cheapie days out!! (moved from OS)

Lillibet_2

Get an eye-spy book or soimilar from the libriary & have half a days family competition to see who can spot the most...birds/planes/cars/insects/flowers/fish etc etc. Winning team gets ice creams, losers team gets ice lollies so no-one loses out!

Family quiz : draw lots who gets to be quiz master.

Family treasure hunt, could be finding hidden clues in a set location (works inside too for rainy days) or collecting a set selection of things (leaf of an ash tree/empty coke can/favourite toy/recording of an Elvis track etc etc)

Board game in a outside location with a bowl of popcorn on a sunny day...you'd be suprised how many fellow park loungers suddenly want to join in Cranium, you could draw quite an audiance & that's half the fun!

HTH

beachbeth

If they are interested you could have a cooking session in the kitchen (I know this isn't going out though!). Let them choose what they want to cook from scratch (biscuits, cakes for example that they can then decorate)

Something my eldest daughter used to love doing was bird watching! My mum bought her a garden birds book (which was very cheap) and it was very colourful with a picture and description of each bird you would be likely to find in the garden. She would then sit at the window with her binoculars trying to see which ones she could spot. She really loved doing this and you could also go out and about to see what birds you can spot.

Have you got a zoo local? They aren't too expensive to get in and in the summer holidays they can have extra attractions especially for the children. My local zoo gives donkey rides in the summer and my two daughters loved having a ride when they were little. I used to pack us up a picnic and we had a lovely time looking at all the animals and then finding a good spot in which to sit and eat our lunch.

Galtizz

Lillibet wrote:

Family treasure hunt, could be finding hidden clues in a set location (works inside too for rainy days) or collecting a set selection of things (leaf of an ash tree/empty coke can/favourite toy/recording of an Elvis track etc etc)

We had a car treasure hunt a few years ago but you could easily do this on foot or on bikes and get some exercise too, I guess this is better for slightly older children or in teams with 1 adult and 1 child in each (the adult solves the clues, the child collects).

There was a piece of paper with clues on leading you to certain places and you had to collect something from that place to prove you had been there and write on where it was to prove you had solved the clue. The clues and the things collected and the time of arrival at a designated point (the last clue) were added up and the team with the most points was the winner.

The clues were things like a receipt from the local Co-op - we all arrived at Co-op at the same time and there was loads of (playful) pushing and shoving as everyone fought each other to get in and get to the front of the queue to buy something cheap so that they had a till reciept (which was something you had to collect) I got away first and for free by using a receipt I found on the floor outside

Other examples were a straw from McDonalds, a certain leaf from a park, the phone number of a local phone box (usually written on the phone) a bottle top from the local pub, a train ticket from the staion (could use a bus ticket) etc.... use your imagination and the places you have around you.

We finished up at the local park and the clue master had bought a big picnic for everyone to eat. A fab day out for all the family (and free)

Glad

we have of course got a travel board with a days out sub-forum, which may be a better place for this

squeaky

I think so too Glad, but if you don't mind we'll wait until the new ideas slow down somewhat and then shift it over to travel to get a fresh crop

Curry_Queen

Bargain_Rzl wrote:

Are you far from Thetford? When I was younger I remember there being a really great adventure playground in the forest which we used to stop at on the way to visiting my grandparents - if it's still there I'm sure it could be a day out by itself.

Would that be West Stow Country park? It's not actually in Thetford but on the outskirts of the forest, so you could be mistaken for thinking that especially as a child

They now charge to actually go into the Saxon Village centre but you can still use the play areas for free and there's also a lovely large lake to walk around (and fish with a permit in season), as well as the river that runs near and they have a lovely nature trail too.

Pooky

Treat your selves to a National Heritage membership - around £62 (i think) for a couple per year, entitles you to up to 6 kids too. You'll get into loads of places free and loads at reduced rate.

We got ours last year and have visited all the places near us that would have been too pricey for a day out, i.e. Dover castle , family ticket is around £30, we've been there about 5 times this year now for free, each time doing a different bit and taking our time. English Heritage also do lots of event days at different places, we've easter egg hunted at Walmer castle, seen re-inactments of the battle of Hastings at Battle Abbey, St. Georges Dragon trails at Dover Castle.

You can also buy your membership with your tesco club card vouchers, which is great value as your vouchers are worth 4 times as much, means you could get your membership for the year for around £16 worth of vouchers.

http:https://www.english-heritage.org.uk has all the details.

Aril

If you are a member of the National Trust [for which I appreciate there is an initial outlay] not only do you gain access to all their properties and gardens during the main part of the season but we have also found that many of the gardens remain open during the winter months. They also hold very reasonably priced children's activities [I think from memory we paid £1.50 for our son to do Mothering Sunday activities] including some in the winter and like last week at Chirk there were free diabalo sessions for the children. They also do quiz sheets from 0.50 for the children from about 3 upwards and many of the properties also have way marked trails of varying lengths. Finally although the food prices are relatively steep we take our own lunches with us but use them is lieu of a motorway service station as a pit stop for lunch and using the toilets. We spent half term with our 7 year old in Shropshire and worked out that had we not been NT members we would have shelled out £55 for the entry fee for the places we visited. The annual fee for us as a family is £68.50 so in the last year we have saved the equivalent of this several times over [children under 5 are free] and no I don't work for the NT!! However, in our new financially reduced position I am extremely grateful for our membership and shall be asking for it as a joint birthday present for hubby and I again this year.

Regards
Aril

Bargain_Rzl

beachbeth wrote:

Have you got a zoo local? They aren't too expensive to get in

I'd imagine the OP's within reach of Banham Zoo which specialises in monkeys and apes (always popular with kids). Don't know how much it charges for entry, though - might be pricey for 2 adults and 2 kids. (I went to Regents Park Zoo with a friend last year, and we paid upwards of £10 each - however I know one pays more in London for almost everything!)

hornetgirl

Something I used to love as a child was doing a matchbox treasure hunt. You can do it either at home or when you are out somewhere. Each person has a matchbox and has to put as many things into it as they can, all beginning with a specified letter of the alphabet.
I seem to recall B was a good letter, and you can get loads in if you use your imagination.