What have you done with your children

[Movingon23]

What have you done with your children so far this school holiday ?

How do people fit it all in? 🤔

I was off work the first week - bowling and crazy golf, beach, bike rides, outdoor bounce Park, lunch out. Nature reserve with huge play area. Water fight.

2nd week I was at work, they spent 3 days at GPs and went to park and beach, and farm park. Cinema.

Just back from a week camping. Beach days, woodland walks, lots of bike riding.

I'm at work the rest of the hols.

We've been to ninja warrior 4 times (have summer pareses), they've done 3 gymnastics camps, swimming once a week, park a couple of times, cinema to see TMNT and lots of board games and puzzles. There has been a lot of iPad watching too.

Library
Swimming
Cinema
Park
Walks in the woods
Country Parks (but only in the evenings - it is so busy during the day! Like hell on earth)
Climbing wall
National Trust places
Holiday clubs
Craft centre
Science centre
Soft play

I've ended up paying to go into a lot of places which goes against my religion grin. But free places round here are so busy during the holidays! I hate it and it makes me want to run away

3 kids here age 5-8

Party
Play dates
Intensive bike lessons
Week in Cornwall
Lots of painting and crafting
Lots of coffee shops and park visits
Visit to toy shop
4 x days holiday camp
Car wash... kills an hour hey

It's so bloody hard..we juggle between holiday camp, me, dh and my mum

3 more weeks people! Half way there. Stay strong.

Week in Sheffield at swimming comp.

Working. Ds and me.

Beach, meeting friends, decorated my bathroom, watched some films, reading, ds gaming,

Working this week and meeting friends.

Then off for a week uk break next Friday.

This is ds last "summer holidays" because he's just finished college. I work term time in school and pick up extra work in holidays as and when I fell like it!

Back to work and swim training week of 28th.

A gorgeous week away in Northumberland
Meals out and then
Couple of sleepovers with friends
Bowling and cinema
Kayaking (fun!!!)
Ice cream parlour
Rainy film day with hot popcorn

Still only a couple of weeks in really but I'm working the rest of the holidays so I imagine it will be a lot of loafing and watching friends while I work! Kids are 14 and 18.

Oh and me and dh both work full time 😱

Weekend break (Uk)..
Two play dates
Bbq with family (does that count?!)
Sleepover with cousins
Cousins birthday party 🥳

I think DC has been busy enough!

Little holiday in Yorkshire
Three separate soft play trips
Trip to the zoo
Two play dates with friends
Trip to a castle
A few park trips
4 different summer camps
Shopping trip
Trip out to a local city
Two library trips
Lunch out
Lots of baking/Lego/craft indoors etc

I feel like we've not done a lot to be honest but the weathers made it so hard and we seem to spend more when it's raining.

Oh and 2 hospital appointments for ds as he has a disability.

Camping trip, mountain biking, walks, lunches out, a flume Park, a national trust castle, paddle boarding, cinema, shopping trip, visits from the grandparents, fossil hunting, surfing trip. Off on a foreign holiday next week. Had a week of being ill too.

I only work term time, so I get the 'bonus' of being flat out at work all term and then flag out with the kids all summer 😂😂😩😩. Send help!

Still sent them to holiday club a few days!

Stayscation, cinema, parks, walk in the woods, car boots, lots of nothing days really but they make their own entertainment and played in garden when the weather is nice, trips to town, swimming. No one has mentioned they are bored yet 😅

@dressedforcomfort

Yes we also ride a lot of buses and trams. Took ds to the beach and the best bit in his eyes was the level crossing the bus stopped at on the way.

The drivers are always asking why we are travelling and I never think to come up with a cover story.

To answer the question - dc just want to go to the park and the (free local) transport museum. Any other exciting plans end in whinge. So, thats what we do.

Ooh yes and also the car wash!

@FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee nice to see I’m not the only one making an Ikea trip into an activity!

@BrutusMcDogface I work part time anyway, 2.5 days a week normally and I have been able to book half days annual leave for all my full working days throughout August so I’ve worked from home 2 mornings a week and I work 1 morning a week in the office with DH looking after the kids or them at summer camp while I’m working. Dh works full time but has loads of holiday so has booked lots of days off during the 6 weeks.

• Week in the Canaries at the start
• half a day shopping in the city
• a couple of walks and table tennis at the country park with ds2
• a day shopping
• BBQs with friends
• driving practice with ds1

They've otherwise been free range, as they are both teenagers, but have both been quite busy (gym, friends, girlfriends, rugby camp(ds2), festival(ds1)with a liberal dose of lazing around thrown in.

Next week we're going to Alton Towers (ye Gods!) and for a few days at the seaside staying with family.

Not left the house and garden. Hated every minute of this summer to be honest. Can’t wait for it to be over as I’m at breaking point already now. All because of having no money ( not my fault) and the fact I can’t actually cope with DS 24/7 and I’m getting beaten up by him a lot now. I just can’t wait for school to go back.

@4YOWoe

I hear ya! We've also been trainspotting at the local station - which I try and combine with taking him to the barber nearby. My life is a thrill a minute.

I know I did a smart arse post earlier, but when mine were younger, I felt that they actually needed down time more than anything, and just hanging out. With each other, with parents, with friends and, crucially, on their own. Children's "working life" is so structured-the holidays are a chance to flop.

I've been working so far but DC have been at home with DH.
DS1 had a week at cadet camp.
Both have had 3 days at sports camp.
They have each (separately) had a day with my parents.
DH has taken them to a caravan park nearby for a day at the swimming pool.
We've been to car boots, football training and the library at the weekends.
I'm off next week so we're planning bowling, a trip to Ikea, crazy golf, trampoline park and a day out. The rest of the holiday is just chilling and meeting up with friends at the weekends.
We were lucky enough to get away at May half term, so staying at home this summer.

4 days in tennis camp while I've worked
Zoo
National trust places a few times
Local farm
Cinema
Play dates
Blackberrying
Playgrounds quite a lot
2 week holiday coming up
Also quite a bit of time in the garden and at home, making dens, lego, football, lazing with screens probably too much.
Would be much easier if weather was better!

Sup session as a family

The dc did a "learn to sail" course first week - ds has been back a couple of times

Been away to a family wedding - made a long weekend of it, with some mountain biking and outdoor swimming. DC met of rellies they hadn't seen for ages.

Trip to ILs on way home

DD has been to a local art club a couple of times

Been to see "Elemental" with DD.
DH and DS going to see "Oppenheimer".

School shoe shopping!

That sounds tough. Are there no free things that you can do locally? Park / library / walks? Or arrange to meet friends? When mine were young they were always better out than in, whatever the weather.

Walking the Thames path - doing 2-3 days a week. Sometimes they manage public transport to/from start/end of daily route, sometimes they need a lift. I’ve done one day with them, the rest of the time they are on their own or DS’s friend joins them.

DD did a sailing taster day (£10!).

DS has been sneakily camping in woodland nearby a couple of times.

DD has done a couple of free online writing workshops.

Blackberrying and using the product. Helping in the garden and preserving veg (mostly endless runner beans).

Guide camp coming up and a day trip to London at the end of August.

Plenty of loafing, friends houses and here, library trips, inevitable computer gaming. Film nights all together. Built a moth box and have been enjoying that. Love the slower pace of summer, but remember how much harder it was to be out of routine when they were younger (12 & 15 now).