Advice/Suggestions please to keep DD1 entertained during her long summer hols post GCSE's

[Sonnet]

I am searching for some advice/suggestions to keep my DD1 (16) "entertained" during her long sumer hols post GCSE's. Some background first:

we live rurally, fields surround us and she would have to walk a mile and a half down a busy country road without a pavement to get to the bus stop and access the infrequent bus service.

Both DH & I will be at work

We normally have a 2 week family holiday but this year due to financial pressue we are going without. DD1 is quite down about this

Dd1 has friends but they live scattered over a wide radius and she cannot get there without us to take and pick up - thereofre needs to be planned and for a whole day.

She has 1 weeks work experience to look forward to (she is dreading it as rather reserved - but has to do it for school)

So faced with this scenario - what would you mumsnetters do or suggest?
TIA

Summer jobs? I did a lot of fruit picking when I was her age. Do you have any farms locally?

I have been thinking about a job - high density arable all around us so don;t think there is anything there. I owuld like her to get a job, not just for the money or to keep her occupied but to help her with her confidence. But I/DH will still have to get her there.

She will be 17 in October so could study for her theory test - odd jobs it may have to be

I cycled to wash dishes in a pub was about 2 miles . In the evening I cycled there and my parents collected me and we put the bike in the boot.( even though it hung out the back) . I progressed to waiting in the restaurant and took a change of clothes with me .
Any chance she could do some work experience in yours of dh work or get a job nearby to where you work????

Dependant on the weather, perhaps a distance learning course might be worth looking at.

The Challenge was set up to engage post GCSE students.
Absolutely fabulous.

Don't have any experience of This but it was on a thread on here not long ago.

Thank you for all your suggestions.

the road is lethal Rosa - think narrow country road with bends, national speed limit and HGV's - I use to cycle everywhere as a teen and it rally annoys me that DC cannot do the same.

The challenge looks great - I will investiagte further

Could she set up a blog about something that interests her?

Do you have any family she could stay with to give her more options for work? Or have you thought about a moped so she can get about a bit?

is there any voluntary course she could do, mine has shown an interest in one. but it sounds like a commitment. I cant remember what it is called. will look it out

its called National Citizen Service btw.

Wot smartie said. Is there anyone she could stay with for a bit? Won't she get terribly bored and lonely?

here www.ncsyes.co.uk/

had another thought, can she go away on brownie/guide camp as a leader?

What does she want to do when she leaves school? Could she do anything related to that?

DS2 wants to be a nurse so is going to volunteer in our local cottage hospital and a couple of nursing homes.

Why doesn't your DD look for a job near to where you or your DH work?

She can travel with you and if her hours don't quite match yours, she can either catch one of the irregular buses home if it is convenient or find an internet cafe, library or similar public area to wait for a bus or for you to finish work; I spent many an hour waiting for my Dad in the local museum at that age!

Even if its not every day - it at least means she'll be doing something with her time!

Thanks again Guys...
Hullygully - you are spot on - yes she will get bored and lonely and if I am honest, whilst i support DH's decision in principle re no family holiday I am gutted it is her post GCSE year when she is working so hard...

parisisalways agoodidea - blog s a great idea as she has been wanting to do one for a while
Smartieaddict - we have family 3 hrs away but they are old and TBH wouldn't want the responsibiity of her
waikikamookau thanks will look into that. i have just been looking up National Trust Working holidays but all the Youth places have gone
Notadisneymum - yes that is an option. I will have to prod her along...where do teenagers get jobs these days?

DD, aged 11 has been doing one day film making courses at the BFI. It strikes me that your DD if she's that way inclined she might want to make a project of it. You can get free open source video editing software. All she needs is something that produces video, most phones will do that now days, a script and a bit of imagination.

If family holiday is not an option this year,acould you stretch to a pgl type activities camp for her for a week? Or would she be interested in going youth hostelling with a friend? I used to do via with my friends when I was 16 , we used public transport and had lots of future, all in UK she wouldn't even have to go
far.

not only brownie and guides of course there are scouts and explorers, beavers and cubs

I would love to get her some work exp in a Kids residential camp - it would do her the world of good...
I have thought about pgl type thing but none of her froends are interested and there is no way she would go on her own :(

Would she go away with some friends for a omg weekend somewhere?

Long not omg!

How about a local hotel? Some of the country house type ones have live in jobs, where you get accomodation and experience waitressing or changing over rooms.

At that age I spent a summer with a French family in Paris, helping with their dcs. They took me to the Alps on their family holiday, and I got to explore Paris on my own. I have been back a few times and we are still friends. We found the position through a friend of a friend, in pre Internet days.

Surely some of the thousands on mumsnet must need help with children in the holidays? It wouldn't even have to be abroad, it could just be with friends in a different part of the country.