Half way through half term and already used up all of your ideas? If you're like me and soft play barns bring you out in hives, then push your boundaries and do something a bit different. So, pack your day bag and go and explore somewhere entirely new with the children, here are my top 5 half term ideas;

1) Go to London for the day. Kids love going on the train and if you're armed with enough snacks and distractions, then the time will pass very quickly. Once in London, you don't have to follow the cheesy tourist trail. You could take them to the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Royal Academy - with a cannon shooting balls of wax and a room full of mirror sculptures, the kids will love it. After that. head past the fancy shops (pausing to admire Fortnum & Mason's windows) and go to Green Park for an ice cream and a wave at the Palace.

2) Go to France for the day. I know at first glance that might seem like a barmy idea, but why not? A days return to France will set you back just £30 (which is less than your family ticket to the zoo let's face it!) and not only that, but imagine how excited your children will be to get on a ferry and go to a different country for the day. Enjoy a continental lunch in Calais followed by a wander round the town,  and there'll even be time to stock up on some cheese and wine before you have to come home!

3) Explore North Devon for the day. Base yourself in Ilfracombe and explore tunnels beaches  Voted the 3rd best beach for rock-pooling in the UK, this place has a lot going for it. Enjoy exploring the beach and clambering on the rocks and then have lunch at the surprisingly chic cafe blue bar complete with pirate ship play area.  After that, head down to the cheesy end of town and eat ice creams by the harbour wall.

4) Head to Cambridge for the day. With weather forecasters predicting an Indian summer, it's the perfect excuse to take a picnic and go for a punt! If you're feeling brave, you can do it yourself, or you can go for the guided option.  Once you're ashore again, enjoy strolling through the town and play spot the physics students, before stopping for the best tea and cake in town at the Fitzwilliam museum cafe.

5) Visit Cambridge's nemesis, Oxford for the day. The Natural History Museum in Oxford has some great dinosaurs which the kids will love and then next door is the Pitt Rivers museum which has the most brilliant collection of curios from around the world, including shrunken heads! After you're done, go to the park just down the road and grap a crepe from the van before heading down to the river to laugh at the punters getting stuck in the river. 

Thanks to Flickr User Chelmsford Blue for the photo.