It’s officially summer! Here are some activities to fill your summer weekends with!
Hunt For Fairies
Go on a fairy hunt, head out in your own garden, a public garden or to the forest with a print out of our ‘fairy hunt’ pdf and see if you can spot the signs of fairies nearby!
Go Stargazing
Choose a night for the kids to stay up a late and enjoy a family stargazing session! Use binoculars and see if you can spot any of the constellations or shooting stars! This is more suited to older children who are able to concentrate for longer periods. This is a great app to help you
Ice Paeleantology
This is great if your child has a toy tool set or similar. Collect containers of different sizes, fill them with water and drop in a small toy such as a dinosaur or bug. Put in the freezer over night. The next day children can gradually chip away at the ice to ‘release’ the creatures. Best on a hot day as the sun melts the ice and helps children dig out the creatures.
Make a Butterfly Feeder
You need:
a paper plate
String
Fruit, such as mushy bananas and some overripe oranges
To make:
- Punch 4 or 5 holes around the edge of the paper plate.
- Tie a piece of string through each hole and then tie them in a bunch above the plate (almost as if you are creating a hanging basket)
- Place the fruit on the plate
- Hang up on a tree branch or bush and wait for the butterflies to arrive!
Play Mini Golf in the Garden
fairy clues sheet- resize
You need some plastic golf clubs or any type of bat and a small ball.
- Create a golf course by placing 9 sticks around your garden. Number them using paper triangles and sticky tape. Put a plastic cup on its side next to each one (as the ‘hole’)
- Create obstacles to maneuver through such as tunnels under chairs and teddies to hit the ball around.
- Take it in turns to ‘putt’ the ball from one hole to the next. If you want to play competitively take a note of the number of ‘hits’ or ‘putts’ it takes each person to get the ball into each hole.
- The person who completes the ‘round’ with fewest hits is the winner!
- Or cheat and visit a mini golf centre near you!
Make Homemade Lemonade
There’s nothing more nostalgic than homemade lemonade and kids will love making their own on a warm day! Young entrepreneurs could even sell it by creating a ‘lemonade stand’ outside the house!
You need:
3 or 4 lemons
100g caster sugar
1 Litre Water (or 500ml water/ 500ml soda water if you prefer it fizzy!)
1 lime
cucumber slice and mint leaves to garnish
To make:
- Squeeze the juice from the lemons, or peel and chop up the lemons then whizz in a food processor to make a puree (to give a cloudier effect with ‘bits’).
- Combine with the water and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add a squeeze of lime
- Decorate with a slice of cucumber and a few mint leaves!
Create Sea Shell Pictures and Wind Chimes
Take a walk along the beach and collect a range of seashells. Use these to create shell art, either at the beach or at home! Children can create all sorts of shapes from snails, to people, or even thread shells onto pieces of string to create ‘wind chimes’ and hanging garlands.
Go Crabbing
Grab a crabbing bucket or line and head to you nearest harbor, or area with a sea or river wall. Crabs love uncooked bacon so put these in your crabbing bucket or on the line and then wait for the crabs to come!
Take a Family Bike Ride
Choose a safe cycle track, pack a picnic and head off on a family wheeled adventure! Check out some great family places to cycle, skate and scoot here.
Camp in the Garden
Kids love camping and this is an easy way to camp with the benefit of home luxuries! They can play in the tent during the days and when evening comes snuggle down with sleeping bags. Create some atmosphere by creating a campfire outside and toasting marshmallows.
‘Pick your Own’ and then create a fruit salad, fruit kebabs and fruit ice cubes!
Head out to a ‘pick your own’ near you and have fun gathering strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.
When you get home extend the fun by creating these:
- A fruit salad: rinse the fruit, chop the strawberries but leave the other berries whole and mix together! If you want you could add sugar or orange juice.
- Fruit kebabs: using wooden skewers thread on the fruit, then dip in cream or melted chocolate when eating ! Yum!
- Put 1 small piece of fruit in each section of an ice cube tray, fill with water and freeze. Voila! Fruit in an ice cube!
What have you been up to? We’d really love to know! Someone else might love it, and really want to go! If you’ve got ideas, suggestions or reviews, you can shout all about it on whatever channel you choose!
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