Summer Holiday Activities - What You Want To Read
A few days ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions.
Every Summer, we parents tend to trot out the same sorts of Summer Activities. Trips to the Swimming Pool, to a Theme Park, to the Cinema, to the Library, to the Shopping Centre and if we're lucky to the beach or local lake.
But.
For me, I think we need to occasionally do something a bit different. Something a bit out there, something that will allow the Children and us to understand that sometimes doing something a bit different can be fun and lead to greater things... so here are some Summer Holiday Activities you might not normally consider.
I used to love going fruit and veg picking with my Grandparents or Parents when I was younger and my two are just the same.
In fact judging from the pictures I'm seeing on my Facebook timeline, I think all Children love picking fruit, and I don't think it is because they love sneaking a few pieces (although that is rather tasty) and a fun part of the visit.
The great thing about pick your own, is that it can be an all day thing if you want it to be and it is a really cheap activity. Prices tend to be less than you'd expect to pay in Supermarkets (and fro great quantities) and afterwards all you have to do is get them help you to prepare the fruit for freezing or making into jam or cakes. Which of course can be something to do that you might not normally consider!
We love geocaching, if you haven't heard about it well it's simply finding something that someone else has hidden. It's a lot more fun that it sounds, with an app available for most phones (you can use the free version too), it's something that is free, great exercise and more importantly fun.
It's great for Children because you have to hunt in odd places, under trees and bushes and it has to be a secret from the Muggles (people who don't know about Geocaching) that are around so they have to be discreet and quick!
And of course, you can spend a whole day doing this. You can walk round a park or a lake or a village finding them (using the app) and hopefully wear out the children and yourself!
Top Ender, Big Boy and I did this last year, and it was one of the best days we had. All you need to do is watch a Sunset and Sunrise in one 24hour period. Sounds pretty easy right? Well, it is. All you have to do is find somewhere that has a nice clear view of the East and somewhere that has a nice clear view of the West. Oh, and you need to work out if it's going to be cloudy or not, because a cloudy overcast morning or evening does not for a pretty view of the sunrise or sunset make!
I found it easier to do the Sunset the night before and the Sunrise the next morning and the promise of a McDonalds breakfast the next morning doesn't necessarily make the whole getting up super early thing easier but it might make it slightly more tolerable!
Close the curtains, turn off the main lights, throw on some of your favourite music and DANCE!
If you want, you can make it an afternoon disco, where you can spend the morning getting ready, picking outfits and making play lists together. Of course if you then wanted to spend time working out a dance routine and recording it for posterity, then all the better!
If you're wanting to have fun, then planting a garden together is a great way to have it and my personal mission to get families doing exercise together also comes into play as hauling around bags of compost, mowing lawns and digging is definitely a cardio workout!
If you are looking for quick results, then you might find it best to grow Salad leaves, they only take a few weeks and of course, you can then eat them! Radishes, Baby Carrots and Spinach are all fast growing and if you really wanted to speed up the process, you'd just need to buy seedlings that were already established.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to garden if you don't have a garden. A few pots on a balcony and you can grow most of the veg I've mentioned above. I personally like to grow potatoes in pots rather than in the ground and growing salad in a hanging basket is a brilliant use of space in my opinion.
So, there are some Summer Holiday Activities you might not normally consider.
What might you add to the list?
Summer Holiday Activities - What You Want To Read
Every Summer, we parents tend to trot out the same sorts of Summer Activities. Trips to the Swimming Pool, to a Theme Park, to the Cinema, to the Library, to the Shopping Centre and if we're lucky to the beach or local lake.
But.
For me, I think we need to occasionally do something a bit different. Something a bit out there, something that will allow the Children and us to understand that sometimes doing something a bit different can be fun and lead to greater things... so here are some Summer Holiday Activities you might not normally consider.
Go Fruit Picking
I used to love going fruit and veg picking with my Grandparents or Parents when I was younger and my two are just the same.
In fact judging from the pictures I'm seeing on my Facebook timeline, I think all Children love picking fruit, and I don't think it is because they love sneaking a few pieces (although that is rather tasty) and a fun part of the visit.
The great thing about pick your own, is that it can be an all day thing if you want it to be and it is a really cheap activity. Prices tend to be less than you'd expect to pay in Supermarkets (and fro great quantities) and afterwards all you have to do is get them help you to prepare the fruit for freezing or making into jam or cakes. Which of course can be something to do that you might not normally consider!
Geocaching
We love geocaching, if you haven't heard about it well it's simply finding something that someone else has hidden. It's a lot more fun that it sounds, with an app available for most phones (you can use the free version too), it's something that is free, great exercise and more importantly fun.
It's great for Children because you have to hunt in odd places, under trees and bushes and it has to be a secret from the Muggles (people who don't know about Geocaching) that are around so they have to be discreet and quick!
And of course, you can spend a whole day doing this. You can walk round a park or a lake or a village finding them (using the app) and hopefully wear out the children and yourself!
Watch The Sunset and Sunrise in one 24hr period
Top Ender, Big Boy and I did this last year, and it was one of the best days we had. All you need to do is watch a Sunset and Sunrise in one 24hour period. Sounds pretty easy right? Well, it is. All you have to do is find somewhere that has a nice clear view of the East and somewhere that has a nice clear view of the West. Oh, and you need to work out if it's going to be cloudy or not, because a cloudy overcast morning or evening does not for a pretty view of the sunrise or sunset make!
I found it easier to do the Sunset the night before and the Sunrise the next morning and the promise of a McDonalds breakfast the next morning doesn't necessarily make the whole getting up super early thing easier but it might make it slightly more tolerable!
Have a Disco
Close the curtains, turn off the main lights, throw on some of your favourite music and DANCE!
If you want, you can make it an afternoon disco, where you can spend the morning getting ready, picking outfits and making play lists together. Of course if you then wanted to spend time working out a dance routine and recording it for posterity, then all the better!
Plant a Garden
If you're wanting to have fun, then planting a garden together is a great way to have it and my personal mission to get families doing exercise together also comes into play as hauling around bags of compost, mowing lawns and digging is definitely a cardio workout!
If you are looking for quick results, then you might find it best to grow Salad leaves, they only take a few weeks and of course, you can then eat them! Radishes, Baby Carrots and Spinach are all fast growing and if you really wanted to speed up the process, you'd just need to buy seedlings that were already established.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to garden if you don't have a garden. A few pots on a balcony and you can grow most of the veg I've mentioned above. I personally like to grow potatoes in pots rather than in the ground and growing salad in a hanging basket is a brilliant use of space in my opinion.
So, there are some Summer Holiday Activities you might not normally consider.
What might you add to the list?