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Tell Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins about your favourite family activities – iPad Mini up for grabs! NOW CLOSED

261 replies

MichelleMumsnet · 28/08/2013 09:20

Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins now offer a free soft play session for one child with each purchased pack of promotional Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins. To celebrate this, Bassetts Soft & Chewy want to find out what Mumsnetters' favourite activities are to have fun as a family.

Here's what Bassetts Soft & Chewy have to say, "Mums have told us that they want their kids to be healthy and active so that they can enjoy school. That's why we decided to make mums' lives a little bit easier with free soft play sessions on every promotional pack of Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins offering a free soft play session for one child. With nearly two hundred great soft play centres around the UK taking part in the promotion, children around the country can have fun at their local centre, while mum enjoys a hot cup of coffee. Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins promotional packs can be found in the UK (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) in most major retailers."

You can find your nearest participating centre here.

So, what are your favourite family activities? Do you enjoy going to soft play sessions with your children? If so, why? If not, why not? If you have been to one which really stood out as being ace, what made it so good?

Everyone who enters their thoughts to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad Mini. Grin

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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OP posts:
Iwaswatchingthat · 30/08/2013 19:39

Ps: we tend to do 'soft play' more in the winter months. The one near us is reall good as it has a decent coffee shop with nice cakes, and this makes it a pleasant experience for both adults and children.

Yonilovesboni · 30/08/2013 19:41

Our favourite family activity would have to be, going on a family walk (inc new puppy!) finding treasures, eating picnics, finding exciting new playgrounds.
There's nothing better than an adventure together!Smile

ViviDeBeauvoir · 30/08/2013 19:45

Aside from the usual trips out/the park etc. my favourite activities with the DC are vacuuming, washing, cleaning and using the 'sheen' (machine- kitchen blender)

DS1 (2) is obsessed with all 'sheens' and is therefore a great help around the house.

He loves baking (if he gets to use the sheen or the microwave), loading and switching the washing sheen on, using the vacuum cleaner (this could be improved further if I invested in a Henry but my old vac will do for now).
Here's hoping it lasts until he leaves home!

Bubbles85 · 30/08/2013 19:47

Our favourite family activity is definitely camping (when it's not pouring with rain of course!)

monkeymax58 · 30/08/2013 20:02

We are in Cornwall ATM and crabbing off the pier is by far our favourite pastime! We love it and are all thrilled to catch a crab!!

TribbleWithoutACause · 30/08/2013 20:23

We love parks, nothing beats a good stomp round our local one. We have water play, a cafe and trampolines and a nature trail. Ds1 loves it!

RedBushedT · 30/08/2013 21:12

I don't mind soft play occasionally, but I much prefer spending time with my children outdoors. Going for a ramble through the woods, bug hunting under logs and feeding the squirrels. Or going to the beach and skimming stones, building waterways for the approaching tide. Just generally being together

Fraxinus · 30/08/2013 21:20

Like soft play. Giant's den and the like, Especially in winter. However love cooking the dinner, packing it in a bag and walking to the nearby woods to sit at eat it. My girls love this. We all like Going to the sweet shop on the way home from school and taking our sweets to the riverbank and watching the water and sharing the sweets. It might sound like we are rural, but we are urban, and I am so happy we can do these things while still being able to get to the city centre in 15 minutes.

JemimaMuddledUp · 30/08/2013 21:25

Mine are a bit old for soft play now (youngest is 7), but we did used to go sometimes when the weather was bad in the winter.

They've always been outdoorsy kids though and were happier in the park or on the beach. We do a lot of walking and cycling together as a family these days.

Fraxinus · 30/08/2013 21:25

Do I enjoy soft play with the kids? No not really.it is difficult for adults to join in. You are definately supposed to sit and drink coffee while the kids play. The kids love it, but it is not a family activity. Also i need to check out the public transport, as they are in out of the way places, and I previously had a car and drove there. Now I don't have a car, I don't know how to get them, and wish they were near bus interchanges!

DizzyPurple · 30/08/2013 21:34

The great outdoors! There are a few lovely woodland areas near us, one is a nature trail at a garden centre with animals to see. Small children (DD-3 and friends) love it. Great way to burn off energy and make as much noise as they like!
We do go to soft play sometimes but it can be chaotic and out of school time it's awful! Luckily I have another year until Dd starts school to enjoy the calmer times there.

lisad123everybodydancenow · 30/08/2013 22:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TiredFeet · 30/08/2013 22:21

I think one of our favourite family activities would have to be just having a kickabout / game of piggy in the middle, whether in the back garden or in the park. my son (nearly 3) always ends up howling with laughter and its just good simple fun

another favourite is to go out for a (toddler length) walk somewhere, my son loves it if we play hide and seek or if we walk through woodland he pretends he's the mouse from the gruffalo

Pantone363 · 30/08/2013 22:30

Board games, film nights under the quilt on a sofa.

