Would love some ideas for outside activities

[MUM2BLESS]

What a lovely day today (Tuesday) the sun is shinning, I've got my tee shirt on. Just need the sun glassess now would be nice to be at the seaside but never mind.....

I would like to do some gardening with the kids. I have a stand up shelve type green house with plastic covering.

Trying to take them out at least twice a week, a recreation ground and the library

What do you do outside with the kids or planning to do outside? Do you do things in your garden or do you tend to venture a bit further?

Love to get some more ideas, epecially with gardening as I love gardening.

Thanks in advance.

Most of my cm chidlren are with me term time only. Only one comes during the hols. age range 2 yrs to 10 yrs.

We do loads :)
Today we've:
Played with the sand & water table,
Took the dog across the playing field for his walk and visited the park on the way back,
Did some chalking on the path around the house (rapunzel and buzz lightyear apparently!)
Walked down to school and back (nursery run)

I've got some raised beds in the garden and so far we've planted potatoes, onions, carrots and lettuce and some flowers. I got some mini propagators so that the children could help plant some tomato seeds to take home to care for - this went down really well!

We've got a lovely pond and a nature reserve close by so go there quite a lot. We also have a few National Trust places which I've just renewed my membership to and we tend to visit them during the holidays. One has a great adventure playground, the other has a farm and another has great bike rides and picnic spots.

One of my favourite memories from last year was when I nipped in to go to the loo and I could hear the children outside (all older kids between 4 and 9) thinking they were being really sneaky stealing peas from the plants and then running off to the playhouse to eat them.

SquishyCinnamonSwirls Yours setting sounds like fun.. I can imagine the kids really liking it with you. I would love to know what you do inside with the kids. I can see you baking and doing more fun stuff inside.

What age range do you look after?

2, 4, 7, 8(x2) . and 10 (x2) I also have four kids myself. My two older ones do their own thing but my 10 and 7 year old join in.

I also attend a stay and play at my local toy library.

Please feel free to share your ideas Everyone...... thanks

Thankyou
You've got me right. We bake, make focaccia dough for them to take home to make pizza for their dinner, bake stuff for school etc.

I recently picked up some cheap sun catchers which they enjoyed painting, and I've got a big bag full of Easter stuff to do - egg painting, little chicks, Easter cards to make, paper chains to make and have got them all mini Easter Eggs in eggcups.
We paint, colour, cut and stick a LOT, seems to be a phase they're going through but they really enjoy it.

At Christmas I bought tons of value cotton wool, glue and thick parcel paper. Made the kids lay on the floor on the paper to draw round them and we made life-sized snowmen and they dressed their own ones how they liked. We had a family of them lined up down the hallway!

At the minute I look after 2 x 15 months, 2 yrs, 2 x 4yrs, 7yrs, 8yrs and my own 9yr old dd.

What kind of things do you tend to do?

Which way walk/ take turns to choose which way to go at each junction. set mobile phone alarm and see where you end up when it goes off.

Lotto Walk, make cards depicting things in your neighbourhood, and the children cross off things as they see them.

Pick a colour walk - each day choose a different colour and see who can spot the most things that are of the chosen colour.

Take indoor games outside to the garden or local park/rec - yoga, storytime, music time, role play, painting etc.

animal adoption centres & pet shops are free to visit but just as fun as expensive zoos.

Car wash for ride on toys or toy cars. Bathtime for dolls.

Use sand, soil, pebbles etc to make a landscape for dinosaurs, toy animals or a garden for barbies etc. You don't need the expensive playtrays; use a cardboard boxes, filing tray or cat litter tray (unused by cats of course!) or wash out plastic/foil food trays.

Yes to cat litter trays for oats, rice, sand, fresh compost, shaving foam etc

Bubbles

Prisms

Mag glasses

Drainpipe lengths for water or balls

Old tennis raquet plus ribbons for weaving

BRILLIANT ideas on here, thanks OP for starting the thread.

