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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel bad I can't afford to take my kids out during half term?

111 replies

OneTiredMam · 18/02/2022 09:31

My DC are due to start half term today and I'm dreading it.
With all the price increases, I'm struggling to put money on my electric/gas meters and have enough food shopping in let alone take them out for a nice day out to break up half term.
We could afford it before the price increases but it's really beginning to hit and I feel so guilty there going to go back to school to say "we haven't done anything." They don't play out (reasons to outting to post), and we don't have any family near by with kids.

Any ideas how I can make it fun for them but for free? And how not to loose my sanity being stuck in all week please.

OP posts:
LuckyWithMyLot · 18/02/2022 09:36

What age are they OP?

I've been trying to do a lot more free days out recently.

Library, museums, "dinosaur hunting" in the park, local free kids groups (you pay a donation at the door if you want), picnics etc have all worked well.

InDubiousBattle · 18/02/2022 09:39

How old are your dc?

TuscanApothecary · 18/02/2022 09:39

How old are your dc and do you drive?

I've had half terms before with no money but I had a National Trust pass (£5.99 a month for one adult and two dc) and made sandwiches and took dc round the local ones in my area.

Library is a good shout. They often have free workshops in them but might not because of covid. Even without the workshops/events going for a walk to to library and choosing a couple of books, walking home with a park stop is still a nice afternoon.

If you did 2 NT days and a library and park day the other days are fine to chill out. Clear their rooms out and do a charity shop/tip run.

Iknowitisheresomewhere · 18/02/2022 09:39

How old are they? And what is there near you out of the house (park/woods/river etc)

Scarby9 · 18/02/2022 09:41

I agree with @LuckyWithMyLot
Free is the way to go.
Make a play and perform it.
Set up a massive obstacle course and try to beat the record.
Design a parachute for an egg.
Plan and cook a marvellous meal or cake.
Learn a viral dance off Tiktok.
All stuff that will go down well at the time and once they are back at school.

newbiename · 18/02/2022 09:43

Depends on their ages , my town has a 'things to do with kids for free' on Facebook.

BookBanter · 18/02/2022 09:43

It completely depends on ages!

You can do loads of free stuff with younger primary aged kids - upper primary and secondary aged kids are a bit harder to entertain without spending.

Make your own scavenger hunt

Walks - challenge yourselves to see who can climb the steepest street fastest or who can hop from A to B first

Local free museums or parks or libraries

Have a look at the 50 things to do before you’re 12 (I think that’s what it’s called) and get some ideas from there. One was climbing a tree and playing Pooh sticks if I recall!

Mumoblue · 18/02/2022 09:45

I imagine a lot of people are in the same boat, so try not to feel bad!

There’s always playgrounds, kid-friendly museums, or even just trying to find somewhere nice to walk in the woods.
Days out are nice, but when I think back to my own childhood- some of my best days were just staying home and baking cakes with my mum.

Mumdiva99 · 18/02/2022 09:45

I found a local beauty spot with a shallow river and plan to wrap mine up and head up there next week (our half term). They will hopefully splash and search for treasure....eldest is 14 so probably won't come!!!

We are having a baking day. Chep ingredients, or one jist cooking tea for us all (I appreciate if money is counted out to the closest penny then there is no extra for fairy cakes....but could they fit the budget?)
We have a local VR app where you go for a walk and try to spot the dinosaur.....we haven't tried it yet. But it's free.....ish.....because you do need the phone on.

We might do some rock painting and hiding (called love rocks here).

Invite a friend over to play/watch a movie....

daftcatlady · 18/02/2022 09:45

How old are the DC?

Things that have gone down well with mine are :

baking /cooking

cutting up old Xmas/bday cards to make pictures /scenes with and making lollipop/card figures to act out stories

treasure hunt around the house /garden (that one always goes down well)

get all of your existing board games together and see if you can mix bits together to make a new game

parlour games - ie charades, consequences etc

Hope they give you a bit of inspiration!

Hospedia · 18/02/2022 09:46

How old are they?

Some free and low cost things I've done with my DC are:

  • movie night. Various bags of sweets to make a pick-a-mix tray, snacks/popcorn (all obtainable from Home Bargains, Pound Shop, etc), lights off and a film on
  • sleepover. Can be combined with movie night, I let them bring all their bedding downstairs and camp out overnight in the living room
  • tent in the garden and camp out. Probably still a bit chilly for this one depending where in the country you are but from around Easter onwards back garden camping is loads of fun
  • sports camps. Lots of councils run free sports camps, ours has them in the local parks, one park per day and its two hours of tennis/football/rounders/games. Could be worth checking their website?
  • if they're of an age for it then download Pokemon Go (it's free) and go on a Poke-hunt so see how many you can find
  • have a try of geocaching. There are apps you can download (the one I use is literally called "geocaching") that tell you where to find them in your local area, it's kind of like a treasure hunt
  • giant roll of paper, get them to lie on it and draw around them then send them off to colour themselves in (even my cynical 12yr old enjoys this)
  • baking, it doesn't have to be expensive and you can eat the results. My DC have enjoyed making sausage rolls (pack of sausage meat with some carrot, apple, onion, and courgette grated into it, sheet of puff pastry), crispy cakes, brownies/blondies, cheese straws, pizzas, etc.
  • den building. Sheets, blankets, chairs, clothes horse, sofs cushions, etc and let them build a den in the living room
  • toy clear out. They will suddenly love toys they haven't played with for ages and will play with them for hours out of fear that you're about to charity shop them

Honestly though, above all your DC will remember the time spent with them rather than the place visited.

