A science centre engineered for exactly this age band: walk-through lungs and a supersize brain in the new Bodies gallery, invention sheds, water play, all pitched hands-first. The ferry stops directly outside.
Entry converts to an annual pass, which rewrites the value calculation - the second visit is free and the fifth is a habit. Arrive by Mersey Ferry if you possibly can; boat plus museum is the day.
What it costs: Booked online: adults and children 3 and over £16.95, toddlers 1 to 2 £7.45, under 1s free. On the door: £18.95 and £9.45. The first paid visit converts into a free annual pass for 12 months. Term-time hours: Wednesday to Friday 10am to 3pm, weekends 10am to 4pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays; school holiday hours differ.
Not Halloween as such, but half term on the Wirral with a real-life dragon from Teach Rex, dragon breath with The Wonderweaver and a new show, Dragon Dynamics. Useful for the child who is sick of pumpkins by the Tuesday.
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One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.