What are you doing today with your children? (school summer holidays)

onetomany

wat a great thread on monday we went swiming (boys 12 and 7) got in free as i go in as sons career, yesterday we went window shopping in kettering, today we was gonna go on a picnic to stanick lakes but weather not good so having a lazy day, then taking oldest to see hp later this afternoon, gonna try to get cheap tickets for cinema tomorow in morning for kids, then going to take youngest to his freinds tomoro afternoon, i will be following this thread for ideas !

bestpud

gghh wrote: »

this is a great thread, thanks op!

where can i find out about this free swimming? we went yesterday and had a great time, paid for all of us but will go more often if i can get the kids in free!

i've used tesco clubcard deals to order cineworld tickets so will be going to see harry potter when they have come!! only cost me £5 of tesco vouchers for two cinema tickets!

we will also be going to the natural history museum at some point and we are going to the stage production of "We're going on a bear hunt" in London

The free swimming here is part of some funding our local council won, so children and OAPs swim free in the local pools. I think the funding was only for a year though.

DD(7) loved the NHM when we went last weekend! Well worth a visit imo.

I'm in two minds about HP, although DD wants to see it. She watched one of the others at the cinema and it frightened her, but she has been fine watching them all on DVD at home. I think I'll opt to wait for the DVD personally.

Janepig

I don't know about other pools, but our pool only has free swimming at certain times, and they call the "freebies" out of the pool at the end of the session whereas those that have paid can stay (but I've usually had enough by then!). I just registered DD at the pool and she was given a card with a number on, and she just has to take that with her. I have to pay though but it's only about £2.50. It's the fear of being harpooned while I'm there that worries me though!!

Jxx

karren

my 2 had a weird start to the hols, I was working so a fab fab mate had my 6 year old from 8 till 4ish! but did give her huge bunch of flowers (which id been given) which is a another story for another day!
My son had a day at his dad work, which he enjoyed as he had space from his sister and played on his ds and reada book in peace! (community transport driver)
ANd popped tea in the slow coker before work, leftover chicken from sun, some mushrooms and onions and as bit slim on the chicken side, i popped in a tin of pinapples with it, so cheap tea as cous cous in cupboard!
so wizard of oz for her and peace for us, board game before bed so all happy bunnies here!
Tom is just the same story!!
Fri is the princess day when i repay the kindness to my friends and all sorted, printed of princess games and pictures off her and have tons of princess themed things for the day, if they do half we will be impressed!!!

louise3965

We rent a beach hut with some friends so try to spend as much time there as possible. This usually consists of me sat drinking coffee shouting at the kids to put a jumper of if cold, as there are children in Birmingham who would be grateful and wouldnt whinge that their lips are blue

poppet

louise3965 wrote: »

We rent a beach hut

cool - us too. Havn't been much this season yet but are hoping to make more use of it now the kids have broken up.

Spendless

Nicki wrote: »

Emmm - Draco Malfoy breaks Harry's nose in a graphic and violent scene at the beginning of the movie, and then Lula fixes it in an equally yuck scene with lots of bone crunching. There is some more fairly explicit violence with punching and kicking to the body (not in a cartoon, action hero kind of way) and Harry attacks Draco and leaves him apparently dead and covered in blood on a toilet floor. Oh, and Severus Snape attacks Dumbledore and throws him off a building several stories high and leaves him dead on the ground below with lots of crying kids looking on.

Stand by my contention that its not suitable for a 5 year old, and not because of the boredom factor!

and I stand by mine that my 6yo has seen it and was bored stupid for most of it, and not because she's into watching really gruesome stuff either!!! Bone crunching she hears in RL from her 9yo brother who has bones growing close to his ligaments and 'cracks' his bones (almost to a tune!) or was doing until recently when our GP told him to pack it in, otherwise he risked arthritis in old age. My kids are aware it is fantasy and ghosts appear and things mend and so on, so are able to put it into context of a 'let's pretend' film. Dumbledore dying didn't bother them (other than being cross with Snape) as they know he can re-appear as a ghost or a portrait. Likewise they know Draco can be cured with a spell unlike themselves if they are hurt.


On the subject of free swimming- if you border a county, check to see if they apply a rule of thumb where you can only get it free if you are paying council tax to that particular council. By paying I include if you are in receipt of CTB. I work for a charity and this is our rule, as it's to do with the way it's funded.

Takoda

Oi! Not everyone has broken up yet. Some of us still have a couple of days left

inamess200

We have free swimming passes from the local council so I expect they will get used at least once a week. Tomorrow we are taking a picnic to Salcey Forest, and i expect over the next few weeks we will be visiting Stanwick lakes, East carlton Country Park and Wicksteed Park with a picnic for cheap days out.

I have been collecting vouchers - have several 2 for 1 for warwick castle,and wicksteed park, which i intend to use. Have also found a voucher for Snibston discovery centre that gets a child in for free (on promo leaflet from tourist info office) and have £8 off cadbury world family ticket so a few more expensive days are going to happen as well. Have promised DS (4) a zoo but trying to find voucher for a local one!!

I intend to go to kids cinema on a Saturday morning as its £2.50 per child and adults go free and children still havent seen several that are showing.
And then Butlins at Skegy for last week which i booked in January and got at a very reasonable rate!!

Oh and in all of this i need to work at least 3 days a week!!!

So all in all a very MSE holiday:T:T:T

YORKSHIRELASS

I am having the first week of the holiday off with the kids and I am really making an effort not to spend too much! Went picnicking and paddling in a local beck on Monday, spent the day at a National Trust place on Tuesday courtesy of Walkers crisps and went to a local wildlife park yesterday. Today I have given in and said we will go into Town but they both have some money of their own to spend and I just need to be firm and not spend anything myself!