Top Tips for Keeping the Kids On-Side this January

Family

January 2024

Reading time 4 Minutes

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It's not just adults that find the long nights and cold days tough going

Keep spirits high and the whole family active with these ideas for January.

Winter Thrills

You don’t have to book a flight to enjoy the rush of the slopes this winter.

Sunderland Snow Sports Centre

Silksworth Sports Complex, Silksworth Lane SR3 1PD
0191 528 5101
everyoneactive.com
The artificial slopes at Sunderland’s Snow Sports Centre offer skiing and snowboarding for children (and adults) of all abilities. A great introduction to snow sports, their lessons are suitable for kids from ages four upwards.

Whickham Thorns Activity Centre

Market Lane, Gateshead NE11 9NX
whickhamthorns.co.uk
Among the many activities on offer at Whickham Thorns are sledging, snow tubing and beginners ski classes. We recommend booking one of their half-hour snow tubing sessions (speeding down a slope in a big donut for the uninitiated) for unparalleled family fun.

Snozone Yorkshire

Xscape Centre, Colorado Way, Glasshoughton, Castleford WF10 4TA
sonozoneuk.com
For skiing, snowboarding and even family sledging sessions on real snow, you can’t beat the indoor slopes at Snozone Yorkshire. If you want to take things a bit more seriously or you have an upcoming holiday to prepare for, their lessons are suitable for children from three upwards.

Snowtubing Halifax

The Sportsman Inn, Bradford Old Road HX3 6UG
ridehalifax.co.uk
If you aren’t yet familiar, snowtubing involves speeding down a slope in a inflatable donut with a hard base, and it is incredibly good fun. At Snowtubing Halifax (a subsidiary of Halifax Ski & Snowbaord Centre), the whole family is welcome to book onto one of the 45-minute open sessions on their dry slope. The best part? These slopes are open all year round.

Stars in their Eyes

Why not embrace the long nights by getting kids interested in what they might see better once the sun goes down?

Moonlight will be lowest between the 9th and 11th of January 2024, making these dates the best time for stargazing. Head here for more information on the best spots in the North East and Yorkshire.

Young Explorers at Kielder Observatory
Between January and April, Kielder Observatory are running weekly events for kids to discover the stars using their fantastic equipment. Every Saturday afternoon at 4.30pm (or 5pm in April), Kielder Observatory will be holding their Young Explorers Events. Kids will have the chance to learn about astronomy and the night sky using Kielder’s amazing equipment, including their robotic telescopes. To book, find additional dates and discover even more family-friendly events, visit kielderobservatory.org.

Both children and their adults will be well-rewarded for braving the cold at one of Astro Dog’s Dalby Forest stargazing events. Their experienced astronomers will teach you how to navigate the night sky using their large-aperture telescopes or take you on a journey through the solar system in their 360 degree planetarium dome. Events run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 11th January and tickets are £25 for adults and £20 for children. Head to their website to book and find out more.
Astro Dog
Dalby Forest Courtyard, Pickering Y0187LT
astro-dog.co.uk