WELCOME TO MUM'S GUIDE TO HARPENDEN!
From bumps to teens, we have it covered! This is your one-stop site for everything you need to know about living in Harpenden with children. We're number one for information about what's on, things to do and children's activities locally!
The Mum's guide to Harpenden Awards are back for 2019 and nominations are now open! Let us know who deserves to be included!
The Sustainable St AlbansFestival runs from 11th May to 1st June and features over 100 events across St Albans District all focused on making the district a more environmentally sustainable place to live. You can browse the full programme on their website, but we've picked out all of the events aimed at children, including a number running here in Harpenden. The great news is that most of the events are drop-in and many are free!
For little ones, join the Story Tent on 14th & 15th May in Trestle Arts Base for stories with a sustainability theme, or the Sustainable Toddler Craft Group in Wheathampsted on 17th May. Harpenden Library are running their special Shaker Maker session on 24th May, recycling old bottles into shakers.
School-age children can get outdoors and be active with the Woodcraft Folk in Nomansland on 16th & 17th May enjoying activities such as den-building and making rope bridges. On the 17th May teens up to age 16 can join in too. During half-term children can have fun making crafts out of recycled material at the Waste Watchers Cafe in High Street Methodist Church on 28th May or explore St Albans Abbey in their Sustainablity-themed Family Discovery Morning on 30th May. Unfortunately the River Dipping event at Batford Springs is now sold out.
Everyone can get involved with the Litter Picking afternoon on Harpenden Common on 18th May or find out howto reduce food waste and recycle when you meet Munch the Hungry Lorry outside Harpenden Library all day on 16th May.
You might also be interested in the Plastic Free Picnic near the Play Park at Batford Springs on 24th May. Can you pack a picnic without using any single use plastic – or even no plastic at all? Bring your picnic along with the family and you might pick up even more ideas for going plastic-free!
A large number of the other events taking place during the Festival, whilst not aimed specifically at children, are child-friendly. You can browse the full programme or download the brochure from the Sustainable St Albans website.
Great Brick Safari
6th April
- 2nd June
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable
Sustainable St Albans Festival
11th May
- 1st June
Across St Albans, Harpenden and the Villages, St Albans/Harpenden/Villages
Elmer Day Toddler Tales at Harpenden Library
(FREE)
21st May
Harpenden Library, , Harpenden
Beehive Children's Centre - Toddler Waddle
(FREE)
21st May
Chiltern's Gateway Centre, Dunstable Downs, Dunstable
Bring Your Own Baby Comedy
21st May
Hertford Theatre, Hertford
Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom
22nd May
- 23rd May
Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage
Getting Ready for Big School: top tips for independence
22nd May
Camp Primary and Nursery School, St Albans
NCT toddler trail and adventure play
(FREE)
23rd May
Chiltern's Gateway Centre, Dunstable Downs, Dunstable
May Bank Holiday Fun Fair
24th May
- 27th May
Harpenden Common, Harpenden
Plastic-Free Picnic
(FREE)
24th May
Play Park @ Batford Springs, Harpenden
Shaker Maker Party for Toddlers
(FREE)
24th May
Harpenden Library, Harpenden
Spring Special
25th May
- 2nd June
Willows Activity Farm, London Colney
Look at Life
25th May
- 26th May
Milton Keynes Museum, Wolverton, Milton Keynes
Colourscape
25th May
- 2nd June
Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury
Agent Nitrate's Spy-Tastic School Holidays!
25th May
- 2nd June
Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey
Get Hands-on with History
25th May
- 2nd June
Wrest Park, Luton
Bird's Nest Billy
25th May
The Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead
Herts County Show
25th May
- 26th May
Herts County Showground, St Albans
Dragons & Vikings
25th May
Herring Green Activity Farm & Birds of Prey Centre, Wilstead
IWM Duxford Air Festival 2019
25th May
- 26th May
IWM Duxford, Duxford
Fairy Trail
25th May
- 2nd June
Chiltern's Gateway Centre, Dunstable Downs, Dunstable
Afternoon Tea at Rothamsted Manor
26th May
Rothamsted Manor, Harpenden
The Wizard of Oz
26th May
Grove Theatre, Dunstable
Roman Gladiators
26th May
- 27th May
Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont St Giles
Harpenden Farmer's Market
(FREE)
26th May
Lower High Street, Harpenden
Ensonglopedia of Animals
26th May
Trestle Arts Base, St Albans
Spring Steam Gala
26th May
- 27th May
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Aylesbury
TotFest 2019!
