How do you keep your children active and entertained during summer?

This is a good question we all ask ourselves how can we keep our kids entertained during the summer one without it costing too much and another that it's fun and keeps them entertained.


Well last year I covered a big section of my blog on this during the February Half term check it out here ...

So how can you fill 6 weeks I thought I would show you a few ideas I have up my sleeve.

We have just moved house in the last few months and our biggest challenge so far is the Garden. We have a lot of garden to try and clear so one of my ideas will be getting this under control we have already made a start so hoping we will have some more of this finished soon so we can think about getting some sand pits and outdoor toys for the kids to keep them amused even a paddling pool for those hot days (fingers crossed).

As you can see its not looking to bad already but the bottom section will be the hardest part so if i can get the top half done in time and get some things for the kids to play on, least that way they can have fun while poor mummy works on the tackling something out of sleeping beauty worst nightmare!

So whats next well we are lucky we live in Plymouth and have some great free events during June / August from La Solitaire du Figaro which is a great event for the city and the kids love watching all the boats on the sound plus there is a cool jazz and blues festival too. We also have Armed Forces day which is a great way to learn about the Forces last year we even got to sit on a Helicopter the boys loved that. 

We then have Flavour Fest which is great fun we get to try lots of different foods from all over and get to see how food gets transformed into daily meals, with lots of local traders its great to get into the community spirit and support the local area. One year we got to try blueberries never had them before and now me and the kids love them all thanks to the Food Festival. We also get some great ideas for cooking at home and as you know we love cooking check out some of our recent creations.

 So we will be doing plenty of cooking during the holidays and the kids love being so hands on in the kitchen and this is a great way bonding and having fun and cooking does not cost much and great for a rainy day too! We also love doing craft based projects being a creative family so we always try and keep empty boxes on hand so we can paint and decorate. 

In August we are proud to host the British Fireworks Championships  its a great two day event which is free and we get to watch some of the best fireworks in the country on display. 

These events are a few things that our on offer in Plymouth during the holidays so there are plenty of free events to keep my kids busy. But on those occasions where we can afford to do something more we have a great Aquarium nearby which we love to go and they also provide some great classes and activities to keep the kids entertained as well has great rates to go back and visit again its a firm favorite with the kids.

Other local attractions include woodlands which is one of the fun local theme parks in the area about a hour drive its a great way to spend a day having fun in the sun  or playing in the ball pool lots to do and a  good day out.

We also have National Trust passes so lots of great places to visit one of our favorites is Saltrum House where they film Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland. The kids love going there having there face painted and running around the Gardens. We normally pack a picnic too and with a  park on hand and ducks to feed its another great way to spend a day out. 

We are lucky enough to have so many wonderful things on our doorstep the Barbican will be holding their festival of the sea once again and last year the kids got to make there own costumes and walk in the parade around the town, Also have the Eden Project nearby too and some amazing beaches when the weather is hot. 

Last but not least we have Dartmoor, another great place to go during the summer with rivers to swim in and rocks to climb and big open spaces to run in its great. Last year we went for a swim in a place called Cadover Bridge the kids loved it so much they keep asking when we can go back so this will be a must again this summer. I also took them to a place called the rock which is a massive rock they can climb kids love it plus i can take a  chair and watch them without having to worry only that they don't fall .... 

So you can see Plymouth is a great place to go during the holiday we are just lucky we live here with so many things to do and most being free, there will plenty to talk about this summer on my blog, So weather the weather is hot or not we have some great ideas planned for keeping the kids entertained. 

I hope this may have given you some great ideas to plan ahead and find out what you city will be doing during the summer, if all else fails you know where to stay ... But keep checking out my blog as we will be posting some great places to go and things to do and this hopefully would have show you what too look forward too in the coming months. 

And hopefully I may even be lucky enough to review this 12ft  Twist Trampoline from EXIT now that we have a  garden big enough to fit one of these thanks to ActivitytoysDirect.com. If you have a  blog and fancy a chance at winning find all the details here: