A packed programme of activities awaits families visiting the museum over the summer holidays.

Every week day there are themed activities for children to engage them in discovery about the lives of people who lived in our buildings in the past.

Themed weeks of activities include children's toys, home life through the ages, Victorians, 1940s, Celtic and medieval life. Activities range from historic cooking, building a timber frame, making a roman lamp to stone painting. Visitors are welcome to drop in to activity sessions between 12 noon and 4 pm.

Children can also take part in the museum's summer holiday club run jointly with the Friends of the Museum, now called Arborfield Adventurers.

The club offers four half day sessions from Monday, August 15 to Thursday, August 18, for children aged five to seven and eight to 12.. Programmes for five to seven-year-old children take place in the mornings from 10 am to 12 noon, and cover fun and games, crafts from the past, Victorian bug hunting and exploring every day objects used by Victorians.

Eight to 12 year-olds will meet from 1.30 pm to 4 pm every afternoon and will time travel back to the Victorian period to find out about the labouring jobs available in the countryside, such as blacksmithing, taking part in Victorian pastimes and becoming Victorian scientists. Costs are £6 per child for five to seven-year-olds and £7.50 per child for eight to 12 year olds.

Children can choose to take part in as many or as few sessions as they want. Places are limited and participants must book well in advance to secure a place. Booking forms are available from the education office at the museum on 01494 875542 or through the main museum office on 01494 871117.

The new birthday party package on offer from the museum has been a huge success with lots of children choosing to come to the museum to spend their special day with their friends.

The museum is a perfect place to offer your friends a different kind of party in wonderful parkland surroundings and a choice of traditional activities to suit most age groups, with children's games and toy making workshops. The catering manager prepares picnics for the children to enjoy in your designated party room, while the shop provides goody bags for the children to take home. Many children have chosen to have their party on a special event day, so that their friends can enjoy the additional events at the museum that day.

There is also the added attraction of the adventure playground. Imagine a party against the backdrop of the soldiers from Wellington's Army, which takes place on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31 or the Home Guard in the 1940s' event on August 13 and 14.

Now that the summer is upon us and the fine weather is enticing everyone to spend time outdoors, there is no better place to bring your group for a lovely social occasion at the museum.

You can book guided tours and craft demonstrations to enhance the occasion and enjoy the 30 historic buildings in a typical Chilterns setting. The museum also offers evening visits from June to September at a charge of £250 per group of up to 40 visitors with the additional opportunity to book one of the museum's barbecues for an additional charge.

The historic buildings are also used by corporate groups and societies who enjoy holding their meetings in historic surroundings and entertaining clients in the traditional parkland setting. Corporate volunteering has also become popular recently, and the museum benefited from the assistance of around 40 volunteers from GE Healthcare who helped to dig a new 1940s allotment and maintain our lovely historic gardens. Local companies may even be interested in joining our Corporate Gold Card Scheme for a minimum donation of £100 so that up to four of your employees can visit the museum on production of the card.

For further details of our special events, holiday activities and group bookings, please visit out web site www.coam.org.uk or ring the Information Line on 01494 872163. The Museum, at Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, is open daily and is signposted off the A413 at Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter, and from Maple Cross (close to Junction 17 of the M25).

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or corporate volunteering opportunities, please contact the museum Director, Sue Shave at the museum office on 01494 871117 or email director.coam@uku.co.uk.

Sue Shave