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Entertain the kids for less this summer
 Save kids from boredom - whatever the weather!
We all know what British summers can be like, so having a wet weather plan is essential if you want to keep the kids entertained over the holidays. We've found loads of fun activities for you so that no matter what the weather you can find something enjoyable to do.
Cheap days outThere are lots of ways to spend the day with your kids, but many companies bump up their prices during the holidays, so we've found some sites which will save you money on all kinds of holiday activities.
This is good for saving on theme park tickets. You can get discounted prices for all the major parks and some of the smaller ones, too. Save up to 44% at Legoland, 35% at Camelot, 30% at Alton Towers and 26% at Chessington. Why not make a trip to London which has hundreds of attractions perfect for families? Go to the I love London section of the site for massive savings on everything from The London Dungeon to a London Eye and river cruise. You can also buy attraction packages which includes a ticket for an attraction combined with dinner at a restaurant or a night in a hotel. You can sometimes make some huge savings so take a look here.
This is an online marketplace where people auction off all kinds of things - including tickets to amusement parks and attractions. It's well worth a look. Some of the tickets may be for specific dates but you could get your hands on a real bargain if you're willing to be flexible.
If your kids can get their hands on a Blue Peter badge they can gain free access to almost 200 places in the UK. Blue Peter badges are only awarded to children aged six to 15 years old and to adults who have appeared on the programme. There are six Blue Peter badges altogether - blue, silver, green, orange, gold and the team player's purple badge. Click on your region here to see where you can use a badge. Blue badges are awarded for things like letters, emails, stories, poems and pictures so they're great for younger children. Older children could try reviewing an episode of Blue Peter to earn themselves a purple badge. Encourage them to enter the competitions because the orange competition badges are awarded to winners and runners up of Blue Peter competitions. You can send your child's creations to Blue Peter, BBC Television Centre, London, W12 7RJ or email them here.
A day trip to a farm can be really special and often much cheaper than other attractions. Jimmy's Farm in Suffolk is free to visit - although they do charge £2.50 for the nature trail and animal paddocks. Every Monday and Friday during the summer holidays (28 July to 29 August) at Jimmy's Farm there are also activity days run by Rainbow Nursery for children aged two to eight years old. They don't need to be accompanied, so it's perfect if you have other things to do. It costs £20 for the whole day (10am to 4pm) so have a look here for more information.
London Walks organise guided walking tours of London. They're really cheap and very flexible because you don't have to book - just find out here when the tours are taking place and turn up on the day. The walks cost £7, or £5 for students over 65s and discount Walkabout Card holders, and best of all children under 15 go for free.
Pets at Home are hosting free workshops for youngsters over the summer holidays every Tuesday and Thursday throughout July and August at 2pm. Go to a store near you - they have a store loacator on the website. Your child can learn all about small animals, how to care for fish and what wildlife they might find in the garden or park this summer. Find out more here.
Wet weather planDon't panic at the sight of dark clouds - there are still plenty of things for the kids to do at home so have a look at some of our ideas.
Go to Day out with the kids which is a brilliant website full of ideas for ways for families to spend the day together. All you have to do is click on your region, select which age group your children fall into and then choose either indoor or outdoor activities. Once you've done that it will bring up a list of great places for you to visit, along with all the contact details you need. This site is the perfect antidote to wet weather so next time the clouds are opening and the kids are getting restless click here for something entertaining.
Don't keep paying out for expensive colouring books. Instead go to the CBeebies website where you can print out and colour in pictures of all the CBeebies characters. Or try the Disney Print Station where you can print off colouring pictures of all the famous Disney characters.
Get a DVD and snuggle up on the sofa with some popcorn. Try Woolworths for some bargains and go to Amazon for cheaper Disney films. You could sign up to LoveFilm and rent films instead. There are no late fees and you can choose from over 65,000 titles. Sign up here for a two-week free trial.
Hide a load of small objects (toys, bricks etc.) all around the house then send the kids off to find them for a prize - or just hide the prizes themselves. It's a fun way for the kids to spend a few hours and you get to put your feet up while they're hunting!
