With summer break looming I bet I am not the only one dreading the thought of being cooped up with my kids for six weeks. Nor do I think I am the only one who is so skint that days off and holidays are not an option. So here are ten things to keep the little monsters amused, by the way if anyone has any more ideas I would love to here from you.
Picnics are great for kids and grown-ups alike. Get them to help you make the food and then head for the local park. If it is raining picnic in a tent or gazebo in the back garden or have a carpet picnic indoors.
Build an assault course in your garden. With a bit of thought blankets can be pegged down to the grass allowing kids to shimmy under them like snakes. Invest in a few key pieces such as cones hoops beanbags or balls and set up some games. Get them to lie on their belly on a skateboard and pull themselves along or use a space hopper to balance on while playing Jenga. This is something I do quite often with my three and I find that the teens enjoy just as much as my 8 year old, but be prepared to find yourself with a garden full of children as the seem to appear from nowhere as soon as the obstacles appear.
Go to the beach and fish in the rock pools, give prizes for who can find the most different creatures. Take pencil and paper and do some drawing then get them to do a painting or collage using beach findings when they get home just like a proper artist.
Check out the summer program for your local museum, entry is usually free and they often have a number of workshops running for kids during the holiday period.
Decide on a summer project for you and your kids. This can be anything that interests you from designing and redecorating their room to Roman Britain. We will be studying mini-beasts this year, taking pictures of our findings and researching them in books and on the internet. Going fishing in streams and ponds. Making a variety of artwork from our findings and going to the museum to look at their butterfly collection.
Baking. Kids love this and it doesn't need to be expensive. Again this is a good way to spend time with older children. Get them to make pizza or chocolate crispies, cup cakes or muffins, soup or anything else you can think of. Outline the rules before you begin and make sure that they help with the cleaning up. This is a good way to encourage fussy eaters to try something new.
Printing and painting. Get a roll of cheap wallpaper and roll it down your garden path. Supply the kids with saucers of paint and an assortment of potatoes, leaves cotton rolls and anything else you can find. Get them to use their hands and feet as well. When they are finished give them each a pen or crayon and help them to find birds, flowers, animals etc within the prints.
Invest in a trampoline for your garden. This cost us a bit of money but has paid for itself ten fold as the kids are never off it. A word of warning though, keep them under supervision and limit access to one child at a time to minimise accidents. If you have a net on it to stop the kids bouncing off, remember to lower it in high winds, as the whole thing will take off.
Fill the paddling pool with bubble bath keeps them amused for hours. Use colanders and other kitchen bumf to make bubbles. Add paint to the mix if you are feeling brave.
Swimming. Most pools in the UK are now offering free swimming to all school age children. Make the most of this and get in shape at the same time.
