With a week off school and unpredictable weather on the horizon parents may be feeling worried about how to keep their children entertained this half-term.

But an array of events are on offer in York, North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire to keep the whole family busy come rain or shine.

In York the National Railway Museum is welcoming the return of the Flying Scotsman over the bank holiday weekend, with a week of Scotsman-themed fun to follow complete with bagpipes.

The city centre will also come alive with a mini-May Food And Drink Festival on Saturday and Sunday, and a transformation of Parliament Street into a beach on Monday.

Elsewhere, the family can get their hands dirty if they take on the Pirate Challenge at DIG, St Saviourgate, and they can create their own giant fossils at the Yorkshire Museum or witness paintings coming to life at York Art Gallery.

Free entry is on offer at York Dungeon over the bank holiday weekend to any mum who can convince staff on the door of the attraction that she is scary enough to have been a female gladiator, after research for a Dungeon gladiator feature showed there were female fighters in the Roman arenas.

Challenges will include roaring out a battle cry while adopting a fighting pose.

Events to keep children in the Selby area occupied include a duck race, along with other childhood games such as a coconut shy and egg throw, in Temple Hirst on Sunday, while Selby Community Centre will be transformed into a kids’ fair on Saturday, June 4.

In East Yorkshire, Bridlington is hosting a spring bank holiday street festival from today until Monday, featuring continental market traders from France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Holland and Poland.

There will also be acts including Chris Walton’s Punch and Judy Show, old-time Americana band, the Whiskey Dogs, a tarot reader, and on Sunday Elvis tribute artist Steve Caprice will be performing The King’s greatest hits.

Children can be let loose at the Moors National Park Centre, near Whitby, as they discover mysterious water creatures on Tuesday. Whitby Museum, Scarborough Art Gallery and Scarborough Rotunda Gallery are all putting on family fun events throughout the week.

Myths and monsters are set to take over Castle Howard over the bank holiday weekend, while Fountains Abbey will be welcoming goblins, witches, fairies, monks and the medieval to their grounds throughout the week.

Camels, vintage cars and a mini Grand National will take over Duncombe Park on Monday for the annual country fair, while a Second World War weekend at the Ryedale Folk Museum rounds off the week with costumes, re-enactments and a 1940s dance on the evening of Saturday, June 4.