to ask what you have done with your children so far these school holidays?

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Have you filled the hols so far with days out or mostly cheap days in the park or at home etc?

I openly admit I'm wanting to do a comparison to see if our summer holidays are boring and cheap compared to everyone else's.

Dh has been off the summer with the dc (Im working til the last week). They have done
*splash pad at the local park
*another park
*fishing
*few days away at the caravan with his sister
*scooters
*picnics
*museums
*lots of house jobs/admin/food shopping

Going to miss him being off when he goes back its been lovely.

Oh for anyone in the Newcastle/surrounding area, look at Tyneside Rocks on fb. It seems pretty new but loads of kids painting and hiding rocks in the area, then others going out exploring to find them.

Oooh it's been fab so far!

3 nights in Chester, Chester zoo, blue aquarium, crocky trail 1st week. (Expensive)

3nights in north Wales, beach, Greenwood park, mooching around.(bargain)

Local country park, walks and picnics, train ride and museum today. (Cheap)

School uniform shopping..wow, very expensive.

Lake district, walks,picnics, (cheap) next week.

Really enjoyed doing bits & pieces rather than 2 weeks abroad then too skint to fill the rest of the holidays, needed a cheap summer this year.

Cinema, ice skating, bowling, park, went out with in laws and met up with family in llangollen. Bought some DVDs from charity shop. Paper Mache, taught little one to make a loom band bracelet.

Mine have been away for most of it with another parent or family. We've had two days where we went swimming in a place with slides etc.
Next week they are back . One is at summer school then we go on holiday for ten days and I cannot wait!! Plan to treat the older one to lunch out one day before we go and get school shoes. I'm missing them now so looking fwd to our holiday with them all and getting back to routine in September

Mine is a teen but together
Gone on a cruise and did lots of trips ashore and stuff on board
Badminton
Visited relatives
Been shopping
Been a taxi service to him and his mates
Gamed together
Worked on a montage of gaming clips together
Worked on some other IT stuff

He has done lots of swimming and football with his mates and also his football team. He has also gamed loads and put together a YouTube channel. On his first day he got 49 subscribers which I think is good.

One week holiday in Spain with grandparents
2x cinema trips
Picnics in the park when it's been dry enough
Sleepovers with friends
Too many days baking
Making more slime than is advisable
Lots of pokemon go playing
2x museum visits
Thank God school went back yesterday

I have limited AL for the summer, so there has been:

• a few days out-of-school club
• one week drama camp (based around musical theatre- dd loved it) - one week in Ireland with extended family (playing with small nephews, ferocious Scrabble battles and a couple of dips in the sea).

DD has also spent a couple of weekends with her father.

Next week we're going to Oxford for a couple of days (Friendsfest at Blenheim Palace) then 2 nights camping in the Cotswolds.

It hasn't been too expensive. It's a bit more timetabled than I'd like - I think dd would benefit from a bit more time mooching around, to be honest. But needs must.

I've locked mine in the cellar with a Pot Noodle and a brightly coloured, sugary drink. No probs thus far ......

We've been away in our campervan every weekend except last weekend when dh, who has no time off this summer, needed a break. It's been nice splitting our time away up, rather than having one long holiday.

We all ride trials motorbikes so that's always something we can do.

Other than that, we live near the beach so we've been a few times when it's not been raining.

We've been to the world museum in Liverpool.

Every Tuesday you can go swimming for £1 at the local pool so we've made good use of that.

We've been to the cinema and had a day at the park/ splash park with ds's best friend.

We've been to the garden centre and planted at herb garden.

Today we're going to the new trampolining park and out for lunch.

I've just seen that our local area is doing the pebble painting thing, so we'll have a go at that next week.

All in all, it's been quite low key but we've been out everyday except one where ds was ill (and we went out then too if you can count a trip to a&e!)

stevie69, I hope you've tossed down the occasional multi pack of Wotsits for added fibre and colour in their diet.

So far we've done...

2 x short holidays in the U.K. (one camping, one caravan). Involved beaches, swimming pools and theme park.

