FOR parents of all ages, colours and creeds, Lego will be a staple of every birthday and Christmas.

I played with Lego, my boys - Isaac and Dylan - play with Lego, and their children will doubtless play with Lego.

Over the last 60 years, Lego has become a worldwide phenomenon, and a hazard to walking around your house in bare feet.

And being a dad to two Lego-mad boys, I seem to have spent a lot of time (and money) and Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester.

And although I've not spent as much time in the neighbouring SeaLife Centre, the boys love to explore the various attractions and interactive elements.

But first, as always is Legoland. I can't count the amount of hours I've spent either building models (or trying to help anyway) or watching the various animated spin-offs be it Batman (awesome), Star Wars or Ninjago. That's not to mention Clutch Powers!

First up, it's the tour, where you get to see how the bricks are made and for helping you can a commemorative brick, always a nice touch.

Over the Easter holidays, the place was jam-packed so we didn't bother with the ride and headed straight for the new Space Mission feature.

With my boys both loving anything Galactic and Interstellar, this new attraction was a winner.

The main feature is the opportunity to make your own stop-motion movie. There are a number of iPads and the props you can build are as limitless as your imagination.

So Isaac appointed himself as the main props designer - crafting a moon buggy ambulance, where as Dylan was the director.

Their creation, Disaster on Mars, was great and the boys - as well as a number of other budding directors - thoroughly enjoyed their experience.

Then it was into the main area. After a quick game of hide-and-seek in the Ninjago City Adventure, it was off to the build and test ramps, where you can race your creations against other master builders.

This is always Isaac's favourite part, although I don't think Dylan was taking it as seriously as his race was just two wheels at either end of a stick!

With it being mobbed, we couldn't get into see the newest 4D film showing in the cinema so we decided to grab a bite to eat and then head next door for the second part of our double-bill of Easter fun at the Sealife Centre.

The boys love the Sealife Centre. They love everything about animals and nature so getting to see exotic creatures close-up in a safe and hospitable environment is always a treat.

The sharks, jellyfish and enormous puffer fish - as well as the "Nemos" aka clown fish - are always popular.

But the centre had a new attraction and we entered the lair of the giant crab!

If you've never seen one - they are enormous. Measuring over three metres claw to claw, the Japanese Spider Crabs are a real sight to behold.

As well as the various feeding times and the talks, Isaac loves to play with the cleaner shrimps. You're allowed to put your hand into one of the counters, under supervision, and the cleaner shrimps crawl onto your hands and say hello. Or you can stroke one of the starfish. Great fun.

There was also a chance to get up close and personal to the jellyfish in the doughnut-shaped tank before the inevitable dash through the gift shop.

I've been to both attractions many times, and I've found the most cost-effective way is to buy a joint ticket for both attractions. It's a bigger initial layout but it guarantees a full day's entertainment.

And rather than being stuck looking at a screen, your little ones can let their imaginations run wild or get face-to-face with some of the creatures of the deep for less than it costs for a video game.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is open from 10am to 6pm daily (final admission, 5pm)

It is situated at the intu Trafrford Centre

Admission is from £15.95 per child (£11.95 online)

Combi tickets giving admission to both the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre and SeaLife Aquarium are from £20.95 per child (online from £16.95)

For information visit https://manchester.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk