Keeping children entertained during the February half-term can be difficult because you never know what the weather is going to be like.

Fortunately there are plenty of things going on to keep them occupied, both inside and out, including the National Media Museum, where a corner of Albert Square is relocating to Bradford, as part of a celebration of 25 years of EastEnders.

Arthur Fowler’s bench, gravestones, wedding dresses and notorious murder weapons which appeared in memorable episodes over the past quarter century are among the EastEnders props on display.

Soap Season also commemorates Coronation Street’s 50th anniversary and 15 years of Hollyoaks.

During the half-term break there are family activities and workshops where you can discover the story behind soap opera, reminisce about classic moments, watch rare and previously unseen footage, and even meet soap stars.

Special events include acting, writing and production workshops, and you can even star in your own mini-soap. The Museum’s Big Family Soap Trail explores the dramatic world of soap and there’s a chance to mix a scene from Emmerdale or take a walk down the famous Weatherfield cobbles in the museum’s virtual studio.

Celebrate Chinese New Year at Temple Newsam House, with Far-Eastern fun activities including lantern making, dancing dragons and an animal hunt around the house. There are also plenty of activities outside on Home Farm – from a tour of the farm to meet the new arrivals, to storytelling.

A feast of steam for enthusiasts and families alike is on offer at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway at its Winter Steam Gala, Steam locomotives running include the ex-Great Northern Railway Class N2 steam locomotive No.1744 – star of the 1970 film The Railway Children, which was filmed on the KWVR exactly 40 years ago. As well as a free heritage bus there will also be behind-the-scenes guided tours at Oxenhope carriage sheds and workshops, and Haworth locomotive works Learn to be a spy at the Royal Armouries, Leeds, over the half-term, and find out if you’ve got what it takes to crack the codes and be a super sleuth. Highlights include Spy Skool – fun activity sessions for children aged five to 12 – dramatic live performances and action-packed combat displays as well as arms and armour-handling sessions and guided tours.

Fun and gardening go hand-in-hand at RHS Garden Harlow Carr every day from next Saturday to Sunday, February 21, when visitors can Go Wild and get involved in a host of wonderful activities, displays and workshops.

The week kicks off with the British Trust of Ornithology inviting visitors to try their hands at netting, catching, ringing and recording birds in the garden on Saturday and Sunday.

Join in the nature trail around the garden everyday for your chance to win a prize. Or you could go on a guided walk, bird-spotting, or make a bird feeder with experts from the RSPB.

If it’s the creepy crawlies that youngsters love, why not book your little one on a Mini Beast Mansion workshop?

Get your skates on for the Eureka! Winter Games. You don’t need to fly to Canada to take part in the Winter Olympics, because Eureka! will be holding its own winter party where you can build your own sleigh and race it with your friends on a winter obstacle course, or make a snow pom-pom for the indoor snowball challenge.

There’s a fun-packed week on offer at the National Railway Museum in York. You can explore the influence of the Stephensons on the early years of the railways, and see the return of the world’s only working Rocket replica to the museum.

All members of the family will enjoy exploring railway history through lively theatre performances, hands-on creative activities and steam rides pulled by a Stephenson locomotive in the museum’s South Yard.

The 1979 operating replica of Stephenson’s Rocket has just returned to the museum following its restoration at The Flour Mill, and will be joined by fellow Stephenson replica, Locomotion.

Children with an interest in science will love the new interactive science extravaganza, The energy Show. Taking place in the museum’s Learning Platform, this spectacular show examines the energy needed to keep the railways moving and answers the question – how could a brazil nut move a train?

Factfile: * For information about the National Media Museum’s Soap Season, ring 0870 7010200 or visit nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/events.

* Royal Armouries, Leeds: Open daily: 10am-5pm. Admission is free, but activity sessions cost £3 per child.

* The Temple Newsam estate is four miles from Leeds city centre on the A63. Chinese New Year celebrations run from Saturday, February 13 to Sunday, February 21 (11am-noon and 2pm-3.30pm). The house and farm are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4pm. Admission: £5.63 adult; £3.43 child; £14.10 family (two adults and up to three children) * Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, Haworth. Winter Steam Gala: Friday, February 12 to Sunday, February 14. Tickets: Family Day Rover: £33; Family Full Line Return: £23.50; Adult Full Line Return: £9.40.

* Eureka! Discovery Way, Halifax: Open 10am-4pm. Admission: £7.50 adults; £7.50 children (3+); £2.50 toddlers (1-2); £32 saver ticket.

* RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate: Book in advance for the Mini Beast Mansion workshop on 0845 6121253.