Day trip to castle

Cinema

Sleepovers at grandparents

Day out with friends (eldest child)

Nature reserve with friends

Shopping trip for clothes

Farm show

Various people visiting

...I keep a list every year and then when the kids say "we never went anywhere, it was boring", I show them the evidence!!

Two weeks in Cornwall
Three day break at pourton park
Legoland
Drayton manor
Two park trails
Farm
Zoo
Intensive swimming course
Activity day
Birthday party
Two park days with friends

Great idea maddiemookins16mum

Adds Wotsits to shopping list

We have been abroad for a week, done a swimming intensive course, lots of gymnastics as dd is in a squad, we live right by the sea so they are always on the beach. We looked after a dog for a week and the children are off visiting family with DH next weekend.

We have done wildlife place 4 times (membership), cinema once, soft play twice, meal out twice, trip to big park with friends, library twice, walks and lots of geocaching. The dc drive me crazy at home as they fight and are really LOUD so I find getting out keeps me saner. (Dc 3 and 6 years old).

Our holidays finished already but during them we spent a week and a half away, visiting family. Live right next to a lake so spent lots of time there swimming. Also live right next to a forest so many days were spent doing forest walks. Invited friends round for bbqs several times. Had a "sports day" with friends and neighbour kids. Went on a few day trips to neighbouring towns. DD visited grandma at her summer cottage for a couple of days.

Spent a lot of time at home though, DD just played out round the neighbourhood like usual.

I save all year for the summer holidays because even a cheap day out costs and those costs add up. And we need to be out of the house or the children argue. If youre looking for some more ideas Some of the things we have done are:
Family Swimming as extra to their weekly swim lesson
Playing in the woods, making wands and nature bracelets etc
Beach days
Outdoor Splash park
Park
Bike rides along the canal
Weekly free two hour sessions archery, gymnastics and cricket
Weekly tennis lesson
Museum visit
Library visit
Walk up to the top of a very big hill to explore the local monument. They did not like the walk.
Forest school
We have happened across Yps at local parks twice for free facepainting, climbing wall and inflatable tunnel thing.
Soft play hell twice
Visit grandparents
They also go to the local youth zone for 1.5 hrs on a Saturday and love it to do climbing wall.
I wanted to go camping but we have a small tent so in bad weather it is not fun. But we do go away for two weeks on monday!

Loads of days at the pool (live in Spain)
Two sleepovers
Quite a few nights at fair
Few days at beach
Few days at park
Few days of tennis
Shopping and relaxing at home and minecraft!

A week in Antalya with extended family which involved lots of beach trips , swimming , mountain climbing and visiting waterfalls

Nothing much since we got back .
Some baking , watching classics like gone with the wind etc (dds are 11/12 and suddenly into it ), lounging around in pjs , computer games , visiting grandparents. Reading upthread I feel very lazy but when they were younger it was all museums , art galleries, swimming and parks !

Our holidays are finished now but...

Week 1: holiday in caravan in UK with days out most days to museum / beach / theme park / water park

Week 2: 4 days in theme park and 1 day visiting friends then home

Rest of time kids have mostly played outside as that's what they most enjoy - they're 6&10.

Have also done :
Beach
Parks - various
Horse riding
Football camp
Safari park
Science centre
Crafts at home
Baking
Farm park
Cinema
Seeing friends

We went to Flamingo Land for a week. The rest has been playing out in the garden, days out to the park and swimming :)

Park x a million
Walking through the woods
A couple of NT country park type places
Garden
Tv
A few days at grandmas and a night away in the Uk

Library reading challenge, animal encounters show, cinema trip, day at the Bronte Parsonage museum, trip to local woodland place (a visitors centre with cafe, shop, kids activities), playdates, a few days spent with family. A few park and baking sessions along with usual swimming and piano lessons.

Holiday in dorset and kid's birthday party coming up before back to school.

But a lot of quiet time, in the garden, playing with the dog. And way too much screen time probably.