Keep the Family Entertained at These 15 Free Summer Events

Lambeth Country Show is taking place at Brockwell Park in South London on July 21-22, 2018 between 12 noon and 8 p.m.

It celebrates the city and the countryside with a farm area, sheep and owl displays, horticultural shows, plant competitions, craft and food stalls, children's funfair, bouncy castle rides, and plenty of live music including disco, folk, ska, soul, Afro-beat, and dub. More than 150,000 people visit over the weekend last year.

The famous Diplodocus from London's Natural History Museum will be in Birmingham this Summer, as Dippy on Tour takes place at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from May 26 to Sept. 9, 2018. Although the exhibition is free, it's recommended that you pre-book tickets to secure your time slot.

Dippy arrived in London in 1905, and is now on a road trip around the country. The full skeleton cast is 21.3 metres long, 4.3 metres wide, and 4.25 metres high. The Birmingham exhibition also includes the birds that evolved from dinosaurs, and how modern birds are amazingly diverse.

The Forestry Commission has introduced the Highway Rat Activity Trail at selected forests across the country.

The Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler book is the inspiration for a trail of 10 Highway Rat-themed panels packed with activities and fun facts to keep the kids entertained on a woodland walk. There's a photo op at the life-sized Highway Rat "Wanted" poster as well as characters from the story to spot.

The Shimmer and Shine Window Workshop takes at The John Rylands Library in Manchester from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 2 and Aug. 23, 2018.

The kids can make their own version of the library's colourful stained glass windows at these creative workshops. There's no need to book as it's a free drop in, suitable for children 4 years and older.

The Summer Festival at V&A Museum of Childhood Bethnal Green in London takes place on July 22, 2018 between 11.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m.

Drop in with the family to enjoy a mix of live entertainment, including dance, music, games, walkabout acts, and rickshaw rides. There'll be food stalls, face paints, henna, and opportunities to get crafty.

The Quack! Exhibition is at Colchester Natural History Museum from May 15 to Oct. 14, 2018.

The kids will learn why feeding bread can be harmful both to ducks and the environment, and what to feed them instead. They'll get to see the variety of ducks found in the UK as well as lots of duck-related objects, including a vintage jigsaw, figurines, and a watercolour painting. Finish up by reading the RSPB's Lucky Duck story.

Summer Holiday Activities at the National Portrait Gallery in London take place daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Aug. 13 and Aug. 27, 2018 in the Education Studio. Although it's free, you need to get a ticket from the gallery one hour before your preferred slot.

These art and craft workshops are inspired by the Summer exhibitions, including Rebel Women, Michael Jackson: On the Wall, and the BP Portrait Award. The kids can learn to moonwalk, decorate a white glove, design a t-shirt, play with clay, paint a portrait, or pick up some photography tips.

There are also free drop-in activities at the Family Activity Base from July 21 to Sept. 2, 2018 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., where you can collect free art materials to make your own portraits in the galleries.

The Canal River Trust and the Angling Trust are putting on Let's Fish activities at various angling clubs around the country — find your nearest free event — between Apr. 10 and Oct. 31, 2018.

Learn how to fish with the family, and download a free Fish Guide to get started.

Be a Rockpool Explorer at St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall every Friday in August 2018. This free drop-in activity takes place between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Aug. 3, 17, and 31, and between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Aug. 10-24, 2018.

Great Scott! Adventures Outdoors will show your little ones what wonderful creatures live below the tideline just off the causeway, from crabs to starfish. Just make sure you wear rock pooling shoes or old trainers (not Crocs or flip flops) and bring a bucket (no nets allowed!).

National Table Tennis Day is taking place on July 18, 2018, with special events scheduled around the country.

You can enjoy a free game of ping pong any day, though, thanks to Ping!, which has tables across various towns and cities all over England.

The Forestry Commissions has giant wooden Gruffalo Sculptures at selected forests across the country for little ones to spot.

Certain forests also have new Gruffalo's Child sculptures and other beloved Julia Donaldson characters from the iconic book too, including Fox, Mouse, Owl, Snake and Squirrel.

Forests with the sculptures include Alice Holt in Surrey, Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest in Kent, Dalby Forest in Yorkshire, Delamere Forest in Cheshire, Hamsterley Forest in Durham, Moors Valley Country Park in Dorset, Sherwood Pines in Nottingham, Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, Whinlatter Forest in Cumbria, and more.

Angel Canal Festival is typically held on the first Sunday in September around the City Road Lock, Basin, and towpath alongside Regents Canal in London.

This annual one-day festival includes a children's fun fair, Punch & Judy, street theatre, boat trips, free pottery sessions, and live music. On the water there are canoe sessions, races, and a regatta. Along the towpath there's a range of 70 stalls.

There's a Rainbows, Stars, and Flying Horses Printing Press Demonstration at The John Rylands Library on Wednesdays through the Summer holidays.

This free, family-friendly, drop-in event is suitable for 4 year olds and up. Inspired by the library's Alchemy of Colour exhibition, you can see a 19th Century printing press create beautiful images with a rainbow twist.

Sessions are from 11.15 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. on Wednesday July 25, plus Aug. 1, 8, 15, and 22, 2018.

Take train fans to the Steaming Days at Bolton Steam Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 26-27, 2018.

Have a look at the 30 steam engines that volunteers have rescued and restored, the oldest of which is 180 years old. Most will be running in steam at this free event (donations appreciated), and there's an activity sheet for the kids.

From July 2 to Sept. 2, 2018 take the kids on the Gromit Unleashed 2 public art trail across Bristol.

This is the third time Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal is hosting a Bristol arts trail across the city, but this time it includes three characters: Gromit, Wallace, and Feathers McGraw. There are more than 60 giant sculptures to find at various locations in the city.