Summer holidays - kids upset

[summersbysea]

I'm taking the kids for most of the summer as the ex is away on his hols and other stuff he's got on.
Just managing the food costs is impossible let alone anything else nowadays. Bills coming out my ears and uniforms they need as the school has changed its bleedin design again !
Kids being kids are saying they want to go to the beach, Alton towers that's impossible! We have a gym that does activities in the hols but they want more ?
Any advice like where to go on hols ?

Would a 5 and 7 yr old know what a budget is. They see everything and say gimme gimme gimme

I'd have thought they'd be old enough for you to start teaching them this, and that 'gimme' doesn't work.

I'd imagined they were a bit older... imo that's a bit young for bothering with Alton towers.

Sorry it may have already been said but if you get a family train pass which is £30 it saves about 40% on your journeys. So you can get to rhyl from New street Birmingham for £80 but with the pass its £40 so you save £10, on the first journey and after that its all savings!
Also, you can get a bmag season ticket which is £90 for a year, but is unlimited entry to all the museums so think tank etc
And if you're up and running on the train pass, lichfield has a beach at the cathedral, so no sea but still beach

5 and 7! I really thought you were talking about teenagers. Surely Alton Towers is a rubbish day out for children of that age.

Not that it really matters in this context but Alton Towers has CBeebies Land so not just huge rollercoasters.

If you can't afford it then they'll have to make do with what's closer. Is there a free splash park near you? They're usually next to a playground so take a picnic and spend the whole day there. Definitely as good as the beach. How about a nice lake with a beach? Lido?

At 5 and 7 I would no way bother with Alton towers! Or any expensive activities for that matter!

Hang on they’re 5 & 7 and making demands?! How do they even know what AT is? You tell them how it is, that’s it.

theyll get over it once they’ve had lots of fun doing activities over the summer! My kids don’t even know what a chippy is?!

Days out with the kids always have lots of ideas. Parks, trails, woods are always cheap days out. Any free museums. Library's and family hubs will have cheap or free activities. Movie afternoon at home.

Google free places near me.

Look in magazines like Primary Times for things which are on and money off entry fees.

Where I live there are some free gardens to visit.

What are parks like in your area?

Maybe find one a bus ride away and go for the day with a picnic?

Is the countryside reachable?

Have you Tesco club card points? Are there any attractions you can go to and use your points to get in?

Any free museums in your area?

Some councils run a fun day or two at a park.

Meet up with other mums for a picnic or walk or play dates.

Are any NT or EH reachable on public transport as might be worth joining. You can use tesco clubcard points to join EH.

Would a 5 and 7 yr old know what a budget is.

Well, they’ll know if you tell them, won’t they? Especially the 7-yr-old. Haven’t you ever tried that in a shop with them?

They see everything and say gimme gimme gimme

Yeah, but then you say no. Obviously!

At 5 and 7 I'd be looking at free activities locally, there will be events on in local parks, you can take the same food you'd be giving them for lunch as a picnic and it'll only cost maybe a ride on something and an ice cream. Arrange to meet a friend with similar age dc and they'll love it.

Local museums or libraries will have events running. Facebook is your friend for finding out what's on, even local churches might be running summer fayres or activities.

At those ages a train ride into a neighbouring town or city to a museum or event is exciting, sweets and drinks on the train and a picnic.

Sand pits or water play tables in the garden or messy crafts outside, all lots of fun, the 7 year old isn't too old to spend an hour painting a fence with water colours that'll wash off in the rain or drawing on pavers with chalk.

It doesn't all have to be about going places where you pay admission or big days out.

You need to remember who the parent is here.

My mum and dad told me many times that me and my two siblings didn't keep on about things when we were out. Why was that? Because we knew money was tight.

'We want' being said over and over again wouldn't get us anything as our parents couldn't afford it.

It wouldn't stop us asking 'can we have an ice cream' but we knew that, if the answer was no, that was that. They'd still manage it somehow - usually by getting an ice cream tub off the ice cream man and us sharing. And we were OK with that - a third share of an ice cream tub is better than no ice cream when you're 8 years old!

We take packed lunches with us now when we go out - DS has always accepted that. If he gets a cake as a treat, he's happy. He'll also happily offer his birthday money for things he wants. So 'if you buy it mum, you can take it out of my birthday money box when we get home'. And we do, not always but most of the time. Because it teaches him that there's only a finite amount of cash so be careful how you spend it.

