Day trips/ activities for lively children with an ill mother!

[SweetSakura]

Am looking for inspiration really. I'm used to planning lots of fun and active things to do with my children in the summer but am not very well and so struggling to think of activities that will be fun for them but manageable for me, but we can do together. They are 11 and 8, and we live in Hampshire but I don't mind driving a couple of hours or so. I just can't walk lots or do really active things.

Could you take them trampolining or to parks?

Would you consider hiring a mobility scooter if you took them to places that require a lot of walking?

Could you enroll them on any activity things so they get a day of outdoorsy stuff and don't need you to participate, this kind of thing www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/outdoorcentres

Or day trips to the beach where you sit and read and make sand castles while they play www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions/beaches

I took the kids to a water sports centre last week. They went paddleboarding, but other stuff was available. I sat on the river bank and took photos. Could you do something like that with them?

I will take them trampolining etc as well, but want to make sure we do some things together if that makes sense?

They have fun holiday activities and clubs planned, they will definitely stay active. But we are used to having lots of fun doing things like sea swimming, ice skating etc together and I love the closeness from actually taking part together.

A mobility scooter might work, I didn't know you can hire them.

Lots of zoos, theme parks etc let you hire them OP. Check the websites of the attractions you'd like to visit

West midland safari park would be good , it’s a great safari drive through and they also have a small theme park . Perhaps look at buying one of those light mobility scooters like the Supa scoota microlight .

Thanks, am hoping to be able to get my symptoms under control in time and so wouldn't want to buy a scooter, but hiring sounds like a good option.

Mine don't really like rollercoasters etc but a safari park is a good idea!

If you can hire a scooter to use while you're unwell, you might consider a TreasureTrail You buy them and either have them posted to you or print at home, plus you can filter by walking or drive/walk ones. You can also see if they're wheelchair accessible. They're really fun to do as a family, we do them regularly as part of a little day trip.

Are they too old for the animal farm attractions? Longdown Activity in the New forest or Manor farm J8 (M27). You could walk, rest, walk, rest as they do the feeding, holding.

Boat trip round Portsmouth harbour

The science centre near Winchester and milestones museum at Basingstoke are good places that are quite contained.

Day at the beach Southsea/Lee on Solent. Car parking right next to beach. Take a picnic and some pre-planned activities - scavenger hunt, painting rocks, make a film.

Could you do an archery day together or bushcraft - there's somewhere Southampton/new forest way that does family activity days inc. axe throwing!

Cinema? I'm not ill but slept through most of the first half of Thor when I took my grandsons.

At Snowdome they do activity day tickets with.1 hour swimming, 1/2 hour.rock climbing then 2 hours ice skating. You could do what I do and watch swimming and Rock climbing and sit in cafe and drink hot chocolate whilst to hey ice skate. You can watch snow boarding.

Archery could.work! I might be able to join in with that at least a bit.

Boat trip of some sort?

Or steam train. Fun transport!

The Watercress Line at Alresford would be good for this

Watercress Line
watercressline.co.uk/

Craft courses at the Weald Downland museum outside Chichester

Hydrofoil to Ryde and the train down the pier to the beach or on to Brading to visit the Roman Villa and the toy museum

Oh yes I forgot about the train in the pier at Ryde! That makes that a bit more do able.
Thank you, they are going to have a fab summer anyway but I want to make sure we have some fun together, and felt at a bit of a loss when they are so active and I can't be this year