Cook or bake something together. The children can help with measuring, counting and mixing the ingredients (and obviously get involved with the eating afterwards). Get some help from the BBC website which has lots of recipes designed for cooking with children. Funology.com is another great website which has a cooking section.
Get creativeMost kids love to get a bit messy and create a masterpiece but if they're lacking in inspiration Creative Kids at Home is a very useful website full of great craft and activity ideas.
Get some cardboard boxes, yoghurt pots, containers and any other bits and pieces you have lying around. Lay out some glue, sticky-tape, scissors and paint. The kids can make anything they want - boats, houses, guitars. Get an art book designed for children like Kids Create by Lauri Carlson which you can buy from Amazon for just £4.99. The Early Learning Centre has lots of art supplies and it currently has up to 50% off selected items.
Try planting some seedlings in little plant pots - cress is really easy to grow. You could even make some compost together. Get some tips on websites like The Kids Garden and Kids Gardening. Buy them some gardening tools like these and some wellies and let them get stuck in - you might even be able to persuade them to do some weeding!
There are a surprising number of things to do with some paint. Bubble painting requires only some fairy liquid and a few straws - find out what to do here. You could also get some old fruit and veg, cut them in half and dip them in paint for some printing fun, or for a really messy afternoon paint your child's hands and feet and print them onto paper so they can make a life-size painting of themselves. Go to The Early Learning Centre and Wilkinsons for poster paints, pots and easels.
Go for a walk in the morning and collect some twigs, leaves and anything else that the kids take a shine to, then use some PVA glue to stick them onto some paper. Use glitter, ribbons etc. to decorate them. Try Wilkinsons and Woolworths for cheap materials.
Obvious indoor games like puzzles and board games can often be picked up at really low prices from charity shops. For bigger indoor toys and games try Argos, Amazon and eBay. Go to the clearance section of Argos for great prices. Get some helpWe all need some help finding ways to keep children busy in the school holidays so make sure you find out what's on offer.
Check your local council's website to see if they offer any free or cheap activities for families in the area. Click here for a directory of UK councils along with contact details and links to the websites. Most councils will have a section on their website with information about children's services. If they don't, have a look under the leisure and culture section or simply call them up and ask what they have on offer. For example, Warwickshire have this page of information about children's activities and Canterbury City Council has a separate site just for kids called Not Bored. They're also planning several event days over the summer as part of the Get Active: Feel Alive scheme, where the whole family can take part in free activities like cheerleading, martial arts and Charlton Athletic Football Club coaching sessions for any budding Wayne Rooneys.
The Duke of Edinburgh award scheme is a really great way for kids to get active, meet friends and get the award at the end - which many employees regard as an extra qualification. Click here to go to the website for more information. It's very likely that the scheme will be run in your area - by your child's school, the council, a youth centre or an organisation like the Scouts or Girl Guides. The bronze award can be done by kids aged 14 and over, the silver award can be done by kids aged 15 and over and the gold award can be done by over 16-year-olds. It takes about six months to complete the Bronze award and it involves lots of things that will keep your child busy like community service, physical recreation, learning a skill and going on an expedition.
Holiday play schemes are run throughout the school holidays giving working parents who don't want a nanny or childminder another childcare option. It's generally cheaper than a childminder and it's a fantastic way for your kids to meet other children. The play schemes will run activities like arts and crafts and probably trips to the park etc. Typical prices are around £15 a day or £75 a week. Again check your local council website - it should have a list of out-of-school care options in your area or try asking your child's school if they know any play schemes run near you.
Not enough people take advantage of their local library. It's a great place to borrow story books for children and most libraries have a section just for kids with comfy seats and a great selection of books for them to read. Many libraries also have activity clubs and special events planned just for children so do pop in and have a look around. if you don't know where the nearest public library is check on your local council's website.
Have a look at Fun4Families which has sites for both parents and children. Londoners can look at Time Out London for kids and London Kidz. and parents in Edinburgh can look at this website.
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Chiara Cavaglieri
Moneymagpie Moneypedia
14.07.2008
