Keeping children entertained in the holidays

[Bonbon27]

Thought I would start a thread on how to keep the kids entertained over the holidays on a tight budget. My ideas are:
Explore lots of parks, bring picnics and snacks
Water play in the garden
Arts and crafts
Baking
Wash the car (if you have one)
Movie night
Your local authority may have events going on
Library
Your local authority may provide free Swimming to those under 16
Play dates with friends
Your local church may have events going on
Going out on bikes/scooters
Your cinema may have cheap showings
Go on the bus, my children love this as we have a car so going on the bus is a real treat.
Making dens
Hide and seek
Board games
Hope this may help, does anybody else have any ideas

I'd add to involve them in the preparation - so, if you are going on a picnic, then get them involved in making it. In effect, it is another activity.

Then also get them to do a scrap book....even sellotaping in a feather they find when feeding the ducks, or a bus ticket from the bus trip. They (depending on age / ability / enthusiasm) can write a sentence / draw a picture, and can stick in leaflets from where they have been. Great for some rainy day or just down time after trips out.

Depending on age - do some meals as well as just baking....get them involved in the planning - looking for a recipe / writing the ingredients on the shopping list / coming shopping with you

Blue Peter badge - free to apply for and gives free entry to loads of places. I appreciate it doesn't cover the adult but worth looking in the website if it covers many places where you are. Totally worth it in the south east just for Eden

Oh yes scrapbooking! We do that and my Dcs love it. We stick in tickets and postcards and once my older DS (who has learning difficulties) wrote a story.

Some lovely memories.

Free council activities
picnic in a big park with money for ice creams or not (even better!)
explore a new town nearby, looking for free/cheap activities

My adult dc absolutely loved the scrapbooks they had made when they were little, when I brought them out when they were late teens / early 20s.

Museums
look out for cheap day time cinema tickets
Throw a bring your own garden party
Meet up with friends in the park
collect junk for modeling
build dens on wet days
ware and a paint brush on a wall or fence
Buy lose popcorn and watch movies

Tennis - the public courts are free here (appreciate that may not be the same for everyone)
Summer reading challenge - linked to the library