Kids activities old style

pigpen

Ooooh you live near me!!!

Check out the council website there seems to be a fair bit going on in the local parks over summer. East Park is always fun and busy... is there not a water park bit there too they would love?

Ice arena do skating for under 7's on a Wednesday afternoon 1:30-2:30
buckets of water and paint brushes.. they can paint!
chunky chalks for patio art (and wall and most other places)
face painting... saves a fortune at childrens parties if you have a set and are competent
just plain old simple water fights.. though we had a sprinkler which mine loved bouncing about in, and it required less supervision than a pool!
The swimming pools have aquatots sessions for small children and have toys etc in the pools which are usually fun.. times are on council website. You can also take your own toys which I do advise!

carlamarie_2

Great suggestions everyone. Thank you!

Hello there neighbour pigpen would you believe chunky chalk are what I've been searching for for weeks!we have just re done the garden for them and painted blackboard paint on the fence but have only been able to find the little chalks!

kathrynha

On my list for activities with 7 year old daughter this summer are:
CBBC event in Leeds
Swimming
Paddling pool
Water play in garden - lots of pipes, bottles, sponges, water balloons, targets etc.
Stone painting
Volcanoes (papermache, then vinegar and bicarb)
Colour change flowers
Rockets
Cornflour slime
Creating a blog
Making superhero dress up costumes
Den making
Making a wormery
Bubble painting
Splat painting
Baking
Solar smores
Marble runs

Got most of my ideas from pinterest

cornishchick

chunky chalks in tesco. about 1.50 a time..

what about putting the free ideas in to a hat ie put the good weather ones into a sun hat and the wet weather ( indoors ones 0 into a a welly boot. then choose the visits that cost money once a week or plan them into the summer.
also , when mine were little/ younger we..

sorted out games and books, took them to the CS on the proviso they could then buy another toy/ book to replace them.
in the months leading up to summer. I would take toys they didnt play with/ were at the back of the cupboard and hid them , then about half way through the hoilidays, bring it out.. the girls would fall on these toys like they were brand new..
what about just giving them load of cardboard boxes, old sheets, pegs, string, and let them make what ever they want. the big old boxes are the best. they would make forts, houses, stables, rockets, boats what ever they wanted or needed to continue their adventure.
plan a half way there party.. get together with some other mums.. have a picnic and celerbrate surviving so far...

karren

Ive learnt that the things my 2 have remembered over the years arent the gadgets and the expensie stuff but the fun daft free things,
forest days
making dens
i get massive cement mixer boxes and that kept them quiet for days!
park picnics
beach visits

and Ive had fun too, in fact Im eyeing up some of the ideas on here already !!!

carlamarie_2

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer, there's some fantastic suggestions here (love the idea of picking activities out of an hat, that will save a lot of 'I want to do this today' 'no i want to do this that' type arguments!)

mummy2threeboys

Wow thanks so much for the ideas some really good ones i havent thought of before!!

uk_american

Regarding 'make a playhouse', approximately 30 *cough* years ago, my cousins and I would spend days with our grandparents. (I suspect now) my grandmother wanted us out of the house, so cardboard and plenty of decorating materials magically appeared, including a few large boxes, such as washing machines would come in. My eldest cousin was 10, so she got to use the scissors to cut doors and windows for us. :rotfl:(Although that is something you could do for your little ones.)

We then spent *days* imaginatively using crayons, markers and all sorts of glitter and art things to 'decorate' our playhouse, drawing flowers and stuff on the outside too. We even had the boxes fitting together to make 'rooms' in our house.

I was recently in an industrial estate and noticed they had some large boxes outside for recycling and it took me back many years, to those lovely summer days in the garden, wonderful memories.

savetosave

Hi
We used to use old sheets hung over washing line for tents or around bamboo canes to make wigwams paint faces like Indians and search for feathers to make headdresses. Also what about geocaching saw it posted on here somewhere, like a treasure hunt.

chirpychick

I wanted to bump this for more ideas