slightly chaotic pancake evening. From space toilets and spy missions to free kids’ meals and Pokémon surprises, this weekly update is definitely full of memories.
Here’s everything we got up to during our week of 16th – 22nd February.
Editing & Half Term Begins 🎬
On Monday, I started the week as I usually do — editing the weekly vlog. As always, it took most of the day, but I love getting it finished and uploaded before the new week properly gets going.
With it being February half term, the kids were off school all week, so I knew we had a busy few days ahead.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos 🚀
On Tuesday, which was Lawrence’s day off work, we headed to the Science and Industry Museum Manchester to visit the brand-new Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos exhibition.
We paid £32 for a family ticket and booked for 1:45pm, spending just over an hour exploring. The exhibition is an interactive space adventure inspired by the BBC Horrible Science series, and there was so much to see and do.
The kids:
Dressed up as astronauts (Alice absolutely loved this part)
Took a selfie on a real space toilet
Touched a real piece of the Moon
Learned how astronauts eat, sleep and even go to the loo in space
Tested their strength on different planets
Answered Dr Big Brain’s quiz
There was so much for the kids to get involved with, from hands-on activities to interactive challenges, and it kept them completely engaged the whole way round.
At the end, there’s a little gift shop. Alice chose a robot arm and Leo picked a small Earth plush — both £6.99.
Afterwards, we hopped on the free bus outside the museum, got off at Piccadilly Gardens and walked to the Arndale food court to get some dinner. The kids had Happy Meals from McDonald’s, and Lawrence and I grabbed a KFC.
We had planned to make pancakes that evening for Pancake Day, but by the time we got home we were all exhausted after such a busy day.
Spies, Beefeater Chaos & Pancakes (A Day Late!) 🕵️🥞
On Wednesday, Lawrence was doing a short shift, so once he got home we got the tram to MediaCity and visited the Spies, Lies and Deception exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North.
Alice had the best time dressing up as a spy and sneaking around looking for clues. While it’s not a fully hands-on exhibition, there were enough engaging elements to keep her interested, and we spent about an hour exploring.
👉 You can read my full review HERE
Afterwards, we walked to Quay House Beefeater for dinner — and completely messed up our order.
Lawrence and I ordered from the saver menu and tried to use our kids-eat-free voucher, but it wouldn’t work with the saver meals. So we reordered from the main menu and used a 40% off mains voucher instead. In the end, we paid only 50p less but got less food because we didn’t get starters. Lawrence was gutted because he’d been looking forward to his starter — lesson learned for next time!
We got home around 4:30pm, had a little rest, and then finally made pancakes at around 6pm — a day late, because we were too tired on Tuesday.
The kids loved flipping the pancakes. Both chose chocolate spread as their topping. Alice added strawberries, and Leo added sprinkles. On their second pancake, they made smiley faces — Alice used banana for the eyes and strawberries for the mouth, with sprinkles for a beard, and Leo made his entirely with sprinkles.
They both said they were delicious. Lawrence and I didn’t have any — we’re not big pancake fans!
Lunch with Grandad 🍽️
On Thursday, Lawrence was working, so the kids and I went out for lunch with my dad. Mum was supposed to come too, but she wasn’t feeling well.
We went to Coppice Wood Farm because the kids love the play area. We arrived around 1pm.
My dad and I had the carvery, and the kids had chicken nuggets, chips and garlic bread, followed by ice cream. Because it was half term, the kids’ meals were free — which was a lovely bonus.
We left around 2:30pm. When we got home, the kids watched TV for a bit while I did some work on my computer designing notebooks and planners.
A Home Day & Writing Reviews 🏡
Friday was a quieter day at home. The kids played with their toys and watched some TV while I wrote my review for the spy exhibition and did some housework.
It felt nice to slow the pace down slightly after such a busy start to half term.
The Enormous Turnip — Rain, Puppets & The Best Day Ever 🎭🌧️
On Saturday, we were invited to review The Enormous Turnip at Waterside Arts for the 2:30pm performance. Mum was meant to come with us, but she still wasn’t feeling well, so my dad joined us instead.
We got the tram to Sale, which is always such an easy journey — the tram stop is literally just across the road from the theatre, which makes it so convenient when travelling with children. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. It was absolutely torrential rain, and by the time we arrived we were completely drenched!
The first thing we did was head straight to the café to warm up. I got a hot chocolate (which honestly felt like the best decision ever at that moment), and my dad had a cup of tea. Sitting there together, warming up and watching families arrive actually felt like a really lovely, calm start to the afternoon.
And then something unexpected happened before the show had even started.
One of the characters, Raymond Chickweed, came out into the café area playing his accordion and chatting to families, asking if anyone knew where he could buy dog food. Alice absolutely loved this interaction. I could see straight away how much more relaxed she felt. When performers speak to her before a show, it really helps her confidence — she feels included rather than overwhelmed — and it makes such a difference once the performance begins.
Inside the auditorium, Dottie Chickweed was also chatting to audience members, which continued that welcoming, friendly atmosphere.
The show itself is such a joyful retelling of the classic story, full of warmth, humour and imagination. Mr and Mrs Chickweed plant one final seed before retirement… only for it to grow into a turnip so enormous they can’t pull it up alone.
There were some brilliant puppets too — Scruffy the dog, Tiggs the cat, a tiny mouse, a caterpillar and even a singing cauliflower that got big laughs. The audience participation was fantastic, with children encouraged to clap, shout out and join in. At one point, some children were invited on stage to help operate the puppets and try to pull up the turnip.
Alice joined in with everything, which was so lovely to see. When she feels safe and comfortable, she absolutely thrives — and this show created exactly that kind of environment. Leo loved it too, especially the funny moments and the puppets.
But the absolute highlight came after the show.
Outside, the turnip caravan was set up and the children were invited to meet the characters and have a go at using the puppets themselves. For Alice, this was the best part of the day. She loves puppets, and being able to try them properly alongside the performers made her so happy. She declared it “the best day ever,” which honestly says everything.
Leo loved having a turn too and was so proud of himself.
After the show, we walked over to Lawrence’s work, which is nearby, because Alice really wanted to see her daddy at work. While we were there, the kids spotted some Pokémon toys they liked, so I treated them to one each.
When we got home, they played with their Pokémon toys while I made dinner, and we ended the day with a cosy evening watching TV — still talking about the enormous turnip.
👉 You can read my All About Theatre review HERE
👉 You can read my Sarah Monaghan review HERE
A Restful Sunday 💛
On Sunday, we had a rest after such a busy half term week. I spent the day writing up my reviews and creating the social media posts while the kids played with their toys and had a little time on their tablets.
Final Thoughts 💫
This weekly update was definitely a busy one, but full of lovely family moments — interactive science, spy missions, theatre trips, pancakes (even if they were a day late), and simple dinners out together.
Half term weeks are always a bit full-on, but they’re also when we make some of our best memories.
And now… we’re ready for a slightly quieter week ahead!
Watch Our Weekly Vlog 🎥
If you’d like to see everything we got up to this week in real time, you can watch Weekly Vlog #442 — come and join us for our half term days out, museum fun, theatre trips and cosy family moments along the way.
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