If I had the time ...

Things to do with your family this week

It's the year of the pig

Over the years, I've discovered that children, crowds and fire-crackers don't necessarily mix but even if, like us, you opt out of the big city-centre Chinese New Year celebrations that are happening around the UK this weekend there are still plenty of places where families can welcome the year of the pig.

At the V&A in London today and tomorrow, children can make Chinese masks and head-dresses, and watch lion dancing and kung-fu demonstrations. Tomorrow and next Sunday, London's Museum in Docklands (0870 4443857) marks the occasion with storytelling, workshops and films.

In Bath, at the Museum of East Asian Art (01225 464640) it is free to get in all weekend and there's a Welcome to China exhibition plus a Pig Out! treasure hunt. Manchester, though, gets the best of both worlds. If you find the Chinatown celebrations a bit overwhelming, you can just pop into Manchester Art Gallery (0161-235 8888) where family activities include face-painting and drawing plus Chinese dancing and opera.
Nikki Spencer

Other city celebrations include:
Liverpool www.visitliverpool.com
Newcastle www.newcastle.gov.uk
and Southampton www.southampton.gov.uk

Go to the Wall

If your children are anything like mine, the obsession with the Romans usually begins at about the age of seven when the subject is introduced at school. From then on, they will astound you with the knowledge and facts their young minds soak up. Then the pestering begins in their quest to find out more.

For the truly Roman-obsessed, nothing beats Hadrian's Wall. Next week (half term for some), at Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields you can become archaeologists at the Time Quest dig. You can excavate real Roman artefacts on the reconstructed excavation site. There's also the opportunity to build a Roman-style working catapult. Over the river, at Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend, you can also meet Jefficus the Roman soldier and hear of his life on Hadrian's Wall.
Natalie Trainor

www.hadrians-wall.org 01434 322002