We’re here to help you find activities to suit your children’s needs and desires during the winter holidays.

For toddlers (0-3 years)

Whether in a pushchair or on your shoulders, your child will have an unforgettable first experience of these places. From the age of 12 months upwards, educational farms such as The Saffrie goats in Montchamp (€6 per person) and La Chèvreline goat farm in Vassy (free) offer children the chance to discover the different species they have come across in books. You can stroke the goats and feed them, and even buy their cheeses in the shop. To book, simply contact our partners. The zoos in Jurques (opening on 10th February) and Champrépus (opening on 10th February) will help to enrich children’s vocabulary by introducing them to animals such as the red panda, the lemur and the cockatoo. To make your visit as easy as possible, we offer practical services such as pushchair hire, microwaves, highchairs and changing tables. Admission is free for children under 3.

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If you prefer a walk in the heart of nature, head for the Bény-Bocage and Locheur ponds or the Wood of l’Ecanet. These walks are fairly short and accessible to pushchairs, so you can discover the flora and fauna at your leisure.

Under the age of 3, admission to the swimming pools in Vire, Condé-sur-Noireau and Villers-Bocage is free for your baby. All you need is a special nappy for your paddling session, and you can enjoy the pool at around thirty degrees Celsius.

The Villers-Bocage, Condé-sur-Noireau and Vire media libraries and the Aunay-sur-Odon library regularly offer early reading workshops on Saturdays. Admission is free and no booking is required (booking is required at Villers-Bocage). All you have to do is make yourself comfortable to listen to cuddly stories, hum nursery rhymes and look at pretty pictures.

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For children aged 3 to 6

As your child gets older, he or she will become more agile and more focused. Get closer to the animals by taking part in the Jurques Zoo VIP visits (€10 in addition to the €14.50 child admission). Accompanied by a keeper, enter the lemur enclosure and get to know the animals. In Saint-Pierre-Tarentaine, take a walk with a donkey from Pas d’Âne (€50 per donkey per day). Under adult supervision, your child can ride on the donkey’s back or simply hold its harness.

It’s also a good time to discover new activities. At the Vire bowling alley, introduce your little one to the game of skittles with specially adapted ramps and barriers (from €4.50 a game + €1.50 shoe hire). Put on your swimming costume and discover the fun pools, rivers, water games and slides at the region’s aquatic centres: AquaVire and Condé-sur-Noireau (children’s entry from €4.10). At the Viaduc de la Souleuvre, slide down the valley on a toboggan on rails (from €3 to €6) or venture into a tunnel (€6) with Normandie Luge (opening on Saturday 10th February).

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For older children (aged 6 to 12)

Explore the permaculture vegetable garden at the Maison de la Nature et de la Pierre Sèche in Le Bény-Bocage (free). This association is raising families’ awareness of nature conservation with a forest walk on Wednesday 6th March (free) and a sophrology and sensory discovery workshop on Thursday 7th March (free for under-18s / normal price €20).

During the winter holidays, SEROC is offering a range of workshops and visits to give you the keys to reducing your everyday waste. On Saturday 10th February, 10-year-olds and over can go to Caumont l’Eventé for a workshop entitled « I furnish my home with second-hand items », and on Monday 4th March, 8-year-olds and over can visit the Maisoncelles-Pelvey transfer unit (free by prior arrangement).

Plunge into the heart of an exceptional natural and mining heritage at the Souterroscope des Ardoisières in Caumont-l’Eventé (opening on 25th February / €7 for 6-12 year olds / €11 for adults). As the topics covered at these two sites are part of the school curriculum, you’ll be helping children to better understand these subjects with specific examples.

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The Pays de Vire Tourist Office is offering a permanent orienteering course in the Wood of Ecanet, with a kit on sale for €2 at the Villers-Bocage Tourist Office. Three similar courses are available in the Saint-Sever forest, with a kit on sale at the Vire office. Normandie Luge offers an alternative, with tree climbing on nets for children aged 6-7 and over, from 1m20 upwards, and a circuit of 35 zip lines that is unique in the region (€13 per person per activity). In its 15-hectare park, Ferme du Loterot in Cahagnes offers a variety of multi-golf activities, an orienteering course, a treasure hunt and a treasure hunt for all the family (from €6 per person). You can also take your child on a dog-sleigh ride with Will to Go Park in Lénault (from €45).

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