The best activity we've had this morning has been giving my two 2 year olds and one 3 year old a bucket of water each and an old paintbrush (the big ones you use for decorating), they spent a very happy 30 minutes 'painting' every surface in the garden!! They particularly liked painting away the chalk from the walls and fences (pavement chalk, another favourite activity).

We've also been planting seeds. Gave the kids a seed tray and bucket of compost each, they filled up the seed trays and pushed a seed into each compartment. Once they start to grow they can take a plant or two home for their own gardens.

Last summer my older children really enjoyed me setting up an old baby bath in the garden for them to wash their dolls. I also let them wash the dolls clothes and strung up a child sized washing line for them to peg them out too.

Love the idea of litter trays for different 'sensory' trays, am definitely stealing that one!

they LOVE water painting!!...and chalking-they love chalking roads then brumming cars along them!
use ballons with bats-theyre easier for little ones to hit than balls.
My sandpit has a change of resourses in it every other day-animals,dinosaurs,cars and trucks,spoons,jugs and bowls,old plastic bottles to fill and empty,shells and pebbles...just about anything can be used in a sandpit!!

...oh and drainpipes for water, sand, cars, balls....etc etc
...bowls of washing up water..a great way to get your toys cleaned : )

Some Bil ideas everyone. THANKS will be back later. Need to bring clothes in and hang out some. Its lovely outside. No kids until pick up after school (cant miss this opportunity..)

I will share some of the thing I do later.

Thanks again.

I saw a nanny out with her 2 young charges in Hyde Park today - glorious weather: the 2 kids were jumping in the Diana memorial fountain, in their underpants. Do not try this at home.

Sounds like good fun BlackSwan, if I had a fountain at home we would indeed be doing the same thing!

Yes, perhaps it's more appropriate at home.

Trust you all enjoyed the lovely weather.

I took the kids to a nearby recreation ground, stayed for only a short while as some boys were blasting a ball in the play area. I did not want any injury to the children or have to face the backlash from the boys if I told them to play somewhere else. Went to anther one instead.

I purchased some bubbles the other day, might let the kids use them tomorrow.

Its easier taking out my own kids as I can relax a bit more. Its like another level of childcare looking after someones child.

What plans have you got over the easter hols, those who are cm?

I purchased some palm printers which I will use with one of the kids tomorrow (4yrs).

I love arts and craft. Lego is popular with the kids. I also try to have a good selection of books (got cm card which allows me up to 30 books)

Love your ideas everyone....... the kids must love it with you .....

We've actually been at Playgroup today as I had all 3 kids again, they get a bit fractious stuck in or only in the garden but I worry about keeping them all safe at the park...still working on finding safe outdoor activities for all 3.

We've been playing with bubbles in the garden but they're not massively successful as the 3 year old keeps putting the stick in his mouth and getting a mouthful of bubble mix while the 2 year olds just spill it everywhere and get cross because they can't make bubbles!!

I am going to be googling for Easter craft ideas this weekend. I'm also putting together an Easter/Spring sensory box for the younger ones. We'll also do an Easter egg hunt. Other than that plans are fairly fluid!

Blackswan you might want to avoid Hyde Park in the summer holidays as the memorial fountain is FULL of kids in their underpants/swimwear/nuddy pants having a good (if slightly dangerous) time!

We made rattles/shakers today. Different containers and then put sand/stones/pebbles/flowers/mud/water etc in and then made a dreadful racket for half an hour until I took pity on the neighbours and asked them to do something else.

Had a very busy day yesterday as school finished early. Had to pick some up, go home then go to the rec ground nearby. Then back home again and another pick up from football at school.

I was tired so I got the kids to watch a dvd until pick up time.

What are you up to during Easter (if cm)? Got first week off. Will be planning for the second week and also for when the rest of the kids come back after Easter. Still waiting for ofsted to call.

I am really grateful for my time off from cm, only cm one during hols.