20 thrifty ways to survive the summer holidays
AS SCHOOLS break-up, parenting expert Becky Goddard-Hill explains how to keep children busy without breaking the bank.
1. Go dark running
This is a great way to encourage children to think about the different types of trees around them.
On a dry day give them some white paper and show them how to press it against the trunks of different trees.
Then gently rub the side of a chubby crayon or chalk on to the paper until the pattern of the bark shows through. Collect the different textures into a scrapbook throughout the summer.
2. Cook up a magic potion
Give children a big pot of cold water and send them outside to search for ingredients such as leaves or pebbles.
Tell them to dream up some witchy words and ask them to stir the pot.
The real magic will happen when you add two tablespoons of vinegar and one tablespoon of baking soda.
Youngsters will be amazed when the chemical reaction makes the concoction bubble up.
3. Make an art gallery
At the end of every academic year children bring home bags packed full of artwork they have made at school.
There are always far too many pictures to fit on the fridge door. Why not turn one wall of the living room into an art gallery and invite friends and family round for a viewing?
4. Have a wildlife safari
Dig out some binoculars and a magnifying glass, take a nature guide out of a library and head to the park or the countryside for some wildlife spotting.
As well as keeping your eyes peeled for bugs and animals also search for evidence such as paw prints and habitats.
5. Make crayon cupcakes
Ask the children to gather up all their broken wax crayons and put them in paper cupcake cases. Heat the oven to 160 degrees, then turn it off and put the crayons in to melt.
After 15 minutes all the colours will have run into each other. After an hour the “cakes” will have cooled and your little ones will have rainbow-coloured crayons to draw with.
6. Build a den
Do you have a couple of chairs, an old sheet and a few cushions you don’t mind going outdoors? Then you have the makings of a den.
If you don’t have a garden, indoor dens under a table can be just as much fun and can stay up for days. And don’t forget to make a smaller den for all those cuddly toys.
If you don’t have a garden, indoor dens under a table can be just as much fun
7. Set up an obstacle course
Create an adventure trail in your back garden.
Try arranging pieces of wood, garden chairs and a few plant pots to dribble a ball around. Then provide a plastic bowl forchildren to balance on their heads as they go around.
8. Make worry dolls
Based on a South American tradition this is a great way to help children get rid of their anxieties.
Worry dolls are small figures which children can tell their concerns to and then place under their pillows. According to tradition the dolls then carry troubles away overnight.
Children can make their own dolls out of sticks tied together, then wrapped in wool. Use different colours to mark out the limbs, face and body or glue on a cardboard face.
9. Paint the pavement
Mix cornflour, water and food colouring in a plastic container. Then let children use brushes and spray bottles to make designs on any paved area outside.
They can make as much mess as they want as it will all wash away.
10. Mix fun mocktails
On a sunny day let children make colourful homemade drinks by freezing cubes of fruit juice, then crushing them in a blender with a spoonful of honey and a drop of food colouring.
Or jazz up a cold glass of squash by adding frozen strawberries as ice cubes.
Another option is to add frozen melon or apple hearts and stars by cutting slices of fruit and using biscuit cutters to cut out the shapes.
11. Make a movie
Allow your children to borrow a video recorder or smartphone to film the story of their summer.
Or if you have a digital camera they can make their own stop-frame animation by taking frames of Plasticine models, moving them slightly in between each shot, then playing the frames back quickly.
12. Borrow a toy
If your children are already bored with their playthings get new ones without spending a penny by visiting the toy lending scheme at your library.
13. Go moth-spotting
An easy way to see these fascinating flying bugs up close is to hang a white sheet close to a bright light source so they collect there after dark.
When children examine them close up they will see they are every bit as interesting as butterflies.
14. Put on a premiere
On a wet afternoon close the curtains, make some popcorn and watch a film. It is far cheaper than the cinema.
15. Construct paper boats or planes
Spend a rainy afternoon makingpaper planes to take flying or paper boats to float in the bath or in puddles.
Go to paperairplanes.co.uk for step-by-step demonstrations.
16. Throw a games tournament
Invite your children’s friends to bring their favourite games round for a board-game Olympics. Or let them organise a card-games competition. See classicgamesandpuzzles.com for ideas.
17. Host a themed sleepover
Ask the children to plan a themed sleepover for their friends.
Whether it is the film Frozen for girls or superheroes for boys make it even more exciting by letting them camp in the back garden for the night.
18. Keep a doodle diary
Instead of asking children to write a dreary daily diary suggest they do a five-minute doodle of their favourite moment of the day. Go to doodlemum.com for inspiration.
19. Make elf and fairy houses
Encourage children to use moss, twigs, bark and leaves to create tiny homes in tree trunks and bushes that would be fit for a fairy family.
20. Create a boredom jar
Write down all these thrifty ideas on pieces of paper, fold them up and put them inside a jam jar. Next time your children think they need you to spend money on them, direct them to the boredom jar instead to prove fun does not have to cost anything.
To see 50 money-saving summer holiday ideas, go to Becky’s website family-budgeting.co.uk