Kids activities old style

carlamarie_2

My kids and I are compiling a list of activities that they want to do during the summer holidays.
They are going to write them all up on a big poster and mark things off as we do them.
While there is some costly days planned we are trying to come up with free or small spend ones too.

Their ideas so far are;
*Baking/cooking
Pizzas
Buns and cakes
Cookies and biscuits
Cheese straws
Sausage rolls
Rhubarb crumbles and pies

*crafting
Junk modelling
Make a playhouse (I have no idea how they propose we do this:eek:)
Painting pictures
Pebble painting
Hand and feet painting
Salt dough modelling
Collect and decorate bottles to make skittles

*misc
Big fun (soft play)
Little monkeys (soft play)
Go to the beach
Go bramble picking
Cinema
Have a late movie night with popcorn and sweets
Take the metal detector on a treasure hunt
Bike ride to parks that are a bit further away from the ones we used to go to
Little Switzerland (a nature reserve where they can climb trees, look for bugs, fish in the little pond etc )
The deep (aquarium)
Go to a farm (in laws taking us)
Tour of the museums (we do this every holiday and try to go on days when they have activities planned)

We will also visit family and friends who we don't get to see during school time

Can you think of anymore activities that we can do?

I would like an activity planned for almost everyday (in the hope of deterring the fights and im bored comments), obviously some of these listed will only take a couple of hours and on them days they will spend the rest of the day in the garden or playing on front with their friends.

My children are 6,5 and 2 and would like things that all 3 of them could take part in

Little_Vics

The national trust have got 50 things to do before you are 11 3/4 on their website - http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/big-issues/nature-and-outdoors/the-great-outdoors/50-things/

cyclingyorkie

potato printing?

making simple stencils?

Crowdpleaser

My list has started:

Insect lore butterfly garden, making a diary and doing daily picture of changes.
Summer reading challenge weekly at library (its national so most will do it).
Loo roll flowers.
Easter egg hunt lol.
Match the animal with its habitat picture hunt.
Pasta picture frames.
Papier mache hot air baloon.
Juice carton boats and float them.
Paper bunting making.
Malteser and choc finger cake making for dd2 bday.
Biscuit decorating.
Butterfly mirror pictures painting.
Sponge paints.
Hama beads.
Cheese scone making.
Cinema (cheap quid one for littlies).
Splashzone water play near here.
Walk round lake.
Walk through woods with a bag each to collect leaves sticks etc and make picture out of.

I'm still working on more. We are away for week n half and I work til 1 everyday but am determined not to just come home n collapse on sofa! X

theoretica

Kites! Depending on the age you can start by making them.

In this weather don't forget the freezer side of cooking - orange segments (and other fruit) freeze into icepops. Strongish squash made into icecubes drunk in water rather than water icecubes in squash.

carlamarie_2

Some fantastic ideas here, I shall read them out to the kids tomorrow and see which they want on our list.
Thanks all

double_mummy

(howdy crowdpleaser x)

vegetable prints
decorate an old tshirt
paint a mug
geocaching
scavenger hunt
leaf and bark rubbings
pressing flowers
make flags/ coats of arms
roll down a big hill (keeps them occupied for ages!)
make treasure maps
native american or aztec headdresses
making bracelets
get them to sort out some toys or old books and do a car boot sale
make and then play dominoes
make and play cards (snap with the littlest)
see if the local library are having readings
anything happening at your local surestart centre?
shoebox instruments and make your own little band
bottle bowling -empty bottles plus a ball
make a photo collage
sock puppets
water fight
masks - paper plates +coloring and strips of paper
alphabet walks - find something beginning with a then b then c etc
make maracas out of paper plates with pasta inside
make bird feeders
make a time capsule for them each to open when they are 18
backwards day - so you wake up and put your pjs on have your dinner then lunch then breakfast
mentos and coke rockets

gsymoo

Doing a similar thing for when my two break up for summer. Heard about the big butterfly count today. The website is http://www.bigbutterflycount.org

You print off a guide to identify common butterflies then record how many you see in 15 mins. You then log the details and location on their site. I've never done it before but its the kind of thing mine are keen on and if the weathers nice we'll make a picnic of it.

babyshoes

Make musical instruments from household things (start collecting empty containers now.)
Make up a song using those instruments - can perform for any audience you can gather.
Make a play to perform - may need help with scripting ideas
Dance - again can put on a show if they work to coreograph and practise it beforehand
Dressing up box of old clothes, jewellery etc from your cupboard and maybe charity shops - fun for all sorts of activities
Visit a 'pick your own' fruit farm, then use fruit to make healthy treats
Although H0bbycr@ft is an expensive place to buy crafty things, they do have lots of kiddy friendly workshops and demos, usually free.
Water play is fun for all ages if you have a shallow pool and lots of containers to fill and empty again. (obviously needs close supervision, but not necessarily direct input from an adult)
Water fights can be fun in this weather - make sure they know the ground rules though - not inside, only within the garden, a safe area where they can't attack or be attacked (in case someone is feeling overwhelmed) etc.

Don't feel they need to be provided with entertainment every minute though, a big part of growing up is learning to use your own imagination to entertain yourself, as well as sorting out conflicts with siblings as far as possible on your own. Obviously you would need to step in if the conflicts got too physical or verbally hurtful, but otherwise let them learn to negotiate, work as a team, compromise and argue their point!

[Deleted User]

Today my Dds four lads aged 9 12 13 and 17 had a great hopur or two waterfighting with balloons filled with water from the outside tap.The garden got well and truly watered and so did Dd and I the balloons cost about 1.50 from Wilkinsons for about 50 of them and the garden was full of little boys dive bombing each other .We all ended up drenched but laughing our heads off.its only water so it soon dried even the two dogs joined in the fun and it helped to cool them down as well.best £1.50 ever spent for the amount of fun it produced

kettlenic

They could camp one afternoon/night in the garden? thats if you have a tent?