How can I fill the summer holidays without spending undue amounts of money?

[DumbledoresGirl]

It is even harder than that, I'm afraid: the activities need to be suitable for children aged between 3 and 10.

We are not near a beach.

I can maybe afford the cinema or a children's attraction once or twice - no more.

Come on! Who has those marvellous, old fashioned, free activity ideas?

So far I have thought of joining the library reading challenge (but only dd is interested, not the dss).

Going to the park where there is a paddling pool.

Picking blackberries (if they ripen in time)

Spending one day with each of the three older children, going through their thngs, and selecting things they don't want anymore to sell (perhaps to your children on the For Sale boards?!) This is scraping the bottom of the barrel though!

More ideas please?

Park with swings etc
park with ducks
just a general throw/kick the ball around a field
Some places near me are doing free entry days to historic building and grounds
swimming
cinema
bowling (not free but could replace ANOTHER cinema trip)
my boys will happily sit ion a train station and watch the trains go past!!

our local counciles do lots of free activities. playdays in the park. local arts festivals. they can be very good.

museuems and art galleries often have free or almost free events in the holidays too. my dds always enjoy those.

do you have any rivers or streams or lakes nearby for messing around by on hot days? We have recently discovered Proper Picnics - making a big deal of packing it all up and going off to a wood or river. Surprisingly enjoyable really.

have you tried googling your council website...i have found a brill list of loads and laosds of free stuff happening in our town; also, look at netmums ... they send emails about what is happening in your area.
forestry commission and park-ranger-type organisations often do free stuff too.

walk in the woods - scope for climbing trees, hide and seek, discovering nature etc. (check if your local county council produce any leaflets/brochures on local walks, woodland etc as ours does)

Picnics

BarBQ lunch at home where children make vegetable kebabs,hot dogs and chocolate bananas

Check the Whats On section of your local paper -you can sometimes find great things hidden away in there

our local pools do free sessions. it is completely free for kids swims all hols in the next town to us so the drive would work out cheaper than paying to swim here when the free sessions aren't offered

Getting them to start a 'common British stones' collection

Making mud pies or damns in streams, or drains or puddles if you're in an urban area.

cycle rides.

bug hunting and collecting the bugs and making "homes" for them out of cardboard boxes.

Thanks for thoughts. My older children don't like animals so farms/zoos etc wouldn't be popular.

I know what you mean about being happy at a train station watching the trains mumofmonsters. Mine love that too, but I am not sure the rail authorities would want us hanging around!

If dd could learn to cycle her bike properly, we could go for little cycle rides....

I do get the information from netmums but haven't really seen anything free...

Might go to London once to visit rellies but otherwise that is out. But could do local museums - must investigate.

Apart from the stream that runs alongside our house, the only rive nearby is the Severn. I*f you know the crossing into Wales, that is where we are! Not exactly a pleasant rural river location!

Kathy - funny you should say that! DS2 is an avid stones collector - I was hoping to be able to throw some out this holiday!

And yes swimming is a bit hairy as only two oldest can swim.

AQ really? FREE SWIMMING? I definitely haven't seen THAT advertised although the local authority gave out flyers the other day advertising the areas various pools.

lots of free museums

Leigh woods has great walks

the docks

the downs

Blaise castle

free days out guide

rent a dvd, make home made popcorn, have a cinema afternoon

Get some water pistols

pooh sticks

I know Wales has free swimming all summer

DG - are you in the Forest of Dean area then? Trying to get my bearings?

If so the Sculpture Trail is great fun -there are different lengths of walk according to how active you feel!

No BS, the other side of the bridge, just north of Bristol. I am PMSL right now at the prospect of playing pooh sticks off the Severn Bridge!

Is Sculpture Trail free though? If so, it might be worth paying the £5 to get over there.

Dumbledoresgirl, I'm in the same boat as you (but only half as many children!). I started a thread like this a while ago see here for some ideas

I bought 2 water pistols today (cost under a £1 each) and they have played for well over an hour with them so far. Don't foget there's always the TV or PC for a while each day!

The sculpture trail is lovely. I didn't actually mean ON the severn bridge DG!

Ah I knew someone had started a similar thread Mercy. Thanks for posting the link. Now I have access to both threads!

BTW, my children would happily spend every moment of every waking day on the PC, gameboy or watching TV. I am trying to think of things other than that!

I second checking for local free activities - we have an activity day one day a week here with various things going on. how about a picnic with lots of games - cricket, races, obstacle courses, football - invite some of their friends and you've got a day out for free. Mine love picnics anyway - we tend to find somewhere with tree stumps or felled trees for climkbing or a stream for paddling and they're in their element

DG, yes I know what you mean about the tv etc - but you need a break too!

Anyway for future reference this is a brilliant website for children woodlands web especially the British Life section.

Here you go DG Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail .

Totally free other than £2 (I think) to park all day -its got picnic area, playgound, cafe, toilets etc.

Don't be put off by the fact it says the trail is 4.5 miles because there are shorter routes that don't take in all the sculptures. The one that I found most impressive was the huge stained glass suspended from the trees!

Thanks for that link BS. Is it just my smutty mind or does anyone else find the phrase "Click here to find out what else you can do in this forest" vaguely amusing? Ah I thought so, my smutty mind!

I wish there was a little bridge over the Severn at Frampton and then it would be so easy to get to!

Where are you BS incidentally? (broadly speaking)