Some of our nicest summer days when he was 5 or 7 years old were spent with his friends and their mums/dads in the park with a big 'bring your own' picnic. Or a trip on the bus to the seaside and a bag of chips on the beach after visiting endless rock pools.

You can buy a friends and family rail card it's £30 for the year.

Does your ex pay CMS. So your ex is busy for nearly 7 weeks?

You can get a family railcard using Tesco vouchers if you want to use the train.
Could you have a cheap camping night away?

We buy a box of icecreams or lollies from Tesco express type place for £1-2 all get one and always take a picnic.

Cosford Air Museum is free entry and has its own train station on the Wolverhampton line.

Definitely say no to the pester power. I know it's hard (mine are 6 and 3) but they get to choose an ice cream or the gift shop or a "silly" extra ride rather than getting all the things!

If you can get to any of the Commonwealths fanzone activities they look good.

Is there something local with an annual pass? We've done safari park, zoo and the Ironbridge museums in different years with gifts from family rather than extra stuff. Also adds the ability to go home if behaviour is not good as you're not wasting the ticket. I only had to leave the safari park early once.

Midlands is really tough to get to a proper beach for a day trip. Depending on location Llandudno might be doable but it's the furthest bit from the sea in the whole UK.

If East Midlands you might be able to get a train deal to York and the Railway museum (also free IIRC). Family Railcard might help if you have several trips planned.

Craft can be inexpensive.

I've realised my DD can't plait yet so I need to teach her that - wool from charity shop or ALDI. Some kind of knotting craft (like friendship bracelets) with cheap embroidery thread (as above) - also good for finger strength and a fun way to improve writing and dexterity in general. Or weaving (paper, string or raffia) paper chains, leaf rubbing or similar with stuff you already have.

Libraries often have activities for that age group too.

There might be some permanent orienteering courses in local parks - or geocaches can liven up a local walk.

I'm also hoping to teach my older one skipping - my plans fell to pieces when younger one broke a finger on the first weekend of the holidays so very much at the forefront of my mind just now!🙈 -Scottish holidays are end June to mid August-

You've mentioned kids wanting phones gadgets etc.
Why does a 5 and 7 year old need a phone or the latest gadgets?
I have a 5 and 8, the little one had an Amazon fire which was 60, and the big one has a tablet that came free with my phone contract, and a 20 mobile from a friend who sold it cheap, it just does calls. He goes out to play with friends sometimes and even if I can see him on the field, or if he is at a friends round the corner, I like to ring and say come home instead of dragging the little one out.

You sound like you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself too.

With regards to food, can you set up a tuck shop at home? Let the, earn pennies by doing jobs, and they can buy 'treats' that way there is a limit. And also putting their snack for the day out, an apple, a KitKat, one bag of crisps, and then you just have to do the main meals and they learn to regulate their appetite.

Cooking things like pizza, with homemade dough will take most of the day. And it's fun.

There are surplus food services near me, do you have any?

My local library does some amazing free activities, what are yours like? Also a few schools in the next town over have some free holiday sessions for children on free school meals. Could you see if yours has any?

Also please remember, boredom is good! It doesn't hurt them. They don't need constant entertainment and gratification.

That is so sad DS is 18 he and his mates are regularly to be found playing football/ basket ball/ cricket is it so rare ?

Some of our happiest memories are of beach/park cricket also pertunk (sp?).

Would a 5 and 7 yr old know what a budget is. They see everything and say gimme gimme gimme
You can say "no it's too expensive" or "you can have that but you have to share" or "if we buy this now we won't be able to do/buy X, what would you prefer" or just simply "no, not today".

Would a 5 and 7 yr old know what a budget is. They see everything and say gimme gimme gimme

When mine were younger I would take our budget for a day out in cash. That way they have a visual to help them understand. If they want something we would look at the money,.could we afford it? How much would we have left? Do we want it enough to spend that much or our budget on it? Sounds a bit depressing yo an adult but they seemed to actually enjoy it as they felt in control and grown up.

They're 5&7 and no is a word they need to hear.

If you have cheap transport into Birmingham, have a day out playing in the fountains in the city centre.

Get them booked into as much cheap leisure centre stuff as possible.

You don't have to buy food on the way there/home. Take a picnic.

I imagined they were much older based on their attitude in your OP.

If your child asks for a lot of stuff, then double the amount of time and attention they get from you.