Need ideas for things to do in Half Term with DSs (10 & 7)......please

[whippet]

Am rubbish at planning stuff for school holidays, so here we are, they break up today for 2 weeks...

So far I have planned/booked:

• 2 visits to friends/ friends over
• halloween day thingie
• 1 day of local holiday club

Thing is, these all involve me, and I need some things to 'keep them busy' at home, because I have a ton of stuff around the house I need to do for at least a couple of hours every day...

If I just leave them to their own devices for more than an hour or so they just end up scrapping & arguing

I need a long list of ideas.....

[pipWereRabbit]

I like doing projects, i.e. activites which involve a variety of skills and which take a number of hours/days to complete.

e.g. Putting on a halloween themed puppet show. Write the story/script, make puppets, make scenery, rehearse, design sound effects/music. Who will the audience be? When is a good time to put on the show? Do you need tickets or a programme?

In the summer my DD 'wrote' a book (she's only 5 so needed some help with the actual writing). She planned her story, made a book (stapled folded plain paper into a coloured paper cover), wrote the story (leaving spaces for illustrations), then decorated the cover and drew the illustrations. She then got everybody she met to read the story to her.

Perhaps your DSs could create their own comics?

[whippet]

pip - I don't know... (my) boys just don't seem as capable of enetertaining themselves with arty stuff like that.

I can remember doing loads of those things myself as a child - paper dolls, scrap books, sewing things, but it was all mostly unsupervised.

Even if I start my two on something, air-fix models, construction kits etc it seems that the minute I leave the room they're in they either start arguing or become 'needy' about something which involves me again.

I really thought by this age they would be able to amuse themselves for a coulple of hours at a time during the day, but it never works out like this. I have soooooo much stuff I need to get done (we're starting some building work in Nov and I need to clear out rooms etc) and I simply CAN'T devote every minute to entertaining them over the next couple of weeks .

[pipWereRabbit]

Can they help with the clearing out of the rooms? wrapping stuff and packing it into boxes, dusting and so on? They might find it interesting to dig around.

[whippet]

Well, we HAVE tried that in the past, and it just didn't work. They either got distracted and strated getting more stuff OUT, or just messed about with each other until I got really angry and told them to go away

[MilaMae]

I've just bought mine the Spooky Doodles book by Emma Parrish each. Loads of doodles and colouring to do,if yours are like my boys they only put pen to paper if it's for something horrible.

Mine also like down loading Halloween clip art from the net coouring it in,cutting it out and hanging/sticking it up around the house in preparation for Halloween. Grandma currently has a nice family of bats hanging over her fruit bowl as we speak.

Mine also have new books to read and some new copies of Okido magazine.

There is a lot on at the cinema-Up,Fantastic Mr Fox and that Meatballs thing.

Then I'm just going to do the woods,park,beach thing.

Good luck we're moving half way through

[MilaMae]

WH Smith has that doodles book at the moment £1 off.

[doubleexpresso]

Try bribery. Spend every morning at home doing jobs, let them join in or muck about. If they have managed not to seriously injure each other or damage property then have an afternoon treat. Ideas- 10 pin bowling,
cinema, pizza express meal out, go karting, get them to plan out what new rooms could look like after building work ? Some local museums do free activities - there might be Halloween themed ones ? A walk in the dusk with torches ? It's hard isn't it ? Good luck.

[whippet]

Some good ideas - doubleexpresson, that's a good idea about rewards in the afternoon if they've been good...

I suppose I never expected I would still have the role of 'chief entertainments officer' 10 years into parenthood... aargh!

Probably my best investment in the summer was when I spent £50 on a HUGE box of old Lego on eBay and then they spent literally ALL DAY making stuff.

But I'm trying to get stuff OUT of the house, not bring more in!

[emmaand3]

What about cinema afternoons, get some popcorn hire a dvd etc maybe they will need to choose one each so as not to cause friction.

Mine also love hama beads and maybe they could make some xmas ones that will be given to family as presents or for your owntree.

Lastly give yourself space by letting them play on the computer. there are loads of free websites lots with maths games or just virtual sites that are safe like brit chicks where you complete mini challenges.

Hope this helps..