26th May
Hitchin Priory, Hitchin
Meet Skye from Paw Patrol
26th May
Woburn Safari Park, Milton Keynes
Hip Hopperty Fun
26th May
Herring Green Activity Farm & Birds of Prey Centre, Wilstead
Make a Woolly Sheep
27th May
Welwyn Roman Baths, Welwyn Bypass
Summer Half Term at Milton Keynes Museum
27th May
- 31st May
Milton Keynes Museum, Wolverton, Milton Keynes
Half Term at Harpenden Books
(FREE)
27th May
- 31st May
Harpenden Books, 48 High Street
Creepy Critter Half-term
27th May
- 31st May
Standalone Farm, Letchworth Garden City
Half-term Trail and Craft
27th May
- 31st May
Ashridge Estate, Ringshall, Nr Berkhamsted
NEW - Dino Week
27th May
- 31st May
Mead Open Farm, Billington
Dino Adventure
27th May
Knebworth Barns, Knebworth
Meet Peppa Pig
27th May
Woburn Safari Park, Milton Keynes
Redbourn in Steam
27th May
Redbourn Village Museum, The Common, Redbourn
If you are running a local event for families or children you can add the details to our site for free.
Wayside Dental Practice are now a recycling centre for the dental items shown below.
They say: "All of the items collected are recycled by Terracycle. Not only does this avoid yet more landfill, but we also get points for our recycling which are redeemed into financial donations to our chosen charity, Dentaid."
If you need any more information about this scheme please contact Wayside directly.
Harpenden Sports Centre Development Update - Pool Closure
If you’ve been to Rothamsted Park recently you may have noticed the removal of hedging in preparation for work to begin on the new sports centre complex!
As a result Harpenden pool will be closed for 4 weeks from 29 April. The main pool will reopen on 27 May, but the learner pool will remain closed for the duration of the construction. Alternative facilities are available at Westminster Lodge. During the four-week closure all swimming lessons will be suspended.
More information including a detailed FAQ about memberships and swimming lessons can be found on the 1Life Harpenden website.
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Now that Spring has truly sprung and May has arrived we thought we would devote this month’s picks to outdoor events and activities (well, mostly!).
Brambleton Model Railway Club is holding its annual Open Day at its club site at Highfield Oval on Saturday 11 May - a lovely event for little (and big) model train lovers! And if your little ones want to get more hands-on with trains then book your sessions at TrackPlay, who will be setting up their giant train tracks in Roundwood Primary School on 4 May and inviting everyone along to play!
The Sustainable St Albans Festival runs this month with over 100 events all aimed at making the district a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly place. There are far to many events going on to mention them all here but you can read about them in our special feature here on the website. On the theme of getting outdoors though, one that sounds great fun is Come outside and Play! on Nomansland Common with the Woodcraft Folk on 16 & 17 May. Kids can get involved in den-building, rope bridge making and more, and on the Friday evening teens up to age 16 can join in too! It’s completely free and they can just drop in! If your child can’t make it along to that event then they can pick up outdoor skills at the regular 50 Things Club events at Dunstable Downs on the 1st Sunday of every month. This month it takes place on Sunday 5th and is also free and drop-in.
The annual Herts County Show takes place this month at the Showground near Redbourn on 25 & 26 May. This is the ultimate family celebration of the Hertfordshire Countryside.
Relax and enjoy some outdoor entertainment on the Common with the return of Luna Cinema on 17 – 19 May. Films showing this year are The Greatest Showman (PG), Bohemian Rhapsody (12A) and Mamma Mia Here We Go Again (PG).
If your child is a fan of dinosaurs then they are spoiled for choice this month. Knebworth House and Gardens has a Dino Adventure event on 27 May featuring a dinosaur trail, hands-on reptile experience with Ventura Wildlife Rangers plus a Dino-dig and storytelling. Mead Open Farm has Dino Week during half-term (27 – 31 May) with Meet the Dinosaurs, Jurassic Tractor Ride and Dino Disco! And in Tring Natural History Museum, as well as their British Dinosaurs exhibition (running until 11 October) they are holding Mini Dinosaur Worlds craft sessions on 28 May.
If you want to support some good causes this month Harpenden Concert Band’s next family concert, Stories through Music, is on Sunday 19 May and features “Tubby the Tuba”, narrated by Jonathan Bungard, “Peter and the Wolf” and “Jurassic Park”. The concert is free but there will be a retiring collection with proceeds going to Harpenden Spotlight on Africa.
Sauncey Wood School invite you to pick up a bargain at their Jumble Sale on 18 May. The Salvation Army are holding their Spring Fair on 11 May, and the Children’s Society are holding their Spring Fair on the 18 May.
We’ve already mentioned a few half term events here, but you can find the full list of events and activities (indoors and outdoors, so all weather eventualities are covered!) on our What’s On page.
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A great introduction to a farm for little ones
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