5 Fab Free Things to do with Kids this Summer with Zoë

from I'd Rather Be In Deeping July 23

by zerosix design

Feeling the heat

Kornfeld

Just add Water

Find a Fête

Hands up who loves a fête? During the summer months it seems there’s a festival, fête, carnival or family fun day to enjoy every weekend, a quick search on social media revealed many including a Family Day at Stamford Arts Centre on Sat 8th July, and a Vintage Summer fête at Braeburn Lodge Care Home on Sat 15th July.You don’t have to do more than pack a picnic, invite some friends and soak up the atmosphere.

Put our very own Deepings Raft Race on 6th August in your diary. This year’s theme is Sporting Heroes, and there will undoubtedly be plenty for all to enjoy. Have you built your raft yet?

Pop into Peterborough

Hidden gems only a short drive away in our nearest city! Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery is open Tues-Sat and has special events for children during the holidays. Discover marine reptile fossils, an ice age collection and displays on natural history. Children can get ‘hands on’ with interactive displays, dressing up, and experts cover different eras, from the Romans up to today. You don’t have to be religious to appreciate the impressive architecture of the cathedral – it’s free, (donations welcomed) provides a great history lesson, and whether you head inside or stay in the gardens, it’s the perfect oasis to cool off in during a trip to the city. A short walk away is Central Park, which has seen several of its areas developed in recent years, including the sunken and sensory gardens. There’s a little aviary, play areas and free events!

It’s a tried and tested ‘parenting hack’ that if children are what I call ‘feeling fussy’i.e. tired, too hot etc., then adding water – a cooling drink, washing the car or dog, watering the garden, heading for a bath at any time, or introducing water play, will help restore calm.

If you’re at home and you haven’t got the time to fill the paddling pool, then grab a few pots and pans from the kitchen or a couple of large storage tubs, fill, and add a few bath toys or plastic animals, and you’ve got hours of fun!

Another great activity for keeping cool includes filling balloons with mini figures of your choice (dinosaurs or other plastic toys) then topping up with water before freezing, to create a perfect cool down opportunity.

Of course, there are quite a few places nearby to enjoy a paddle – our favourites include fishing for sticklebacks in the shade of Kate’s Bridge, or splashing with our friends at Nine Bridges near Glinton. What’s yours?

Treasure Hunting

Children love hunting for treasure! Whether around the house, during a road trip or on a nature walk, there are hundreds of free ideas online for different scavenger hunts.Choose a theme such as bugs, colours, letters of the alphabet, buildings etc. and head on out together to search for your treasures. Youngsters might enjoy taking photos of their finds, or bringing them home to create a piece of art.

Check out ‘geocaching’ – the act of finding small, easily concealable capsules with gems hidden inside. With plenty of caches hidden all around the UK, wherever you are will be perfect for you to have a stroll and get the kids to find the treasures. The process is simple: create an account on the free app, then use this app to navigate to a nearby geocache. Remember to bring a pen to log your find, and there are ways of creating your own geocache for others to enjoy too.

Look into the Library

There are so many reasons to keep reading over the summer, and not just to keep those teachers happy! One of the awesome things about books is that they’re portable, and can easily be carried ready to be shared in the shade of a tree during a walk, or whilst having a break from playing at the beach. Other ways of including story-telling in your summer could be through dressing up, telling stories around a campfire, or putting on an impromptu play in the garden.

Head down to your local library with lots of free activities for children of all ages, and sign up to the Summer Reading Challenge, which this year has a sporting theme of ‘Ready Set Read!’ Each time they finish a book, and pop back to the library, they’ll receive stickers and rewards, with a certificate and medal at the end.