summer holidays

lizzie_dripping

Have a chat to the other Mums in the playground, they are probably feeling exactly the same, and organise playdays.

A group of us have a standing arrangement to meet on a certain day in the local park every week in the holidays. Not everyone goes every week but there is usually at least 2 or 3 different families there and it's a cheap day out. I usually only spend the price of an ice cream.

Jo_R_2

I am actually drawing up a calendar of the holidays to plan them - may sound geekish but am currently 25 weeks pg and having to drag what is already a HUGE bump around, in this weather, means I am not relishing the prospect of those sorts of 'endless' days where we all get stuck in the house and get on each other's nerves LOL!

My main source of inspiration are the local Sure Start children's centres. We made good use of them last summer, activities are either free or minimal costs (couple of pounds for playgroup-type activities) and you can book in advance.

Some stuff we have done at ours includes:

• meeting 'helpful' people (lollipop men/ladies, firefighters who brought their fire engine for the kids to go in, police)
• family picnic where we made our own placemats and laminated them
• be active groups - like keep fit for the little ones
• normal playgroups
• making Chinese lanterns

I am planning on combining children's centre activities with stuff going on at the libraries locally, plus booking DD2 in for the odd day at holiday club at her current nursery, along with some council-run activites at the local museums and the like.

LJM

im quite lucky living on the iow we have lots of lovely beaches and parksto go to plus forest walks, we tend to utilize the free facilities a lot as it is too expensive to pay out to do too much. my girls also have friends round alot and visit theirs we visit and spend time with families. also we do the usual cooking/any kind of craftingcycling/walking/swimming