Free days out for kids

The school holidays have started in the UK for six weeks and a bit. They want days out, picnics and soft drinks, but that can be expensive. You can find places to take them and there are cheap and free things to do. I took this photo the other day. You might not have a local canal to take them to like me, but you probably have a local playing field; maybe not quite as big as this one. You can prepare for your day out by making up sandwiches and drinks for a little picnic, then plan your day and take a ball.  Great fun for all, they can run around while you sit and watch!

This lake is on the other side of the playing field and river. Kids love to feed the ducks so take some toasted bread for them to feed the ducks, swans and geese. Well some of my friends live in exotic places, so you could perhaps take them feeding the alligators?

You might not have a nice Victorian park close by with a large oak tree, squirrels and a skate board thingy, but most places have a park. So why not take a little picnic? Ideas for picnics include everything from salad to jam sandwiches depending on what you can afford. Kids will be happy with strawberry jam sandwiches, cheap pop and a promise of an ice cream from the freezer when you get home. Don’t buy ice creams or food while you’re out.

This is a Tudor Manor House that I went to on Sunday. It’s great if you take the kids and let them photograph it with a digital camera. There were benches in the grounds where you can sit and eat your lettuce and tomato sandwiches and drink pop. The admission is free and there is lots to see including the bed chamber with four poster bed. Make stuff up about it being haunted while you walk around or talk about the food, they would have eaten in Tudor times. They would have probably eaten one of those ducks that you fed earlier!

Other ideas for the school hols include going to Pound-land to buy pens, pencils and notepads. Give the kids a ‘project’ to do over the hols. A list of questions about the local area to answer perhaps. A who and where project, that they have to research, as you explore the local places of interest. You can also do some gardening, grow some lettuces and radishes to take on those picnics. Teach the kids about germinating seeds. You can put the seeds, like apple and melon pips into damp sawdust, then fish them out every couple of days to see if they have germinated.

Cooking and food preparation is good for kids too. You can cook pancakes, roast potatoes, barbecue sausages, prepare salads, whatever is appropriate depending on the weather. Cooking is great for those days when the weather forces you to stay indoors.

You can also make use of the computer searching for all kinds of stuff, maybe using Google maps to find local places of interest. Look for water on the map that might be a lake, pool or canal. Search for information on local leisure centres, art galleries, museums and nature reserves.

If you click like, or share on Facebook, I’ll try to do more blogs like this one throughout the kids summer vacation period with more suggestions. I am an overgrown kid who likes all that stuff! There are more amazing blogs on the home page. You can also comment, ask questions, even ask what there is to do in your neck of the woods.