Eggcite the family this Easter with a trip to visitor attraction, Lakes Aquarium, which has created a brand new Eggsplorer event for this Easter, running from April 2 to 15, to tie Easter fun in with the life of creatures in and around the lakes of the world.

 Throughout ‘Eggsplorer’ children will be encouraged to find out more about the creatures living in the eight geographical and adventure zones within the Lakeside-based Aquarium, on the southern shore of Windermere.  Zones range from the Lake District to the Rainforest and from Asia to the Americas, while creatures include short-clawed Asian otters (swimming in the amazing Lake Tunnel!), tiny pygmy marmosets and lesser known amphibians, fish and reptiles.

 Creature handling is available all day throughout this period, with snakes, hissing cockroaches, a giant millipede and giant land snails ready to get up close and personal with brave adventurers.

 A riddle and quizzes, including a creature-focused ‘Eggs or No Eggs’ challenge, allow explorers to expand their creature knowledge, while time can also be spent using an egg tracker guide and having fun with a craft activity.

 Children can delve into explorer bags and retrieve items such as magnifying glasses, storybooks and puzzles, which open doors towards other ways of finding out about wildlife, whether that is zooming in on a creature in the rockpool area, or discovering fascinating facts that lodge in the brain thanks to the exciting way in which they unfurl.

Lake District visitor attraction Lakes Aquarium is gearing up to allow children and adults alike to get up close and personal with its incredible and awe-inspiring creatures through a half term ‘Close Encounters’ event running from February 13-19, 2012.

 The Lakeside-based attraction, near Newby Bridge on Windermere’s southern shore, is preparing to feed visitors lots of science facts, rather than science fiction, while enabling them to feel, observe and discover the range of wildlife under its roof in a variety of dynamic ways.

 Every day, children will be able to handle snakes and a giant land snail, use magnifying glasses to observe rock pool creatures and their characteristics and dive into creative discovery bags located around the Aquarium.  These will contain storybooks, puzzles, discovery challenges and other useful ways of finding out more about different wildlife.

 The usual daily talks will be taking place, with the 10.30am and 3pm talks focusing on Lakes Aquarium’s very own UFOs – unforgettable, furry otters.  At 11.30am and 1.45pm there are Morecambe Bay talks, followed by Rockpool Discovery talks at 11.45am and 2pm.  A Lake Tunnel talk takes place at 11am and 4pm and a Rainforest talk, complete with additional creature handling opportunities, will be at 12.45pm.

 Visitors can learn about creatures with amazing abilities, appreciate those considered ‘aliens’ by virtue of being invasive species and find out more about conservation and climate change.

 An animal tracking quiz and leap frog game add fun to the learning opportunities as visitors explore wildlife locations around lakes of the world, including the Lake District.  There’s a journey to the bottom of an African lake to be had by entering the world’s first Virtual Dive Bell, which brings adventurers face to face with an angry hippo, a cranky Nile crocodile and spine-chilling sharks, while also entertaining with creature-focused computer games.

 All of this adds value to an entrance price already reduced for the 2012 season. Adult admission is lowered to £8.95, children’s to £5.95 and a family ticket is priced at £23.75 for two adults and two children, with other options available. Buying tickets online in advance at www.lakesaquarium.co.uk saves up to 25 per cent.

Monday 24th October – Sunday 30th October 2011

Join us this half term for some magical fun!

Are you a fan of Harry Potter or all things magical if so we have a fun packed week of events planned for this half term. Activities vary from spooky quiz trails and cringe worthy crafts to creepy creature talks.

Monday 24th October - Friday 28th October 2011                                  

• Bat Displays- Meet some real life bats, displayed by Furness Bat Group (10am-4pm)
• Meet owls and snakes- Predator Experience (10am-3.30pm)
• Spooky Quiz Trail- Take part in our spooky trail as you travel around the aquarium
• Cringe Worthy Crafts- Run by Furness bat group (10am -4pm)
• Toad Collage- Add your design to our toad collage wall.
• Creepy Creature Talks- Come face to face with some of the aquariums creepy creatures (12.45pm)
• Travel to the aquarium on board the Lakeside and Haverthwaite ghost train- Combined Aquarium and Steam Train can be purchased online or on the day. SPECIAL OFFER, treat your little ‘witches and wizards’ by purchasing a special ‘OWL POST’ ticket online and receive exclusive owl post invitations in the post. Tickets on sale from Saturday 24th September!

