Lots to do at the Family Learning Festival

MELKSHAM’s Family Learning Festival returns this year with 36 free, fun, family activities to enjoy from Monday 15th October to Saturday 10th November. 

All activities are free of charge and promises to be bigger and better than last year. Some of the  activities are shown below.

Discovery Centre at Melksham Oak School – Monday 15 – Thursday 18 October – 3 – 4.30pm. Year 5 and Year 6 pupils are invited to come and visit their discovery centre and learn more about the accelerated reader programme used to improve pupils’ reading ability. For more information contact Christine Conbeer, at: conbeerc@ melksham oak.wilts.sch.uk or call 01225 792713.

Rhyme Time – every Tuesday and Thursday – 10.30 – 11am at Melksham Library. Rhyme time is a fun group singing session for all preschool children and their parents/carers.

Working Together Evening – Thursday 18th October – 5.45 – 7.30pm at Melksham Oak School. Year 5 pupils and a parent are invited to come and experience some taster lessons in maths, music, modern foreign languages and art. Places are limited so you will need to reserve a place. E-mail: Jane Furnivall: furnivallj@melkshamoak. wilts.sch.uk or call 01225 792847.

Dry Clay Decorations – Friday 26 October – 10 – 12pm at the Assembly Hall. Come make a mess and create stunning but simple clay decorations. You will create your own masterpieces which you can then take home to complete the drying process. All materials are provided.

Family parkrun – every Saturday – 9am at King George V. parkrun organise free, fun, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in. Come along with your family and go at your own pace, but please register first at http://www.parkrun. org.uk /melksham/. 

Matt Fiddes Martial Arts – every Saturday – 10.10 – 11.10am at The Manor School. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to train with your children and other family members. Ensure you and your family have the life skills you need, both inside and outside the classroom, in a fantastically unpressurised learning environment. “Families that kick together, stick together”. Suitable for ages 7+. For enquiries please contact mfleads@hotmail.com.

Family Halloween Party – Saturday 27 October – 7pm at Forest Community Centre. Come and join us for a fun family Halloween disco. Free entry and fancy dress is optional. Have a fun, spooky night with us at the community centre.

Young Melksham Family Fun Day – Monday 29th and Wednesday 31st October – 11 – 2pm at The Canberra Centre. Come and join us for sports, fun and adventure. Be one of the first to try out our new Zorb Ball Suits and find out more about what we do at Young Melksham. Our café and tuck shop will be open selling hot and cold drinks and snacks. There will be activities indoors and outside for whatever the weather brings! Suitable for all supervised children and young people aged 6+. For enquiries call 01225 667327 or e-mail hello@youngmelksham. org.uk.

Circus Skills – Tuesday 30 October – 10 – 12pm at River Mead School. Participants will have the opportunity to try a variety of circus skills. A drop-in session for ages 7 and over.

Try it Here and Take it Home – Tuesday 30 October – 12.30 – 2pm. Drop into Melksham library and share making an easy peasy, simple and fun craft together. You’ll want to make it again when you get home! Join the Wiltshire Family and Community Learning – for enquiries call 01225 770478.

Family Cookery Session – Wednesday 31 October – 10 – 12pm at River Mead School. Learn how to cook a simple, economical and nutritious meals with your child/children.  contact 07825 223146 or enquiries @anybodycancook. co.uk to give an idea of numbers.

Pumpkin Carving – Wednesday 31 October – 10 – 12pm at Conigre Mead Nature Reserve. Carve you very own terrifying pumpkin and enjoy some toasted pumpkin seeds and a gory Halloween punch. To book your place please call 01380 829070.

Cardboard Arcade – Thursday 1 November – 10 – 12pm, Town Hall. An engaging design, build and play activity suitable for groups of all ages. Unleash your creativity, making arcade games out of junk and cardboard. No need to book, but please turn up for 10am to give time to build, test and play with your arcade game.

Terrarium building – Thursday 1 November – 11 – 1pm at Conigre Mead. Come along and make your own terrarium – a mini green ecosystem in an open-top glass jar. All materials will be provided but you’re welcome to bring your own clean jar if you like. Suitable for all ages. No need to book. For more information contact Melanie at melaniev@     wiltshire wildlife .org.

Truffle Making drop in – Friday 2 November – 10:00 – 12:00, Assembly Hall. Immersed in the smell of chocolate, participants will create three hand-finished truffles with personalised packaging for the journey home – if you can resist them for that long!

Suitable for all ages and abilities, this is a lovely drop-in where skills can be learnt and repeated at home time and time again.

The Mobile Museum – Friday 2nd November – 10 – 2pm, Library. Suitable for all the family, the Mobile Museum will bring their full armoury for you to handle, try on and read. Artefacts including a deactivated machine gun, artillery shells, medal sets telling soldier’s stories, as well as a big dressing up box with uniforms from different eras. There will also be kids’ activities around spying, trench fighting as well as talks about the various conflict themes. Pop in anytime from 10am.

Melksham Remembers Exhibition with Wiltshire Scrapstore – Saturday 10 November 12 – 4pm. Come and explore what life was like in the Melksham area during the First World War. Discover what the factories of Melksham were making, find out about the Red Cross Hospital, how food was in short supply and make up a parcel to send to a British prisoner of war. Wiltshire Scrapstore will be available from 12 – 3pm with First World War-themed activities.