Whether it’s the school summer holidays or simply those long, summer evenings that seem to go on forever, it’s coming up to that time of year when your kids are going to have a lot more free time on their hands. Which also means you’re going to have to come up with a lot more ways to keep them amused, or be prepared for a houseful of noise and mayhem.
To keep the peace and make your life a little easier, Soreen have a few suggestions for summer activities for kids that are well worth a go. And because it’s not always practical or affordable to take them out for the day to the park, seaside or zoo, all of our ideas are based around inexpensive fun in the garden or driveway. Sound good so far? Well, see what you think of these….
Get arty in the garden.
All you need for this activity is a couple of large bed sheets (old and worn ones if possible, or cheap ones from a bargain store if not) and a number of disposable paper party bowls filled with different coloured kid-friendly paints. Simply secure the sheets on the lawn with wooden pegs or similar, then let your little artists get cracking on this huge ‘blank canvas’. They can use paintbrushes, sponges and even their fingers to create all sorts of patterns, pictures…and who knows, maybe even a classic piece of modern art. Best of all, any mess and spills they make, will go straight onto the grass (which can soon be cut) and not onto your carpets.
Make a refreshing water sprinkler
This is obviously one for those hot days, when they’re bored with the paddling pool and want some more water-based fun. All you need is an empty plastic fizzy pop bottle, the larger the better, and a garden hose. Simply poke lots of small holes in the pop bottle, attach the end of the hose to the top of the bottle, hang the whole thing over a branch or washing line and then turn on the water. Hey presto, an instant, cool em’ down water sprinkler for the kids to stand under, run under and shriek under.
Organise a bug hunt
You’ll probably need to accompany them on this, rather than leave them to it, so be prepared to get closer to creepy crawlies than you’d normally want to. Basically, you’re off on a ‘bug hunt’ in your garden or local wood, with a checklist of mini-beasts (spiders, worms, centipedes, beetles, ants, crickets etc.) to track down and temporarily capture in plastic jars or jam jars. Make the hunt more interesting with magnifying glasses and clipboards and paper to draw pictures of the bugs on. And don’t forget to set all the little creatures loose again at the end of the hunt. Oh, and be prepared to explain to your little creatures why it’s not a good idea to keep a jar full of insects in their bedroom overnight.
Construct your own cycling obstacle course
They’ll need helmets, knee and arm pads and of course bikes for this activity. You’ll also have to use your imagination big time as well, because you’re going to create an obstacle course in your garden or on your driveway, for your kids to cycle round. It can include roundabouts, ramps, dead ends, cross roads, tricky bends and anything you want it to really, using plastic buckets, plant plots, bits of wood and string and whatever else you find lying around the garden or in the garage. Make it as simple or as complicated as you like, depending on the age and skill of the bike riders. And to make it even more fun, time each obstacle course cycler on the second hand of your watch to see who’s the fastest.
So there are four garden based summer activities for kids, that with a little effort on your part could provide hours of healthy outdoors fun. And because your children will need plenty of ‘fuel’ to keep them going, don’t forget to regularly hand out some deliciously squidgy energy in the shape of a few fruit-packed slices of our Original malt loaf or Apple & Sultana loaf. Our Original pre-buttered snack packs containing two slices of nutritious ready to go malt loaf are ideal for taking along on your bug hunt and our handy Original and Banana flavour lunchbox loaves also make tasty little ‘prizes’ for our garden games.
