The summer holidays may be over and children across Stone may be back at school, but that does not mean all the summer fun has to disappear with them.
Weekends and those precious hours after school can still offer a chance to get outdoors, make something or simply spend some time away from a screen. Better still, keeping children occupied does not have to mean an expensive day out or a packed family diary.
Here are five activities that can help stretch that summer holiday feeling a little further, with realistic age ranges, time estimates and a list of what you will need for each one.
1. Garden games that work for mixed ages
Best for: Ages 3 to 10
Time: 45 minutes to 2 hours
You’ll need: A bucket or washing up bowl, sponges, old plastic bottles, chalk
Water games are an easy option when the weather is still warm enough. Fill a bucket, add some sponges and let the children throw them at targets drawn in chalk on a fence or paving.
Older children can line up plastic bottles and turn it into a knockout tournament, while younger ones can simply enjoy splashing about.
If the weather is not cooperating, chalk on paving slabs works just as well. Hopscotch, obstacle courses and giant noughts and crosses can all turn a patio or driveway into an activity area without much preparation.
2. Kitchen science experiments
Best for: Ages 4 to 9
Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
You’ll need: Bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, food colouring, washing up liquid, a baking tray
You may already have everything you need for a simple vinegar volcano in the kitchen.
Put a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda in a cup, add a few drops of food colouring and washing up liquid, then pour in some vinegar and watch what happens. It is worth having enough ingredients for a few attempts, as children will probably want to repeat it.
Another simple option is colour mixing. Fill a few small cups with water, add different food colourings and let younger children experiment with transferring and combining the colours using pipettes.
It can get messy, so an old towel underneath or a spot outside may be a good idea.
3. A DIY light table from acrylic sheet
Best for: Ages 2 to 7
Time: 20 minutes to set up, followed by plenty of play time
You’ll need: A small panel of clear cast acrylic, a plastic storage box, fairy lights or a battery powered tap light, coloured tissue paper, translucent counters or shapes
This one needs a little preparation, but it can work well when the weather keeps everyone indoors.
Place a string of fairy lights or a flat tap light inside a shallow plastic storage box, then put a small panel of clear cast acrylic over the top. This creates a smooth, illuminated surface that younger children can use for sorting translucent shapes, mixing colours and making patterns with tissue paper.
The acrylic can also be used for window art. Fix it securely against a sunny window and children can arrange tissue paper shapes on it with a small amount of water. Light shining through the different colours adds another dimension to the activity.
Anyone familiar with tuff tray activities will find the basic idea fairly straightforward.
4. Nature hunts with a twist
Best for: Ages 3 to 8
Time: 1 to 2 hours
You’ll need: An egg box, a printed or hand drawn checklist, a small bag for collecting
A nature scavenger hunt can turn an ordinary weekend walk around Stone into more of an adventure.
Give each child an egg box and ask them to find something for every compartment. That might include something rough, something smooth, something that smells nice, a feather or a seed.
Older children can have a more challenging list, perhaps looking for different leaf shapes, spotting a bird they have not seen before or searching for signs that an animal has passed through.
It gives children something to concentrate on while getting everyone outdoors for a while.
5. Junk modelling and building projects
Best for: Ages 4 to 10
Time: 1 to 2 hours
You’ll need: Cardboard boxes, tape, scissors, paint, old cereal boxes, toilet roll tubes, bottle caps
Rather than putting every cardboard box and cereal packet straight into the recycling, save a selection for a weekend building session.
Give children a theme, such as a robot, castle, spaceship or car, then let them decide how to build it.
Younger children may need help with cutting and taping, while older ones should be able to do much of it themselves with suitable scissors and masking tape.
Give them enough room to spread out and put down old newspaper or something else to protect the floor, particularly if paint is involved.
Keeping a little of the holiday feeling
None of these ideas needs to occupy an entire day. That is part of the appeal.
One activity on a Saturday morning, a nature hunt on a Sunday afternoon or a quick kitchen experiment after school can help break up the routine and give children something different to do without automatically reaching for a screen.
Most require little more than things already sitting in cupboards, the recycling box or the garden, making them relatively easy ways to keep some of that summer holiday freedom going into the autumn.
