What to do with the kids on rainy days in the school hols - we need your ideas!

If you're stuck for easy-ish craft ideas, Kids Craft Weekly has lots of good ones. Look at all the back issues of the newsletters, which are all arranged around various themes.

also- for when TV really is needed- we've already starte to record episodes of suitable programmes that they don't normally watch (brainiacs as its on a bit late for them): at least it's better than resorting to endless mindless cbbc!

Life size portrait. use either a LARGE piece of card. or lining paper..(joined together if needed). drwa round Dc's and let them cut up old clothes and cloths to dress their portraits.

squishy balloons.. fill balloons with flour and tie them up... ( this is messy!)

washing liquid and glycerene (sp) using different objects to see what/ who can make the biggest bubbles (outside)

barefoot puddle jumping in the garden.

snail collecting.. (good for the garden too!)
survival training ( good ole ray meres)..Dc's (pretending) have been shipwrecked and only have a few items to make a bivvy to stay dry in the garden!

hunt the coins.. choccy coins hidden all over the house.

The absolute best investment for summer is a gret waterproof and shoes (crocs cut it in summer, waterproof, washable and throwaway if you skip the named brands).

Then you can do pretty much what you wanted anyway, bar sunbathing.

We are making up 'entertainment bags' full of things to give the boys. Website addresses, scrapbooks, glue, coluring books, a reading book, and anything we see really thats A) syutable, and B) cheap.
I think I will be adding cress seeds this week as we'll be in the garden centre anyhow.

And I will be booking in a lazy day each week where they have to pretty much entertain themselves so DH and I can get things done, have a break etc- keep tempers from being frazzled.

Water pistols can be great in the rain.... no reason to worry about being wet!

I find slipping a friendly 18 year old a few quid to babysit/play with them solves a lot of problems .

DVDs = but do it like you're really at the pictures, re-arrange the chairs etc, someone be an usher, someone take money etc...

Indoor play centre!

we have themed days too. dd brings home ideas from nursery. we look into different cultures and try to dress up like that cultre/draw pictures/research thier religion and cook foods from that country! she finds it all facsinating

When I am feeling very enthusiastic, we have had theme days ie Eygyptian, where we read some horrible hstories stuff, do some hyroglyphic messages (code), make paper, dance like idiots to walk like an egyptian!, look up some vaguely themed recipe and cook it etc.

can we pool ideas for older children (ie 8+) especially those who are less keen on crafts and like more physical stuff (ie boys )

Treasure hunts, making treasure maps (rip the edges of the paper, scrumple it up, unfold, soak in tea for an hour, leave to dry - makes great parchment!). Spend a day making all those craft things that are under the bed! Make a film using playmobil/brio/lego - the child can narrate and move the figures, adult just films, then watch the film with popcorn! (This is ds1's favourite thing to do!). Local museum, swimming, train ride - go for a short ride on local train, assuming it is an interesting route, or bus trip round town. Brass rubbing at local church. Write books - ds1 loves me to staple about 6 pieces of A4 paper together into a 'book' - he then writes and illustrates a story.

And we made up an indoor treasure hunt for both children last weekend, they loved it. 15 clues, all leading to chocolate at the end.

My children also like it when we all play a game together, something like (interminable, I'm afraid) Ludo.

We have a projector, which was one of the best things we ever bought: it means we can have 'cinema on the wall' and so we often have a movie afternoon where we have hot dogs and popcorn and watch a film. When ds was younger I used to get him to make tickets, a poster advertising the film etc.

Use your cam corder to make a 'film' of a favourite book. We did The Tiger Who Came to Tea - using a toy stuffed tiger, shots of or table set up for tea, empty food packets, a homemade cardboard claw peeking round the front door. You can do lots of voice overs to explain what is happening, or do it documentary style and interview the Mummy, the child, the cafe owner, Daddy, The Tiger etc.

OR

use your digital camera to make a 'photo-comic' story. With hand-written speech bubbbles, or use the computer.

Definitely raincoats, wellies - maps and treasure hunts.

Make a scrapbook of the summer holidays.
Use photos, drawings of places they have been to. Collect souvineers when out on sunny days to use in the scrapbook later.

Other craft stuff eg sticking, playdoh, painting
Baking cakes etc
Big Read at the library
Local museums (ours does a different craft activity every week)
Teddy bears picnic

xbox
and i make no apology for it

teddy bear picnic on the carpet
craft kits
learning to sew (dd1 seems to be obbsessed with sewing or knitting atm and since i cant knit it will have to sewing)
put on music and make up a dance competition
soft play centers/fun pubs for dinner
cinema
baking
cooking
learning games on pc
board games/kids games (elefun/bounce bounce tigger etc)
card making
'fun' games that involve using mummies big hoover or dutsing!!
bathing baby born
salt dough/modeling clay
making scrap books with fave pics of friends/family
grow cress heads
egg decorating
bowl of soapy water and straw and see who can blow the most bubbles (best done on a towel/mess mat)

Play hide and seek in teh house! Sounds a bit lame but its great fun.

Treasure hunt in the house

Baking

Obstacle course in the house (hilarious seeing 4 yo frantically doing a forward roll so he can climb tghrough the hoop)

Visit a charity shop and let them buy whatever game takes their fancy, or hold a swap-shop with friends.

Face painting & dressing up.

Put on a show.

Go and visit Daddy/Mummy at work

Install the biggest pool you can reasonably fit in your garden. It will get used regardless of the weather. Also uses up lots of energy.

Get together with a friend and swap some children - eg one has the boys, one has the girls.

See what's on in the parks, museums, libraries for free or a small charge.

Rope in relatives to have one or all DC for the day or a sleepover.

Get annual passes for days out to your favourite places.

Have reams of paper, pens and glue for craft projects. Junk modelling is a good one - raid the recycling and see who can build the best robot.

Lego etc are great, have some suggestions for what to build. Use websites for inspration.

Limit screen time (TV, DVD, computer games), so it becomes something they want to do rather than a babysitter for you.

Book a playscheme for a couple of days.
Book a week's day camp - sports, drama etc.

My top tip if you have more than one DC is to split them up so they all get some time with you on their own.

Sorry, I should add ideas! My older two like making maps and putting treasure in a part of the house for me to find.

Taking all the cushions off sofa to make into a den or just for jumping on (dh not too keen on this one!)

Go on the internet and just research something - fine for slightly older kids, younger ones can find colouring in sheets. ds1 likes fast cars and plenty of sites with pics and short videos.

Oh are they?! We're in Scotland but don't finish till a week later....

This thread will be useful though.

Weather seems to have improved where we are (NE Scotland) for the moment anyway!

Go swimming - you can't get any more wet after all.

Play Monopoly - it goes on for ages and ages and ages.

apart from the obvious dvd fest...

local museum, is free here, so if you need to get out then that will do one trip.

I am signing my dd up for a couple of arts council classes, very cheap.

At home, we will be playing v annoying games my dd has made up..."it is so and so's birthday and we have to have a party.

plus inviting friends/family to stay who are very good company for the dc

endless drawing and writing to friends, and my mum is planning to paint an old play house in the garden, turning it into a shop.

buy the Saturday Guardian, it has lots of rainy day things to do for dc in the comic.

blink and the holidays are gone

ice biscuits and decorate

make jelly and then play with it...(they are meant to eat it, but these are kiddies, who are we kidding!

have a carpet picnic (of course, if you are precious about your carpet, cover well first!)

have a non-birthday birthday party

have a halloween party at the worng time (kiddies LIKE dressing up)

take them south, to bournemouth, visit psycho, come to the beach