What are your everyday plans over summer hols?

[Biscuitbrixit]

I'm a sahm on a tight budget.
Wondering what people have planned for their dc to keep them occupied?
There are a couple places I am planning on going which cost money, but other than that I'n hoping the park, walks & bike rides will suffice!

Meeting other friends - kids play together, we chat. Sanity. Can vary location between parks, countryside, each other's houses.

Museums and local interest activity days.

Building a fort in the garden and picnicking in it.

Local library summer reading challenge.

Down days where nothing whatsoever I planned and they get to come up with their own ideas to entertain themselves.

Not too much in any one day, but I aim to have one thing marked off each day. Oh - if it's sunny, watering the garden can take all day. Especially if you do it with water pistols...

I've got two older ones (9 and 10) so we're planning a slightly bigger scale project for them to do - an enormous papier mâché model for one of them and sewing some things for the other.
Hoping for enough nice days to use the paddling pool/water pistols a lot.

We go to a lot of National Trust properties as our local ones have lots of things that you don't need to pay for. Take a picnic lunch and they can run around for hours. We've joined NT now as you can pay by monthly DD now. It's about £8pcm for a family membership.

I've saved up my Tesco vouchers as well for days out. Went to West Midlands safari park last week for £22 worth of vouchers, (£70 00 for 4 of us if bought proper tickets) and we they gave us a free re-entry pass.

Otherwise it's lots of bike rides and trips to the park. DC's have swimming lessons at local pool so they can go swimming anytime for free as well.

We are already 2 weeks in but I want the kids to have some time to just potter about and they'll play outside in the street a fair bit (they're 9 and almost 6).

Also meeting friends, water fights, beach, park, feeding ducks, walks, cinema, free museums, dens etc. All the usual stuff.

Thanks. We have an NT membership and there are quite a few places in our area so will be using that loads!

One tip I got from MN ages ago was to do nothing the first week so that they learn how to occupy themselves, this usually works quiet well for us and it means I get a bit of a rest the first week. I have stocked the garden up with some things to do so they are not completely neglected.

Other than that we'll do a few tips out and meet up with freinds, mostly it will be low key laziness though with as much time spent outside as possible.

Good tip lifeof I like the sound of it!

I usually say one expensive thing per week-or cinema/swimming/day out.

Other than that I really try and get a structure into every day ie jobs in the morning and an activity , a short walk after lunch then an hour free/down time, same every day. If you structure your days there is little need to plan anything big.

I get the kids to help with food and baking-we eat well in the holidays!

I compose a list of 'rainy day' or 'sunny day' activities, then I have something to go to whatever the weather.

I'm rubbish with in the house activities! Usually telly goes in or they play with their toys.

My plan for tomorrow is to set Dd up with a tub of water and a couple of scooshy soap bottles and sponges and face clothes and let her 'bathe' her dolls.

Then when ds is home from his club in the afternoon they can play in the sprinkler / have a water fight with the other kids. I might find the energy to make a solar oven thingy with them and melt marshmallows but it's more just as likely that I won't.

It's meant to rain on Wednesday so I'm hoping for the cinema then on Thursday were meeting friends.

Ooh feel a bit better about this week now!!! They've had 2 weeks holidays already and we've been away so I'm keen not to spend too much and also I think they need time to just 'be'.

I have just been making a list this evening. I'm planning on keeping it in the kitchen & glancing it as when the DC (6&4) are saying they're bored & I give a rabbit in headlight response rather than remember all the things we actually have to do:

• make lego models following instructions
• marble run
• come up with a dance/gymnastics routine
• various board games which work a bit better if I am playing them with the DC
• teach them battleships
• making something out of the massive cardboard boxes I have kept for this purpose
• paint ourselves (roll of wallpaper; lie DC on it & draw around them; DC fill in with clothing etc)
• have a DIY restaurant when they do menus etc

• have a DIY cinema

- work on money with 6yo - work on phonics with 4yo - make & send postcards - hama beads - play doh

I have also been doing a bit of research on our council's website as I have discovered a page which lists all of the parks & tell you what sort of equipment they have so I can work out which ones are worth a visit. The town/village has three which we have been to millions of times but there are several more within a 15 min drive.
Likewise, I have been studying a map & working out where we can go for a walk where there is something on the way. Eg walk through woods to a playground or walk along canal to lock where there is an ice cream van. I think the 4.2yo could manage a 3 mile round trip if we tool our time & there was something to aim for/bribe him with.

I know this may sound excessive but this is my first summer off with the DC & I am really looking forward to it but do have the odd panic that we'll have run out of things to do on day three.

I am a off with toddlers and am using a lot of the holiday to declutter and renovate pur new home (if I get the chance)

We have so far been to musical shows, forest park, shopping trips

Few other things - national trust, nice meal out at old lodge hotel and grounds, pet farm

Have a jigsaw day where we make all of the jigsaws we own. Any with a piece missing get thrown put!

Finally...be much stricter on the DCs making their beds, putting their laundry away, laying the table so that they are in good habits for Sept.

Great idea about keeping a list peas thanks for some indoor ideas too!
I have a ds(6) & dd(2). Ds breaks up on thurs, so few more days of school yet to get organised!