The library is held in Alton Maltings Centre and is open on Fridays from 9.30am-12 noon including school holidays (excluding Good Friday and Christmas), and also on the first Friday of every month from 3pm-4.30pm. There is a small annual fee for membership (currently £2), and an even smaller fee for borrowing individual toys (eg 30p, 50p, £1).
Stepping Stones Age Suitability :
From
Birth
To
4 Years
Frequency : Weekly (Term-time)
Once the grandest and most striking house on the Isle of Wight, Appuldurcombe's 18th century baroque elegance is still notable today in the partly restored building. Admire the delightful east front and stroll peaceful through 'Capability' Brown's idyllic ornamental 11 acres of grounds. Treat yourself in our well stocked and attractive souvenir shop. Our Historic Exhibition is over the shop. A perfect place for a picnic. Holiday cottages are also available within the 300 acre estate. An excellent location for family holidays and from which to explore the Island both walking and cycling.
Covering 3 acres, there are aviaries of Owls, Falcons, Hawks, Vultures and Kites. Our displays are the talk of the Island!! Featuring top quality birds, and interesting and informative commentary they last for approximately 40 minutes. New this year, combining with the latest video technology, the birds will fly in the Old Brew House. Starting in the dark with background sound and moonlight, the barn owl will show how it hunts in the dark, and then the daylight will reveal the Kestrel hovering above the downs & hopefully, we will finally have the little owl showing itself and how well it is adapted to its location. The show, at 11am and 1pm will vary each day, and when the weather is good the Eagles, Vultures, Hawks & Falcons will be giving their dramatic flying displays over the sloping downland of the lovely Appuldurcombe Valley. Also new this year, at certain displays, our senior falconer will demonstrate horseback Falconry. Seeing our Vultures, and Eagles descend from height is one of the most impressive sights! This is an all Weather Attraction as the centre has both indoor, and outdoor display areas. October, February, March and April Displays at 11am and 1pm. Peak season (including Easter) Displays at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Please note, no dogs allowed in the Falconry Centre. You can also learn to fly with confidence one of our trained birds on our residential/non-residential falconry courses (All year round).
Country Park Age Suitability :
All Ages
Frequency : Daily
Park open every day, visitor centre 11.00am - 4.00pm. 580 acres of unspoilt heathland for you to explore. Enjoy a walk or a cycle along one of the trails and discover some of the abundant wildlife. Amuse the kids in the playground, on one of the fun trails or with an activity / event at the visitor centre. Or simply relax on the green by the cafe where BBQ hire is also available. Wheelchair accessible facilities. Entrance is free, Parking charge of £1.50 for 2 hours or £2.50 for all day. Gift shop. Children's birthday parties can also be arranged.
OVER 400 MODELS The original idea for the model village was to be a representation of an imaginary area of English countryside. English country life in an 'idealised' form, with distinct building styles of farms, country houses, lakes and waterfalls. Later in the development, as a contrast, the city - a substantial modern town - was added. Complete with some well known brand names and shops. Since the village opened in 1963 the park has continued to expand the number of features on display. Environmental features were also added such as a wind farm and hydro electic dam. Nowadays, set in four acres of gardens there are over 400 models of houses, stately homes, factories, shops, entertainment venues, environmental features, along with railways, vehicles and some well known monuments and landmarks. And not forgetting, of course, 13,000 miniature people who live in the village. SOUND AND ANIMATION HELP TO BRING IT ALL TO LIFE. Some of the more favourite models include: the house on fire, Stonehenge, the model railway, the city, the football stadium (including the streakers) and the beach and lake, complete with its own naturist beach. To add an extra dimansion of fun, humour prevails throughout the park. Some very obvious, some very subtle, but one visit is never enough to spot it all. For example; Annie Seedballs - the confectioners shop; Can you spot the man mowing the lawn - he has been mowing the same patch for over 20 years! There are now several indoor features too and in the last few years several new attractions have been added, so if you haven't been for a few years, maybe it's time for another visit. So the best advice we can give is TAKE YOUR TIME, you will get so much more out of your visit if you allow plenty of time (at least two hours). CAN YOU FIND WALLY? The Model Village is full of quirky and whimsical scenes and displays. For an extra dimension of fun for kids the spotter trail will help to highlight much more. Somewhere is the village Wally is hiding, can you find him? BABBACOMBE JUNCTION MODEL RAILWAY A superb display of a 1930's model railway, set up by Mel Sherwood, one of the country?s leading experts on vintage railwayana. The attention to detail is superb. Featuring a variety of vintage trains, village scenes and country life. Now with VIEW-CAM - one of the trains is fitted with a micro camera so you can see its progress on screen as it winds its way around Babbacombe junction model railway. SILVERS MODEL CIRCUS The fabulous Silvers Circus is coming to town ? This is a unique opportunity to see this amazing animated model of a three-ringed circus. Over 120 animated effects and moving figures. At Babbacombe Model Village for a limited time only - from Easter to October 2005.
Baby Massage Age Suitability :
From
Birth
To
12 Months
Frequency : Weekly (Term-time)
Small groups of parents learn to massage their babies in this five week course. Benefits include learning to read your babies cues, helping them to unwind for sleep and having fun together. Please visit www.babieslovemassage.co.uk for more information.
Providing information about Children's
regular Activities, one-off Events and Services within Dorset, Hampshire,
Somerset,Wiltshire & Devon.
Everything from a day out for the whole family with the kids, to planning
a child's birthday party.
Our regular activities include toddler groups, music, drama & gym classes for your babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
Days out and one-off events include theatre, school holiday activities, animal farms, theme parks and castles to name but a few.
Party planning includes face painting, bouncy castle hire and party planning services.
With activities and events for the whole year, make ActivityKidz your first stop for all children's activities on the South coast of England.
