NOW CLOSED: Share your top ideas and tips for keeping the summer holidays fun filled on the cheap with Mu cheese - you could win an annual Merlin pass or a months supply of cheese

[AnnMumsnet]

We've been asked by Mu (the funky new Cheddar brand) to find out your top ideas/tips for keeping the summer holidays fun filled without breaking the bank. This could include arts and crafts, games, things to do at home, places to visit etc - we would love to know your favourite family activity.

Mu say "Mu believes in fuelling more family fun everyday; be this through our range of delicious, natural cheddars or through giving families the tools to make every day as enjoyable as it can be. The summer holidays are a perfect excuse to have fun with the family but sometimes it?s difficult to think of ideas to fill the whole holidays. Mu would like to create a free downloadable booklet which includes a list of activities that Mums can use for a bit of inspiration when needed"

This is where you come in! Please share your top tips on this thread.

The best ideas will feature in the Mu "Make everyday a Mu Fun day" free booklet which will be free to download from the Mu website and Facebook site from the 23rd of July

All entries will be put into a prize draw to win a family Merlin annual pass (worth over £400) which offers a family of four free entry into 28 top attractions including Alton Towers, Chessington and Sea Life Centre plus many more.

PLUS all entries chosen to feature in the booklet will win a months supply of Mu Cheddar. If your tip is used MN will be in touch for your address details.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

[sas1879]

We geocache Modern day treasure hunting that is virtually free.We visit all the local parks for the first week with picnics and if its raining we still go.We take flasks of soup and rolls and we take a tent and books and blankets and have a lovely time. We join the summer reading challange at the local library and go once or twice a week. Take advantage of the kids swim for free at the local swimming pool.We have a pj day all the duvets and pillows come down we make popcorn and use the soda stream and just watch our family favourite movies and chill. Messy day we just get everything out of the art cupboard and paint and have fun making a mess.
We dont spend much at all but we have a lot of fun.

[planetpotty]

At the beginning of the summer holiday get a huge piece of paper, some paints and some crafty bits and sit and talk about all the things you as a family have to look forward to and things you would like to do. It can be good for inspiration as the holidays go along. For example last year I was a bit stuck for something to do with the kids so I looked on the picture and there were lots of ice creams, so off we went to get one at the park . It's nice to look back at the end and the kids can see that they achieved things they set out to do

[smokinaces]

Look for annual passes - places you pay once and keep going as many times as you like over a year. Like country park vouchers for 25 or dockyard for twenty - initial outlay is higher, but aim for one a month and then by the summer you'll have a pile of choices on wet days.

[JugglingWithTangentialOranges]

We've used those annual passes quite a bit over the years for places we really like - and are nearby. One for a farm, one for weekend car-parking at park, and one for an indoor soft-play. Rain or shine - sorted ! Just have to remember you have them, and make sure they're fully used

[realssm]

Lazy morning in pj's make a camp with sheets and towels, get all the toys in and have a mid morning snack with stories.

Plop all the recycling on the table and make a paper mache structure, cover whatever you want with strips of newspaper and water and pva glue mixed (i think 3part water and 1part glue), when dry paint and decorate with glitter and stickers etc.

Let the children do the washing up after lunch and make a mess:)

Take a bag of wrapped sweets/chocolates to the park and hide them for the children to do a treasure hunt or leave clues for a big surprise at the end.

Take turns with friends to have a film/popcorn afternoon so you can have a break each :)

Get on your bikes with a picnic and map out your journey for an adventure, get the kids to help map read to find the way. Or take a ride along the canal.

If weather is bad, check to see if your local church hall is available for hire, usually £10 - £15 an hour or less outside London and between a group of you hire it for a few hours and use for children to run around and play group games, etc.

[aristocat]

My DD likes to make story books (often with pictures) but sometimes just words. She will write her own story and staple the pages together.

When DCs were younger we used to play schools one large teddy was the Head and other teddies were split into various groups just like their classes at school We had lessons in Literacy/Spellings/Maths and Circle Time. There were lunch breaks and teacher(usually me!) had to call the register
This is great fun and as a parent you can be as involved as much or as little as you like!

[maybeyoushoulddrive]

I am in awe of so many educational ideas - researching/writing/drawing etc etc. We just kick back and see what happens. My dd hasn't yet said she's bored! Holidays aren't long enough though...

One of our favourite free activities is to visit the local museums. They all seem to have activities on over the holidays and the children love seeing what is new and the Mummy old favourites.

