Summer holiday activities

Actually, these activities could be used at any time, I usually find the need for them more in the six week summer holiday.

Homemade playdough, I found this recipe online years ago, so unfortunately am not sure where to quote the source from. It is really quick and easy, and makes great playdough every time. If stored in an airtight bag or tub it keeps for ages.

Baking. Measure out ingredients for a simple sponge cake and leave older kids to make themselves. So much pleasure is gained from a fairly simple activity.

Mix together 4 ounces sugar with 4 ounces butter/margarine. Add 2 eggs, mix together, add 4 ounces of flour, gently mix. Cook for 15-20 mins until firm and cooked through.

Potion making

Place a selection of dry ingredients into the sections in a muffin pan (eg, hot chocolate, gravy, rice, flour, custard powder, whatever you have to hand) give the kids a bowl and a plastic spoon (so as not to scratch the muffin tin!) and let them play. My kids love mixing up 'potions' if I'm feeling exceptionally in form, I allow them to add water at the end! Adding it at the end makes for a lot less mess than giving it to them in the beginning!

Ice/frost cookies. Have on hand a packet of rich tea, or other cheap, plain biscuits. Mix up some icing sugar and water (directions will be on the packet) and let the kids get to work. If you have sweets such as smarties or chocolate buttons, they always go down well. Add food colouring to the icing to make it more fun for the kids.

Create a 'boredom' jar. This is the first year we have done this thanks to a friends facebook post. I wrote activities and chores on slips of paper in a jar, and the kids got to choose any one they wanted, without reading it. They ranged from 'sweep under the table' to 'make a short video' to '15 minutes on the wii/ipad. I was surprised how many times they were willing to risk getting a chore in order to try and get one of the 'golden tickets' as we labelled them- one with a set amount of time on some form of gadget or computer! This helped us on days where we mostly stayed at home.

Scavenger/treasure hunts. Now that the kids are older they enjoy making these up for the little ones. Some simple ones are find something beginning with every letter of the alphabet, or clues that lead from one room to another around the house (such as 'the room you clean your teeth in') ending up with finding a small treat.

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