AIBU to dread next week - half term?

[claritita]

Any ideas for a calm, bicker-free week for me and my 5 and 7-year-old? Rain and freezing weather conditions means we'll probably be inside all week and I think I might go bonkers! Short of hopping over to the Caribbean, what can we do to stay sane?

thanks have figured it out.

Wrap up and go to the beach, woods, park. It's only cold. Hot chocolate is fab. Bucket and spades work the same in winter as in summer.

I second with getting them out and about

we spent 2 hours in the park yesterday and though it was freezing we kept warm by running about.

Fraid I think one of the reasons are kids are all turning into fatties is because parents keep them inside all winter.

look for cheapy activities
HollywoodBowl offer 1p bowling if you go early on a morning
our local museums usually run kids activities like mask making and treasure hunts in half term week.
family swimming is free at our local pool on weekend.
Then you can have lots of activities without spending a fortune

we will be doing all of the above, plus maybe a cinema trip (although we are going to Alton Towers for the weekend on Fri)

try this

Please tell me what you think about this as an idea for Half-term. I'm mainly looking for feedback on how I can improve the idea and whether it has a market. Any help would be really appreciated.This is not, i repeat, not, meant to be an advert

www.culturalcompanion.co.uk/Home.html

I love the hols (but then I'm a teacher), but I save up for them, and we do lots - but it does cost a fortune mind!

I have enrolled my DD1 in a local council swimming class for the week. Every day at 9.30 for 1/2 hour. By the time she's showered and dressed, that's half the morning gone!

Then we will visit various people and do things for the rest of the week - we'll take a bus ride to have lunch with their dad one day (he works in a different city) and cadge a ride home with him, another day I'm going for lunch and soft play with friends and so on. We just keep busy and it seems to fly by.

If we do have a day at home, we will try and get round to painting the huge cardboard box that Father Christmas kindly gave the girls in Dec. In fact, DD1 is still playing in there now.... so that might be a cheaper idea? Get a huge box, turn it into a castle, paint it etc... and then let your children play in it? My girls have literally spent hours playing in theirs (in fact it is the christmas present they have played with more than any other!!!)

Everyone's seen this AIBU thread is in Saturday's Times paper, no? You're all famous...

In a strange masochistic way I look forward to the holidays(even Feb half term which is the worst IMHO)then 2 days in I'm clawing at the walls due to bickering.

I'm determined to keep them busy this time as tiny house + 3 dc 5,5 and 4 + little money will definately make a bickerfest.

Have booked hair appointments and 3 play dates then filling in with the following.

Have discovered www.kidscraftweekly.com and will be doing loads of stuff from there. Look at the newsletter and printables bits for themes. It's run by an Australian mum who enjoys feedback and shows you how to do crafty stuff at home from stuff round the house. I haven't had to stock up on anything to do the stuff we'll be doing. It's brilliant

Papershop to buy sweets and comics

Will be signing up for that thing at the library where you get stickers for books read.

Will be making rice crispy snowmen from the back of a cereal packet to use up the mountain of mini marshmallows and coconut we have.

ELC have 20% off craft stuff,bought some sponge letters to practice spellings with.

Will let them have a go on the games on the Playmobil site,they give them play ideas to re-enact with the Playmobil we've got.

Have bought the Ikea cardboard theatre to use with the 100s of fingerpuppets we seem to have.

Will be getting out all the boardgames we've got(that don't see the light of day past Xmas)

Daily runs to beach,park,moor anything outdoors(I have twin boys)

Will intersperse the above with time spent chilling out playing with toys, I find having a battle plan up my sleeve means when boredom strikes I don't panic but swoop in with an idea.

I reckon I'll have only spent £15 for the whole week.

Thats it, doubt it'll mean an absence of bickering but at least I'll feel justified in doing some light Mumsnetting amongst it all

Good luck

Here goes..

beach today...park tomorrow....swimming on Monday...theme park Tuesday...friends house Wednesday and the rest of the week we'll go with the flow. Paint, garden, shop, walk. I love spending time with my child, and we don't get enough time do we. Work, nursery and school fills their lives. Time is short. Childhood short. Life short. Enjoy it.

Go to your local off-licence and ask them for all their old carboard boxes (which they'll probably have broken down to be flat), take them home, tape them all together and paint and make a mahoosive play house

Don't forget the library. My 4yo DTS have are really looking forward to going and borrowing books and a couple of DVDs. I have no intention of spending more than £5 this half term ((DVDs from library). There are plenty of things to do for free plus I expect them to entertain themselves for part of the time too.

I always look forward to the school holidays because, like someone else said, I hate the school run and making packed lunches every morning. My son wrote an article called "rainy days" It is probably more relevant for older children but it has some interesting ideas on things to do during the holidays when it is raining.

This October half term will be full of my youngest child getting very excited about Halloween. We will be visiting Asda to look at costumes and inevitably buying and carving umpteen pumpkins.

If you live in Buckinghamshire there is some information on what to do during the October Half Term posted here.

Happy Holidays!

So do most English schools have next week then? I thought it was the week after for most places, but maybe it's less standard than in other years. (I know Scotland is earlier). That must make a long haul til Christmas for people who've already had half term.

I want to go to London and some point and it's always so crowded on the train in half term (live about an hour away so loads of people on day trips).

sometimes they lift the peak-hour restrictions, though, which is good. Though sometimes it's only if you have a friends&family railcard, which is not so good, if you happy to be a teacher or something travelling on your own but still restricted to half term. And sometimes they have a cheaper weekend ticket that they also allow on the week days of half term.

Clouds look at the date on the thread!!!

We have 2 weeks for this half term - please everyone feel very sorry for me!

Oh crikey, just seen the date of the OP!

As you were.