Lazy summer days activities

Instead of getting stressed out over the long summer break, think back to those long lazy holidays when you were young and just seemed to potter around doing nothing much. Here are some ideas of simple and relaxing things to do with the children that require very little effort but are still fun.

- Blow bubbles
- Go to a nearby pond or stream and have fun messing around with a fishing net
- Fly a kite
- Make paperweights by painting pebbles or stones
- Go beachcombing
- Find an outdoor area and go roller-skating
- Enjoy water fun with the garden hose or sprinkler
- Go strawberry or raspberry picking and make great milkshakes or smoothies
- Escape to a beautiful garden - the local area has many open to the public
- Hire a rowing boat in the park or nearby river
- Take a historic tour of your own town - many of us don't think to go to the tourist attractions on our doorstep
- Take the children on a bike ride
- Visit your local farmer's market
- Take a picnic to the park or local countryside area
- Run barefoot on the lawn
- Press flowers or leaves to make homemade cards or bookmarks
- Take a camera out and use a film without photographing the children
- On a clear evening, take the family out to watch the sunset
- Spend an afternoon at the library and read some simple fun books
- Lie on your back on the lawn and look up at the clouds
- Feed the ducks
- Go for a dawn walk and appreciate nature - take a picnic breakfast
- Draw on the patio with coloured chalk
- Read stories or play cards under a shady tree

Fun in the car
We have found a great website that has loads of ideas of things to do on a long journey that are fun, and hopefully will stop the children getting too bored. It has a range of car games for children of all ages with everything from I-Spy, alphabet games and 20 Questions to printables such as Bingo Cards, Lines &Amp; Dots game. One of our favourites is the Travel Scavenger Hunt which is a list of items for children to watch for whilst driving. Although the site is American most of the ideas can easily be adapted for whichever country you are driving in. www.MomsMinivan.com

Gardening with children
With gardening being one of the leading leisure activities for adults in the UK, it is also great for children. Encouraging children to get back to nature and share the joy of gardening not only entertains and educates them but also gets them out into the fresh air. The BBC has developed some great website pages in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society with a selection of educational activities aimed at four to seven year olds. Visit www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/children/ for a whole range of indoor and outdoor garden projects, ideas of plants to try, collecting seeds, worms, bugs and other creepy-crawlies and much more.