Saturday 29th October – Sunday 30th October 2011

• Meet owls and snakes- Predator Experience (10am-3.30pm)
• Spooky Quiz Trail- Take part in our spooky trail as you travel around the aquarium
• Cringe Worthy Crafts- Run by Furness bat group (10am -4pm)
• Toad Collage- Add your design to our toad collage wall.
• Creepy Creature Talks- Come face to face with some of the aquariums creepy creatures(12.45pm)
• Travel to the aquarium on board the Lakeside and Haverthwaite ghost train- Combined Aquarium and Steam Train can be purchased online or on the day. SPECIAL OFFER, treat your little ‘witches and wizards’ by purchasing a special ‘OWL POST’ ticket online and receive exclusive owl post invitations in the post. Tickets on sale from Saturday 24th September!

Find out more

Find out more!

http://www.lakesaquarium.co.uk/#facebook

 The possibilities are endless when you recycle – as Lake District visitor attraction, Lakes Aquarium, is proving with a little help from the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon. 

Balls fresh from use at the current Wimbledon Championships have been sent up to Lakes Aquarium from SW19, to enable the attraction to create unique nests for its native house mice.  The balls have undergone a little conversion work and are now comfortable and cosy homes and play areas for the rodents, who cannot get enough of their new ‘zorbing’ activity!

A spokesperson for Wimbledon says: “The Wimbledon Museum does all it can to re-use balls left on its hands at the end of Wimbledon fortnight, but most requests are related to much more mundane future uses than that suggested by Lakes Aquarium.  We could hardly refuse to send some, once we heard that this was a re-housing project!”

Alice one of Lakes Aquarium’s Annual Pass Kids Club members has been kind enough to let us follow her on her adventures with her very own otter!

 Check out the fun they have been having together!

10/4/11

Alice – my amazing new owner – collected me on the 10^th of April from the Aquarium. It was a lovely day. I felt a little bit nervous, as it was my first night with a new family, yet I was happy because at the weekends I would get to be by the lake, close to my old friends. Alice also gave me a new, but better name “Oppo”.

11/4/11

This morning, when I woke up I was already so settled in, I thought I had been with Alice for years.

14/4/11

After lunch, I went out to play with Alice and her friends… Hole in one! When Alice was batting she hit the ball right down the pipe, and I went to get it for her.

16/4/11

Late into the afternoon, Alice seemed so excited because her favourite team was playing a match. I have no idea about football, but I was still looking forward to it. At first it just looked like lots of people running around on a bit of grass. But then, I realised that there was a football on the grass. It was all coming to me! The two teams were both trying to get the ball to score in each others goal.

Alice has promised to take me to a live game.  She is going to take me to Old Trafford – which is Manchester United’s home ground. I am now an official Manchester United fan.Unfortunately, Alice’s team lost, which will have made her friends – who support the other team – very happy, whilst Alice was extremely sad.

17/4/11

Today Alice told me she was going to go up a climbing wall. She also said that she would take me! As an otter, I was so curious because I have never climbed in my life. The view from the top was amazing though!

22/4/11

This morning, I was going on a trip down the lake. I went all the way from Lakeside, to Ambelside! I was very lucky because I am most probably the only otter to be allowed to be co-captain with Alice. I am looking forwards to a good nights sleep, after a brilliant day on the lake.

23/4/11

Today, Alice woke me up really early, as we had to set off for a football match.Wow! I found walking through the crowds quite scary. There were thousands of people. Alice told me that the stadium holds 75,000 fans. We had great seats. I could see perfectly. However, everyone was on the edge of their seats. When Manchester United scored a goal the crowd went crazy. As I am an otter, I’m not quite used to such loud noise yet. After the match we then had to drive back to The Lakes.I was very tired and wanted to go straight to bed.

28/4/11

Today was the day of the Royal Wedding. Alice and I watched some of it on television before being really busy getting ready for the party.  We were going to set everything up by the lake but it was too windy so we put the food and all the flags in the shelter of the trees.

There were lots of people and lots of lovely food.  We were out all day until it was too cold and dark.

Meet Ben he has been having fun with his Oscar. Not only did he meet Oscar the mascot during an Easter visit to the aquarium but his cuddly Oscar even got to attend his grannys 60th birthday party! We hope Oscar didn't eat all the cake!

Thank you Ben for these wonderful pictures. Keep them coming!