By Helen Dunne

With the long summer holidays fast approaching, this is the month that parents tear their hair out as they try to solve the perennial problem - how to keep the children entertained during the school holidays without simply sticking them in front of the latest Nintendo game.

There are thousands of events and attractions being held up and down the country all designed to capture the imagination of children of all ages. Coutts Woman has been looking at some of the best ideas around, to help you start planning.

A museum trip is usually a good idea and, in most cases, admission is free for children. Their websites also offer a range of activities, from colouring-in pages to interactive games that can be played at home. Find out what dinosaur your child is on the Natural History Museum website, which also offers a parents' survival guide.

Brownsea Island in Dorset, for example, will be taken over by pirates between July 23 and July 27, and children are encouraged to dress up and join in the pirating and smuggling fun.

The National Portrait Gallery is free to all, and an entertaining few hours could be spent finding photographs of celebrities, such as Simon Cowell and Kylie Minogue, or paintings of historical figures, like Henry VIII. For children who love heights, the gallery has Britain's longest escalator at 23m.

The Tate Modern might be an acquired taste for young children, but they will probably enjoy the Tate Boat that links it with Tate Britain and the London Eye. Children under 16 pay between £1.30 and £2, while the under fives are free.

Museums often hold special exhibitions through the school holidays, although these often involve a fee. The Science Museum, for example, has a Summer Club at £5 per child, although the accompanying adult pays £25. The days, which run from between 11am and 16.30pm, may include science experiments, interactive gallery tour and a bug show.

It also has a range of other exhibitions, such as 100 Years of Plastics and Inside the Spitfire, throughout the summer. Smaller children might enjoy Build it with Bob The Builder, at £6 on weekdays, while elder siblings might prefer The Science of Spying.

The BBC offers a CBBC Tour, which lasts up to two hours, and includes a visit to the Blue Peter Garden, the chance to play in the interactive studio and an opportunity to become 'Diddy Dick' and 'Diddy Dom' - the junior versions of the popular presenters. The behind-the-scenes tour is only for children aged 7+ years, and costs £6.50 per child although the BBC is unable to guarantee which CBBC programmes will be recorded at the time of the tour.

The National Trust also has a range of activities for children at various locations during the school holidays. Brownsea Island in Dorset, for example, will be taken over by pirates between July 23 and July 27, and children are encouraged to dress up and join in the pirating and smuggling fun.

Similarly, Speke Hall in Liverpool is offering 'Boredom Busters' on Wednesdays and Fridays in the latter part of July. Both activities are free, although normal admission charges apply to the building.

For the more adventurous child, a range of National Trust properties, such as Hatfield Forest in Essex, are offering Bat Walks, while Dunwich Heath in Suffolk has a Moth Night on July 24, billed as an evening of moth trapping and identification. The Mini Beast Hunt at Wallington in Northumberland advises 'dress for mess' as the warden helps the over-fives discover the weird and wonderful world of insect life.

Robin Hood is being staged at Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, while Sheringham Park in Norfolk hosts the Mini Fairy Fair over the weekend of July 21 and 22.

Barleylands Farm Centre in Essex has chickens, rabbits, turkeys, ponies, cows and pigs, and offers tractor rides, a bouncy castle and a giant trampoline. Derek the Diesel Train runs seven days a week, while a miniature steam locomotive operates at weekends.

The website, www.london-footprints.co.uk, has information on a range of city farms in London, where children can pet animals or, as in the case of Freightliners Farm behind Kings Cross station, learn about the secret world of the honey bee. With the exception of Hounslow Urban Farm, admission to city farms is free although donations towards upkeep are always welcome.

Every child learns about 1066 and William the Conqueror at school, so a trip to Battle in East Sussex could also be fun. They could also pop along to the Smugglers Adventure in neighbouring Hastings and explore the warren of tunnels, with menacing looking smugglers and 'skeletons' with daggers lodged between their ribs.

Hampton Court Palace, with its world famous maze, will bring to life the Tudor era. It is rumoured to be haunted by both Catherine Howard (Henry VIII's fifth wife, who was beheaded at the Tower of London) and Dame Sybil Penn, servant to four Tudor monarchs.

Most local authorities offer advice on days out on their websites. Kent County Council, for example, suggests exploring Eden Valley and an historic walk around Lullingstone. It also publishes Kids Trails, an activity sheet to take with children on their walks around the countryside.

The English Heritage website also suggests a range of days out, including the Festival of History Day when a Knights' Tournament, English Civil War battles, Roman horse racing and a World War One trench experience will take place. There will also be an 18^th century village street, where visitors can meet craftsmen and women of the era.

But, if all else fails and the children are not entertained, just remember. it is only six weeks.