Activities for kids during school holidays when the weather is bad?

[Fairyjuice]

My kids got their holidays from school last week (not in UK) and the weather has been so crap since that I'm struggling for ideas.

We're normally an outdoorsy type family so do lots of forest/beach walks etc on weekends, and I will just bang a raincoat on them if the weather is bad. But it's a different story trying to do this day after day with the kids when they're all moaning and getting rained on 🙈

I would normally bribe them with playground trips, ie, 'If you do this walk without moaning I'll take you to the playground afterwards", but it's impossible to do the playground in wet weather, as the slides and swings are wet and unusable.

Staying indoors at home is tricky at the moment for various reasons, and I also have a few high energy kids who really need the energy burnt off. I also need to get out and about for my own sanity!

I'm on a tight enough budget so it's not really possible to do things like soft play too frequently.

Would love some ideas of free things we can do in any weather that involve leaving the house and getting out and about. We have a car so can get around.

Children age and location matter here

Museums get you all out of the house
Joe wicks you tube burns off sone energy

Walks in different locations - woods, coast, city etc but create a treasure hunt, or I-spy game or try geocaching.

Ooh yes geocaching is a good one, I've been wanting to try that for ages!

Kids are aged from 9 to 3, but the 3 y/o is quite capable so we're not normally restricted by him, and he can also go in the buggy if needs be. Tbf, they are generally good kids and can be bribed into doing whatever, but it's just a struggle when it's so rainy.

They won't do Joe Wicks unfortunately, they need to be out and about an moving for a purpose (ie trying to get to somewhere), as opposed to indoors and moving in front of a tv.

We are in Ireland if that helps.

I've been trying to make a list, but all I've come up with are:

Forest walks (we have an annual membership for these which is great)
Beachcombing (can't really do that if the rain is any bit heavy)

We have only 1 museum nearby and it's not great, and same with art gallery. We used to have an annual membership to a nearby farm which was brilliant in previous years but they stopped doing the memberships so I think that's why we're stuck this year 😔

It's difficult. I used to live somewhere with really bad weather, and the truth is that there just is a limit to how enjoyable it is to be out in it day after day.

Do you have really good wet weather gear for yourself and all the kids? The right waterproof trousers, comfortable boots etc do go some way to making a difference. It makes playgrounds usable even when they're wet, for example. If you live somewhere with reliably awful weather then it's worth investing in.

Would the budget stretch to going to the pub for hot chocolate or an ice cream after a walk, as a motivator? Can you look for walks where there is somewhere sheltered to have your picnic? Stopping off at a hut/cabin/bothy/shelter/cave and having a wet weather picnic with hot food in a thermos (pasta, soup, hotdogs etc) can make walks more enjoyable.

Have you checked out holiday activities at your local library, churches, museums? Any children's sports clubs, Scouts, that type of thing?

Oh, and carry a small hand towel for playgrounds!