Whether you’re staying at home during the school holidays or enjoying a good old British seaside holiday, there’s bound to be the odd day when you need some new inspiration for things to do.
Having just come back from a fortnight’s holiday in the stunningly beautiful, but rain-prone Wales I feel like I am something of an expert in keeping 3 generations occupied!
So here are a few suggestions for fun – whatever your age!
1 Make a giant map of your location.
Stick large pieces of paper together and draw on a map of where you are using an Ordnance Survey (or Google) as reference. Then draw and colour in landmarks you have visited or activities you have enjoyed. You could even draw in roads or railways and the youngest can use it for model cars or trains.
2 Play a board game.
We love Cranium, Don’t Say It or What a Performance, which are simple enough for everyone to enjoy.
3 Make Stripy Jelly!
This recipe from our fabulous new cookbook, Dairy Diary Favourites, is such fun to make and a winner with all the family. Just make sure you buy additive-free jelly beans or your children will be climbing the walls!!
Custard powder 2 tbsp
Milk 300ml (½ pint)
Strawberry jelly 135g packet
Whipped cream and children’s sweets to decorate
- Blend the custard powder with a little cold milk. Bring the remaining milk to the boil and pour onto the mixture, stirring well. Return to the pan and bring back to the boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2. Make up the jelly according to the packet’s instructions. Pour a third of the jelly into a jug, stir in the custard and mix well.
3. Pour half the remaining jelly into a 900ml (1½ pint) glass dish and chill until set. Pour half the custard mixture on top, chill until set. Repeat layers with the remaining mixture, chill until set.
Just before serving, decorate with whipped cream and sweets.
4 Go on a nature walk.
Older members of the family will enjoy sharing their knowledge with little ones and youngsters revel in new discoveries. Children love a challenge, so you could create a list of things to collect, such as:
Something round- A leaf bigger than the palm of your hand
- Something that does not belong
- A fir cone
- Something yellow
- A small stick
- Something rough
- A feather
- Something smooth
- A leaf smaller than your fingernail
- Something shiny
- A blade of grass
- A daisy
- Something with stripes
- Something pretty
- A pebble that looks like an animal
You could even paint the pebble to look even more like the animal when you get home. Or make all of your finds into a collage to keep.
5 Play card games.
Older generations always seem to know great card games, and will enjoy teaching the little ones how to play. You could even make it competitive and give chocolate buttons as prizes.
6 Head off on a treasure hunt.
This can be as simple or as complex as you like, dependent on the ages of people in the family. You could make clues or just leave a trail to where the ‘treasure’ is. Treasure could be something like a bag of chocolate coins or a few new colouring pens. I bought some pretty but inexpensive stones and hid them amongst pebbles on the beach for the children to find.
7 Go to the cinema or have a DVD night at home.
Choose a good all-rounder family film, buy a big bag of popcorn and relax.
8 Pose for a family photo.
Place your camera on a tripod or table, set the timer and say cheese!
9 Visit a local historical site or museum.
Choose somewhere with a mixture of activities, such as children’s trails, interesting artefacts or buildings and, of course, a good café!
10 Play rounders.
If there are small children involved, give them a huge racket and use a soft ball, so that everyone gets a chance to be involved.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the iconic Dairy Diary we have created a collection of the top 100 recipes from the past 35 years.
From children’s teas and quick midweek meals to delicious lunches and decadent desserts, there’s something in this book to tempt everyone.
It’s going to be a hectic three days building the exhibition stand and sharing our diaries with the trade but I can’t wait to show off our new products. Maybe I will even be able to pilfer a new sparkly gem pencil!
Dairy Diary Chat 