A little survey. By the end of the long, long school summer holidays, would you like your children to have acquired (a) a severe case of Xbox thumb; (b) a Guinness world record for boredom-inspired freestyle whingeing; or (c) the ability to kayak, juggle, act, identify fossils, read the night sky, ride a horse, drive a quad bike, loose a longbow, fly like Superman, swing on a trapeze, and make chips using a butane gas gun and a tennis racket?

That’s a c, then? Good. Because you’ll find those activities and dozens more in our all-action guide to keeping the kids busy over the next six weeks. Much of it’s educational (though they won’t notice), some purely fun (unless you count Thomas the Tank Engine as a lesson in our industrial heritage). And don’t worry: the gas gun’s optional.

A is for APRON

Apples Cookery School (01295 750720, www.applescookery.co.uk) in Wardington, near Banbury, has courses for children aged 5-16 (from £15 for 90 minutes to £99 for three days). In London, the Kids’ Cookery School in Acton (020 8992 8882, www.thekidscookeryschool.co.uk) has courses for children aged 3-18 (£15 for 75 minutes to £50 for five hours). Some are taught by celebrity chefs, including Toby Tobin and Sophie Grigson.

B is for BOOGIE BOARD

Sea air, thrashing limbs — can’t you just taste the good night’s sleep ahead? Coast to Coast Surf School in Dunbar (07971 990361, www.c2csurfschool.com) has boogie-board instruction (£25 for 2Å hours; ages 7+), including boards and wetsuits. Whitesands Bay in Pembrokeshire is another top spot. Ma Simes Surf Hut (01437 720433, www.masimes.co.uk), on St David’s High Street, hires out boogie boards for £6 per day, wetsuits for £6 per day, and has half-day surfing tuition for £25. On Watergate Bay in Cornwall, Extreme Academy (01637 860840, www.extremeacademy.co.uk) rents boogie boards for £5 per day.

C is for CARNIVAL

London’s Notting Hill Carnival (August 27-28) is still the big, funky momma of UK carnivals, but you can also get your fill of jerk chicken and drum’n’bass in Leeds (August 28) and Nottingham (August 4-6). Cardiff (www.cardiff-festival.com) has a children’s festival today (£3, under-3s free), followed by an International Street Festival (July 25-28) in the city centre. Best of the rest include Dublin’s Street Performance world championship in Merrion Square (August 5-6, www.spwc.ie), and two children’s festivals (www.childrensworldcharity.org; adults £5, ages 5-18 £7, ages 3-4 £5, toddlers £2) in Bristol (August 4-7) and Glastonbury (August 11-14).

D is for DRAMA QUEEN

Unleash the inner luvvie at a Stagecoach workshop (01932 254333, www.stagecoach.co.uk), with classes in acting, dancing and singing in more than 100 venues across the UK and Ireland. Courses run from Monday to Friday, with morning or afternoon workshops for 4- to 7-year-olds (£90 average, discount for siblings; prices vary) and all-day workshops for 8- to 16-year-olds (£120 average). For links to more drama camps around the country, go to www.summerfun4kids.co.uk.

E is for EXTREME SPORT

How’s this for playground one-upmanship: an upturned 100ft wind tunnel in Milton Keynes where junior adrenaline junkies get to play skydiving Superman in winds of up to 100mph? Safe as houses, bragging rights guaranteed, single “flights” from £32.99. Contact Airkix (0845 331 6549, www.airkix.com). Your little thrill-seekers could also have a go at mountainboarding, the cocky new kid on the extreme-sports block. Visit www.mbseurope.com for a directory of centres, from Co Down to Cornwall.

F is for FOSSIL

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