I don't really like soft play, too expensive, too dirty!

I would probably go more if I found a nice one.

MisForMumNotMaid · 30/08/2013 22:31

We like exploring. DS1 (ASD) likes to plan the exploration, print maps, do an agenda, organise backpacks and spends much time packing for every eventuality. DS2 is an energy bundle and loves the game of it all and just running around outside without an apparent care in the world. DD just tries to keep up with her big brothers but her wibbly legs don't quite let her. She's not deterred and doesn't fret at muddy hands and knees when she tumbles for the 10th time.

I think we'd enjoy geocaching but we've never got around to it.

We've just moved so lots of exploring/ summer adventures have been finding our way to walk to playparks we've glimpsed driving past and things like the library.

GwenCooper81 · 30/08/2013 23:32

Walks and park visits are our favorite things Smile

Camelot play centre in south Yorkshire is our best soft play Smile

racingheart · 30/08/2013 23:32

Soft play is brilliant. As are bouncy castles - they really burn off the energy. Our favourite soft play areas have usually been attached to bigger attractions like Hobbledown - they love all the clambering round on high rope bridges as well as the ball pits and soft slides.

A city farm or family farm like Bocketts is great too. Runs off a lot of energy and gives them fresh air.

Pedalos on a lake in the park or at the seaside are a favourite in our family too.

Pony riding.

Junior zipwires and treetop trails are great as they get older - don't forget the older children. There's way more provision for pre-school and infants than for juniors and they need to keep active as they grow.

Turnipvontrapp · 30/08/2013 23:39

Going off for a walk up the hill or through the woods. Playing badminton in winter. Having friends round. Camping in summer, sledging in winter.

Swimming, biking, going to the beach.

Mainly outdoors stuff.

CheeryCherry · 30/08/2013 23:48

We like going to the coast as a family, walk the dogs on the beach, take a picnic or have fish&chips. We walk the dogs in our local parks or on the surrounding hills. We also like dining out and visiting friends&family, both near and far.
We also have board game and card game sessions.
My DH used to take thr children to soft play places when they were tiny, on a Sat or Sun morning, to give me a break! There was a flurry of parties at them when they were little, I always stayed but never visited them at any other time, I found them too busy and noisy and plastic! I preferred taking them to the park or the woods to play. Because we have dogs, we are out in every type of weather.

westcoastnortherner · 31/08/2013 01:30

All snuggled up reading a book Grin

MickleMe · 31/08/2013 01:56

So, what are your favourite family activities?
Reading stories, watching films, going to the park, going to karate, playing football.

Do you enjoy going to soft play sessions with your children?
I don't really enjoy it but the kids do and it gives them a chance to run off some energy.

If you have been to one which really stood out as being ace, what made it so good?
Good facilities for parents and children. Staff who are helpful and visable. Clearly defined areas for younger children, magazines and papers for parents. Good view of the equipment from the seating areas so I can keep an eye on the kids. Reasonable pricing of drinks and snacks.

stephgr · 31/08/2013 02:05

My family love going out to eat together because they're not restricted to my cooking so they can order what they want. I love it because I don't have to spend ages shopping, cooking, serving and clearing.
We really like days out which are quite relaxing such as safari parks, boating and picnics.

kateandme · 31/08/2013 02:16

getting a picnice together taking a rug to somewhere green with the rounders bats and just have that time together sharing food and sharing fun.

Bakingtins · 31/08/2013 04:57

Favourite family activity - family cycle rides on cycle path - we stop off at steam railway to watch the trains and at converted stations or the pub for an ice cream or lunch. Cycle about 14 miles with 3yr old on the back of the bike and 6 yr old under his own steam.

Do you enjoy soft play - no. Too noisy, claustrophobic and dirty and the food is always massively unhealthy. We only go at parties and then under sufferance. The kids do enjoy it though.

RubySparks · 31/08/2013 06:31

Favourite family activity now kids are a bit older is walking the dog in the country park or at the beach, going to dog training classes and local monthly meet ups for the breed!

Kids loved soft play and we went regularly to one at the local swimming pool, usually going for a swim too. There was a bigger one for older children which was good and we had a few parties there, only downside is unhealthy food in cafe and noise levels!