4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lesley]

School holidays coming up - or just started in Scotland............

I have Lauren and Jake for two days a week so I've started collecting things for them to do.......

 

I've bought a cheap tent for them to pitch by the trampoline.......

 

I've collected together recipes. We always do cooking - and they collect whatever they can find from the garden/hens.

 

We're all off to France together in August so I've bought French CDs/books with stickers/games to improve their French before we go.

 

They will help me plan the route and then make photocopies of it ready for them to follow in the car.

 

I've got a broken garden statue ready for Jake to put back together - and Lauren can help me to tile a box.......

 

A list of small jobs for them to earn Euros......they can tick them off and earn stickers as well....

 

All the garden bugs and plants reference books are ready for nature rambles.....

 

...and here's a photo of what they made at home last weekend.....

Rice Babies.......

 

....made with toddler socks which they grew out of long ago, filled with rice.

 

Any other ideas ? - what is everyone else planning to do?

 

(and please don't tell my daughter that I have enough activities to cover 5 days a week )

[superjules]

Our summer holidays just fly by.

 

We have a list of fair weather activities and rainy day stuff, so they can choose something to do whatever the weather, but then my kids are only 4 and 6 so quite easily pleased! Last year we did things like: washing the car, flying a kite, puddle-jumping, baking, making lego models and doing puzzles, on the sunny days we had picnics in the park, bug-hunting in the woods, drawing chalk pictures on the patio. Our local library and museum do drop-in activities and some pre-bookable courses. DS did a week-long drama course at Stevenage museum last year, (3 hours a day), then the group performed a play at the end of the week in front of an audience including the mayor and mayoress.

[The Dogmother]

Well, for once, I shall be enjoying the summer hols with Rosie, or at least, I shall be at home for some of it as I will be recovering from surgery.

 

It will make a nice change from rushing to work and booking her into club I haven't planned anything apart from a couple of courses for her; rookie lifeguard training and a snorkelling course.

[Lesley]

Oooh! - thank you Jules! - I must add washing the car to my list

[Karen & co.]

I love summer holidays great chance to do lots of family things and friends around to come and play too

 

Karen x

[The Dogmother]

Oooh! - thank you Jules! - I must add washing the car to my list

 

Shall I bring the van over? It looks like it's been on a 4x4 challenge

 

Hmm, now there's a thought - I'm not sure when I'll be able to drive

[superjules]

I love summer holidays great chance to do lots of family things and friends around to come and play too

 

Karen x

 

Now that the kids are at school there are friends that we only manage to see in the holidays so we really look forward to it. In the weeks leading up to the holidays I trawl round the charity shops and pick up puzzles, games, craft bits that I squirrel away for the holidays.

 

I don't understand mums who dread the holidays, I love a break from the usual routine!

[Cinnamon]

I love the holidays too - love the lying in in the morning,the time spent with my girls & NOT HAVING TO MAKED PACKED LUNCHES!!!

 

We are spending the first week in The Algarve.

 

Got a few other plans - movie trips,shopping trips etc

 

Mostly I will be playing host to The Boyfriend or ferrying eldest daughter around so she can see him,I suspect

[Lapinou]

Try not to worry too much about activities - we home educate and don't have nearly such a high rate of activities and the children manage! Anyway, children think up their own stuff soon enough when they get bored and that's really good for them, I think

 

We do:

 

Trips to the park

Baking

Making books together - even if it's just colouring in pictures, sticking them on pages and then stapling it all together. They love it that they've made a book themselves

Watching the chickens now

Doing the every-day stuff we need to do

Looking at books

Looking at more books

Looking at more books

Watching dvds/tv together

Playing on the computer

Looking at more books

'Experiments' - really simple things like dying carnations; jumping currants (in a jar of lemonade); making worm worlds (use the empty plastic lemonade bottle!);

Baking bread and making the butter to go on it - you can make the bread in all sorts of shapes too.

[Willow]

How old are Lauren and Jake ?

 

How about finding an old blanket or two and some chairs and cushions and let them set up a camp in the garden - used to keep my siblings and I going all summer hols.

[peanut12]

you're so lucky, we have a visit from our good friends HM Inspectorate on Thursday and friday as our 7th monitoring visit in the last 2 years!

 

No easing up going on here, however - come Monday.....

[freddie]

Hell, what's yr business that they love you so much!!!???

We had a vat inspection last yr.... Over the phone!!

[Paola]

You are so organized Lesley, really puts me to shame

[Lesley]

How old are Lauren and Jake ?

 

How about finding an old blanket or two and some chairs and cushions and let them set up a camp in the garden - used to keep my siblings and I going all summer hols.

 

They are 10 and almost 8. They love making dens out od blankets and cardboard boxes but I saw a cheap playtent on Ebay........

 

Paola, it's easy to be organised when you're the Grandma - I don't have them every day..... and I hand them over at the end of the day

 

They've been picking strawberries and collecting the eggs today - I only had them after their after school activities.

[Lapinou]

Don't buy them a play tent!!! Most of the fun of dens is the making of them - mine play in their own dens for far, far longer than they do in the play tents we put up for them!

[Lesley]

I quite agree! - except that last year the foxes made their den area really stink! This tent will go in this area under the tree by the trampoline and we will be able to close it up at night.

[Yolky]

I need to get more organised this year. I am going to get a note book and write down all the places we want to visit and all the things I would like to do. Lapinou your dying carnations idea made me remember that I have been meaning to teach the boys to tye dye. I am going to have a look through their older clothes and see what they have to tye dye, otherwise a £1 t-shirt from Asda would be good.

[Lesley]

You can get the paints for T Shirts as well........

[Lapinou]

Lapinou your dying carnations idea made me remember that I have been meaning to teach the boys to tye dye. .

 

Get them experimenting with different dyes from nature too - like onion skins, carrot tops, beetroot etc.

[Lapinou]

Ooh - just thought of something else - can you get the gear together to learn something with them over the holidays, like felting, or candle making for example?

[Yolky]

Ohh yes, good idea Lesley thank you.

 

 

I didn't think of natural dyes, that is great! Candle making or soap making would be a lovely idea and you could also keep some of the lovely things they make for home made christmas presents for relatives

[Lapinou]

bath bombs are meant to be quite fun to make too

[Lesley]

Felting is really fun to do - maybe better for October half term, they could make scarves. I know a good site for all the stuff for felting - I posted photos when we did that, and spinning and weaving.......

[Yolky]

I remember doing latch hook rugs and basket weaving at school, I loved doing those. I might look round ebay for kits for the children.

 

Bath bombs are a great idea. I do love Lush but their bath bombs are expensive.

[Lesley]

There's a thread on bath bombs as well - in the Crafty Fingers section......