School hols - things to do for less than £10 anyone?

[Lottie4]

Just wondering what sort of things you can come up with that are really cheap in the holidays?

Totally free is a bike ride or walk into the county from home - knowing me I'll take a snack for each of us

Cake at local café

Bus to local park

Bus to town (£5.10), free museum and sounds awful coffee and biscuits in Wetherspoons - they do really nice coffee actually!

Bus and cinema tickets from Tesco Clubcard

Friends for sleepovers, my DC's friends are great, just need to provide them with a sandwich, normal tea and some really cheap biscuits, chocolate and crisps.

Play games at home

Let DD make cakes, biscuits or tuna pasta bake (which she loves)

[SoupDragon]

If you have a smartphone, you could buy the geocaching app and go hunting for hidden boxes. Once you've paid for the app (there is a limited function free one too) the only cost is transport.

[badRoly]

We live a mile from the beach so if the weather is good, that can take up a great deal of the summer holidays.

Our cinema also does 'kids shows' usually about 11am for £2.99 including drink and popcorn.

[thatsn0tmyname]

Make a treasure hunt by taking buckets to your local woods and hiding choccies in the bushes as you go.
Geocaching.
Make a treasure map using tea stained paper and sketching your local area and hide treasures the night before if you nip out.
Pond dipping.
Baking.

[NickiFury]

Our local authority pool is subsidised, kids swim for a pound. Maybe check your local pool out?

[CunfuddledAlways]

£10 or less here:
lido / swimming -£10for family ticket
Bowling -between 9am and 11am£1 per game for kids in holidays £2 for adults £1 shoe hire each
Parks
Garden
Baking
Seeing friends/family at their houses
Um....window shopping...

[WardenessOfTheNorth]

Local open air pool. £9.50 for family ticket and we take our own cool box. We can easily spend the whole day there.

Agree with geocaching, my kids love "treasure hunting".

We live near a beach so it's £2.50 parking for all day.

Kids morning cinema.

Local working farms sometimes let you go and have a look around.

Strawberry picking

Day in the garden building a fort and a slide going into paddling pool

For older kids the local pools do inflatable days in the holidays with the inflatables in the water.

Local free festivals...we have had a few already this year.

[thatsshallot]

Library! Load of free craft activities there

Movie night where we shut blinds and watch films, often things we recorded over Christmas

XBox/Wii family challenge where we all complete against each other at a sport

Gardening
Painting outside with wet chalk - neighbour let kids colour her whole path in rainbow colours last year

Letting kids chose something to make then costing it, buying bits and making (eg pizzas etc)

going to a big station/airport to watch trains/planes

National Trust/English Heritage - we have family membership for both and under £15 a month

[vindscreenviper]

Lots here on the MSE website, including free tennis, football and festivals.

[QuiteQuietly]

BBC things to do website has lots listed by area - most are free or v low cost:- //www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo

Making a film - digital camera with video function or mobile phone. Set a theme or let them choose. Or shadow puppet show (cut out pictures stuck on kebab skewers).

Paper crafts - print out 3D frozen dolls from Disney website or 3D shark from twinkl etc. etc. Loads out there for free - just ink, paper, scissors and glue/tape.

Nature treasure hunt:- www.naturedetectives.org.uk/packs/treasure.htm

ispot - www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland - They had a poster to print out last year with things to find every month.

We are going to go on a mission to get all the blue peter badges (except the one where you have to save 100 pensioners from a burning building then deliver triplets in a bus station toilet)

Picnics (I mean, you are probably going to feed them anyway so may as well drag it out and make an event of it).

Paper/cardboard boat contest (in local river or a paddling pool). Best boat, fastest boat to get across/quickest to sink, biggest boat etc. etc.

Waitrose cafe. Free tea/coffee for you (with waitrose card), then £1 for ice cream per child.

Library - summer reading challenge and often there are free crafts.

Do you have Love Parks Week locally? Usually first or second week of the holidays - some councils run free events.

National Trust open spaces (like commons or heaths). Usually free entry with £2 for parking. Often they have free events on too, like den building day or treasure hunts.

Swap children with a friend - they have them in the morning, you have them in the afternoon.

We used to go to Gatwick Airport on the train for the day (with packed lunch) and ride on the shuttle between terminals. Do you have anything similar nearby? Not an attraction you would immediately think of, but an interesting place to go for children? Somewhere functional, free to enter and with public toilets!

Have a pile of printed out worksheets and when someone complains they are bored, produce hard sums. Amazing how often children will find something to amuse themselves when faced with homework or housework.

[starfish4]

Pretty much as above.

Walk to local supermarket and buy chocolate/sweets (that way you've all had some fresh air) and then watch films recorded in the year.

When I take DC to Tescos & Sainsburys to buy school uniform, plan to pop in on my brother-in-law who lives nearby - we both like him to DC will enjoy that.

[PlayingHouse]

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[RabbitSaysWoof]

Ikea creche free
garden camp out

[confusedofengland]

I'm not sure if this is true for every area & it also depends on the ages of your DC, but our local Primary Times has lots of adverts in the back & vouchers - eg £2 for a soft play that's usually £5.50, free bag of animal feed at farm etc

We have a McDonald's nearby that has a soft play & ipads, so I usually take the DC there once in each holiday, they'll have a McFlurry & I'll have a coffee

Also, our local authority runs play schemes in some of our parks/woods etc. A favourite is in a nearby wood, it's called Wild Wednesdays & they encourage the DC to do things like den-building, mud pies etc. Only cost is the parking.

Get a big old roll of wallpaper (try freecycle or car boot sale if you don't have any) & some paints & let your imagination run away with you - we've done a sea with rocks (painted sponge), hand & footprints & more.

We also have a sealed money-box of coins that we have found on the ground since school started in September. I have no idea how much is in there, but last year there was £21 when we opened it after about 10 months. So, one day, I will open the tin, get the DC to help me count the money & decide what to do with it - am thinking swimming pool fun session. Last year we treated DC to the local funfair (£6.50 wristband, DS3 was too small) & DH & I to coffee at the coffee shop

[Sleepyhoglet]

If you invested in some water guns (not free I know) you could have water fights lots!

[RabbitSaysWoof]

Oh I just remembered DIY lessons at b&q for over 7's used to a fiver but the price isn't online any more www.diy.com/services/you-can-do-it/book-workshops#a10

[MsAspreyDiamonds]

www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/school-holiday-deals

[CountryLovingGirl]

National Trust/English Heritage membership provides a lot of days out for free in the summer (although you do have to stump up for the membership fees though, but worth it)!