We pack a picnic as a matter of course so we can stay out for as long as we're having fun - it's always a shame to have to head home because we're hungry/thirsty etc.

[TroLoLoLo]

Arrange a 'midnight walk' in the woods. It doesnt need to be midnight but the darker the better. Bring torches for everyone and flasks of hot chocolate. Even better if there is somewhere safe to light a fire where you can toast marshmallows.

[InMySpareTime]

We have lots of free museums in our nearby city, we take packed lunch and spend the day at e.g. The art gallery or the science museum. All it costs is the transport fares and the DCs are generally exhausted by the end of the day.

[ouryve]

Both of my boys have ASD and are difficult to for me take out anywhere, together, but we find every excuse to go for an interesting walk as many days as possible. Our local council is doing a bee survey, which I'll use as an excuse for a free activity with no travelling involved.

We grow lots of fruit and veg which (usually!!!) ripen during school summer holidays (courgettes, blueberries etc) and DS1 loves to help me pick them and plan what to make with them. It's almost always cake! (Courgette cakes are delicious!) Both of the boys like to help me eat them, of course.

[gazzalw]

Go blackberry picking - they are very late this year because of the grotty weather so will probably be ripe at the end of July/beginning of August and then make jam/crumbles/tarts with the children...they love picking them and you can easily do it for a couple of hours at a time ;-) so free entertainment, educational and with a yummy outcome - what's not to like?

[Piggychunk]

Bit late for this summer but I save Aug - Dec for Xmas and then Dec-July for school holiday trips. If you can save even £10 a month it really helps to have some spare cash to do activities .. Other wise it feels like you need an extra salary for 6 weeks as everything can be so £££ even for the smallest of trips.

[Piggychunk]

Forgot to say the money saved can buy arts and crafts materials or food for a pinic in the park it doesn't have to be for big things

[magnolia74]

Having 5 children and not a lot of spare cash I am always thinking of ways to keep them occupied especially in the summer holidays.

Best ones are:

Pavement chalk, we do hopscotch, snakes and ladders, number/letter trails and then a bucket of water and a broom to wash away later is fun for my 5 year old

Local park with fallen down trees for bug hunting, we take a magnifying glass, a book, camera and a picnic. On a sunny day it can take the whole day

Camping in the garden is a firm favourite.

On rainy days we set up our own beauty salon and give foot massages, paint nails, face masks etc....

And you can't beat baking mixed with dvd/pj day :)

[magnolia74]

Oh and cycling!!!! Best way to wear out kids

[3duracellbunnies]

Let them become reporters for the day. Go on a day trip, and buy a postcard/ take some photos, bring notepads. The next day, either on paper or the computer they write up their report. They might also want to include a restaurant critic column if they ate out/recipies if taking a picnic, a style guide if they saw interesting costumes etc.

The pictures and text can then be scanned/ edited on the computer, and made into a newsletter to send to grandparents/ godparents and one for their new teacher.

Apart from any costs for the day out and maybe a postcard, the only costs are for printing.

[tassisssss]

Brilliant list, we do loads of those too.

Only one to add...painting stones. Great outdoor or indoor activity. This week on the beach. Nice.

[Boysboysboys]

Wait for a wet spell and then take them to play in the park at Leigh woods. Apparently its the best day ever!

[rufus5]

Have 'colour' days - for example, if you decide to have a 'green day' go round the house and collect up all the toys you can find that are green to play with, eat lots of green food (great way to get veg-phobic kids eating healthily!) or go to the supermarket to find green food, do green art/craft activities, go for a nature walk to spot green things (again, much easier with green than some other colours!). You can fill a whole week with easy colours no problem!

[pumpkinsweetie]

The ideas that keep my children amused
Picnic inside a huge homemade tent, indoors or outdoors, the larger the better.
Cinema day: dvds back to back with homemade popcorn in a giant bowl
Cupcake decorating: get the kids to muck in make 2 different flavoured bowls of cupcake mix, either homemade or shopbought, give them icing, sweets and sprinkles and let them have fun decorating and eating them.

[pumpkinsweetie]

Like the idea of in home beauty parlour magnolia, my 6 yo would love that

[EllenParsons]

Make a summer scrap book as a little diary of all the activities you do throughout the holidays - making the book is a fun activity itself.

[AnnMumsnet]

Thanks for all the amazing suggestions. Am pleased to say ChildrenAtHeart has been selected at random as the winner of the Merlin pass. Will email you now.

WRT to the cheese - will post more once I know what tips MU are using in the booklet.