Share with Kinder Ice Cream the nostalgic summer memories you’d love to recreate for your DC

[EllieMumsnet]

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We all have memories etched on our minds of the happy times we spent as children - before we grew up and had to start adulting. Summer days filled with light, joy and carefree fun. Maybe for you it was long afternoons playing in the back street, and the sound of the ice cream van, or perhaps it was a visit to the seaside where you spent happy hours building a sandcastle or discovering crabs in rock pools. It's these kind of memories that make childhood special, and perhaps now that you're a parent you're planning to re-create them for your own family. If so, Kinder Ice Cream would like you to share your memories and inspire others.

Here’s what Kinder Ice Cream have to say: "KINDER is now entering the world of ice cream, bringing to KINDER fans the care-free, summer feeling that ice cream stirs up, together with three tasty treats, for families to choose from – the delicious KINDER Ice Cream Stick, the convenient KINDER Ice Cream Sandwich and the iconic KINDER Joy Ice Cream."

What are the memories that stick in your mind and have a special meaning? What are the things your parents did that you'd like to do with your children? Maybe you built a kite with your mum and then took it to the park and watched it soar! Perhaps you remember your first trip to the cinema and the smell of popcorn and ice cream? Did you build a fort out of cardboard boxes in the garden with your dad and then take great pleasure in smashing it to bits?

If you have a favourite summer memory you'd like to re-create for your children, share it on the thread below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

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Key Camp in France. Novelty of a tent. Croissants and baguettes from the site shop. Walking to the showers with your wash bags. Kids club activities. Drinks outside the tent in the evening. Just as memorable and cherished as the more lavish holidays like skiing and Orlando that came later on.

Spending the majority of the summer holidays at my grandparents in a village, going to the river to swim, also helping them in the garden and with the animals.

My Great Aunt lived on the family farm and it had an amazing old Orchard. One year my Dad built a treehouse in one of the apple trees and we camped out in it. I loved that house and we spent many summers there.

Going camping in and having meatballs out of a tin and peaches in syrup!

Playing out with brother and friends all day
Only going home when you heard your names being called from down the street

Going to the seaside and enjoying the sand and water. Plus having some good old fish and chips with some classic rock sweets.

Getting together with my cousins, who had access to a private residents' beach at the end of their street - we could just hang out on the sand as long as we wanted, everyone knew each other and it felt really safe but new and exciting, for a city kid who wasn't normally allowed to 'play out'. We're getting the next generation together in the same way this summer, now we all have kids that are about the same age.

The chase down the street to the ice cream van for a 35p special - a Whippy ice cream with a frozen lolly stuck in it instead of a flake. The blue flavour lollies were the best.

I know it's a bit marmite on MN, but long weekends in centerparcs. It seems odd that it was only a long weekend, as in my head it was always a week too expensive, even when it was cheaper! because we packed so much in to a short space of time without it feeling rushed. I remember it always being sunny, or at least dry, and not a single argument. We could also have treats like ice cream etc when asked really because we were only there a few days so even with 3 kids (possibly 2 adults joining in) it didn't add up too badly, and we didn't ask for a lot anyway. Mostly, I remember the freedom of being able to go somewhere with just my two older sisters because there were no cars, the village felt safe enough to my parents that my elder sisters could be in charge (not babysitters, free to go off together without me too, but had to be 2 or 3 together) and to be without an adult made me feel so grown up at the time

I used to make 'tents' over the washing line out of old bedsheets with pillows on the ground. I'd spend the day in there with toys and books- 40 years on and I can still 'smell' the scent of the sheets and 'see' the way the sunlight filtered through them.

My dad digging holes on the beach for us that were taller than him!

Haven holidays (like Eurocamp) in France - DSIS, DB and I would go with a pan to get frites from the camp takeaway, while DF did the barbecue. We all felt really grown up, especially asking for "trois frites, s'il vous plait" in our best French.

We've had a couple of eurocamp holidays with the DC in recent years, and whilst we have sent them to get frites, no-one seems to take pans to fill up any more. It's all plastic takeaway containers instead But the DS still enjoy doing it!

I moved into the house nextdoor to where I grew up so my children could have the same childhood I had next to the woods, park and fields. Needless to say, they do have fabulous memories as I do.

Having water fights with the other children in the street. We lived in a cul de sac in the 70's so very little traffic to disturb us. Fortunately we now live in a village with a green so DC are able to enjoy this simple pleasure too. Ice cream van used to come round at about 6.30 and the 'coolest' thing was the ice creams in an inverted plastic cone with a gob stopper chewing gum at the bottom. The excitement of the ice cream van is still there but more traditional choices are my DC faves

Seaside and ice cream any day any time when we did family days out even in water I was holding my ice cream!

Picking wild blackberries and apples then making crumble at home. Always with hot custard for mum and cold ice cream for my siblings and I.

I was part of a big family- 5 children. Treats were quite rare but I loved icecream. When on holiday, I badgered my parents for an icecream early in the day, they said, if you have it now, you don't have one later with everyone else.
So, I had my icecream early ( I was about 6 without the ability to delay gratification...) but I felt very hard done by later when everyone else had theirs without me!!!
My dad obviously felt sorry for me but wanted to follow through what had been agreed... but I'll always remember, he snapped the bottom inch off his own cone, scooped a little blob of icecream in to it, and gave me my own mini cone.
A great example of teaching me consequences, but done with compassion.... He was a lovely lovely good man.

Caravan holidays in Bridlington every summer, eating fish and chips and ice creams, and the occasional vanilla slice. I remember it was ALWAYS sunny too, we'd spend every day on the beach running in and out of the sea and building sand castles. Happy days ...

Padding pool and water bombs!

Camping in the tent in back garden and telling my little sister ghost stories! Building dens in our local picnic spot and long bike rides.

We lived in a big city so summer holiday was about going to the countryside and seeing sheep and mountains. Also our parents being more relaxed. And going in a car - we used to take turns choosing which tape we would listen to on the long journey.

Having the freedom to go off to the beach on our own for the day, magic memories x

Spending summer days in the garden playing my own version of 'We Are The Champions' with an old tyre inner tube. Ace.

Has to be wading through a stream with small fishing nets, and then having a picnic on the river bank. #summerofthelate70s

Walking to the local shop with my grandad on a hot summer day. His huge hand holding mine whilst we said good afternoon to everyone we met. The smell of warm earth, warm tarmac and creosote fences interspersed with the scent of summer flowers. The joy of being bought an ice cream to eat on the way home, ripping of the wrapper and the taste of sweet milky ice cream. Pure bliss which I would give almost anything to experience one more time.