NameChangeinHaste · 18/02/2022 09:46

Could you borrow a neighbour/friend’s dog for the day? Take it out for a long walk, make a fuss.
Mine used to love having the chance to look after our friends’ dog before we got our own.

Howshouldibehave · 18/02/2022 09:47

Do you mean they don’t play out alone or don’t play outside at all??

I’d go to the park/seaside/woods.
Go out on bikes/scooters.
Do arty crafty things at home.
Make DIY popcorn and tickets, shut the curtains and have a movie afternoon.
Make a den.
Sleepover in the lounge
Bake a cake
Invite their friends over to play/sleepover.

massiveblob · 18/02/2022 09:49

Go for walks? Free.

OneTiredMam · 18/02/2022 09:50

They're 10 and 6 both boys. Yes I drive but I live very rurally and even struggling with petrol costs right now (£1.53 where I live SadAngry) thanks for all your suggestions so far. Smile

OP posts:
MaryAndHerNet · 18/02/2022 09:51

Who says you have to go out?

No fucker that's who.

If you've a pleasant and safe home, stay in. It's not a hardship and kids rarely actually care about going to places the adults think they want to go.

Spring is round the corner, plenty of time to be out and about when the weather is warmer and nicer, go out then.

gingerhills · 18/02/2022 09:51

You don't say how old they are but if they are young, you can do loads of stuff for free. Go on nature walks or cycle rides if they have bikes. Do junk modelling. Cut up some old clothes to make rag dolls or hand puppets. Just let them help you cook and shop - choose and weigh the veg (DC loved doing that at the supermarket) If you have Netflix you can do a film night. Make your own popcorn (great fun and popping corn is very cheap).

It's also worth advertising on free cycle for some new things. People get rid of big items like garden slides, trampolines, table football, musical instruments etc. The excitement of getting new (to them) stuff will take up a lot of time. When DC were young and i was broke we did this often and as they got older and I earned more I passed all the stuff on to other mums via Freecycle.

BobHadBitchTits · 18/02/2022 09:51

Living room sleepover.

OneTiredMam · 18/02/2022 09:51

@MaryAndHerNet

Who says you have to go out?

No fucker that's who.

If you've a pleasant and safe home, stay in. It's not a hardship and kids rarely actually care about going to places the adults think they want to go.

Spring is round the corner, plenty of time to be out and about when the weather is warmer and nicer, go out then.

Thank you needed to hear that today!
OP posts:
Hospedia · 18/02/2022 09:52

Also, it's a bit niche, but right now my DC are massively into "how things work" so I've gotten some old electricals from Freecycle that were being advertised as broken/spare parts only. They have a microwave, a hoover, and a really old box-style television. I'm going to let them in the back garden with some tools (under supervision for the littlest DC) and let them take them apart. They can then use the parts for other things (eldest likes doing experiements), model making, recycling, etc (I'm going to use the empty casing of the TV to help my 4yr old make a fairy garden inside it)

Gowithme · 18/02/2022 09:53

Urrgggh it's February, there's not much to do at the best of times that isn't cold or wet, I certainly wouldn't feel bad about not doing much, it's pretty normal in Feb half term surely.
Geocaching, board games, card games if they're old enough, den building/tent making indoors - maybe even sleep in there. Get some popcorn (or make your own - great fun!) and have a film night. Those are the sorts of things they remember anyway.

TolkiensFallow · 18/02/2022 09:54

I think we need to know the ages but there are so many free things to do that I’m sure the world of mumsnet can help!

Near me there is a charity that looks after birdsa c other animals and you can walk round for free. We go a lot and there are donation boxes. Sometimes we give a couple of pounds and other times nothing.

If you have a little bit of money sometimes buying a couple of new games and jigsaws at a charity shop is fun.

Nidan2Sandan · 18/02/2022 09:57

Why do you have to take them out?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with just spending the week chilling at home. You can watch movies, play video games, board games, bake cakes, and just be 100% lazy.

beautifullymad · 18/02/2022 09:58

20 years ago I used to have a free list that I compiled, second list was one that had a small Entrance charge and a third that was an expensive treat.

We would do free things daily and one or two medium treats depending on the weather.

Free things would be to visit a local animal farm (ours is free entry)
A stomp in the woods in wellies to find the biggest puddles. Or the biggest leaf, or the nicest stick to make into something. Or bird spotting with a book from the library.

We have costal walks. Free parking but it's a walk to the shore so that's part of our day. Drawing messages be on the stones and throwing them into the sea.

Feeding the squirrels monkey nuts at another park. They come right up. But watch the clever crows....they wait until the squirrels have buried the nuts then they dig them up.

Each time I take a picnic lunch .

I did 'dessert master chef' with them. They designed a dessert with a hand from me, we'd get ingredients when I planned my shop. Then an afternoon helping them to make their treats.
Judging is with friends or grandparents and everyone has constructive praise, no one loses. And everyone gets nice things to eat.

One for girls, flower fairies are very easy to make from pegs with a pipe cleaner. Colour paper and cut petal shapes, glue on. Bit of wool for hair and felt pens for face.

Play dough on the stove is another. If they are young less salt and some food colour.
If they are older then more salt and paint to get vivid colour. If you use the hot dough recipe it's just like the bought stuff and cheap.

Moderate activity would be swimming at the local
Pool. Visiting a museum, getting fish and chips lunch out after a walk along the beach. Lunchtime meal offers are cheap for children.

Taste have a free 90 day offer on right now with no obligation to continue. It helps make eating out with children a bit less expensive.

user1506328491 · 18/02/2022 09:58

Don't do a charity shop / tip run- that's likely to make things feel more bleak and not exactly fun for kids! Confused