Tag Archives: entertaining the kids

What every parent holidaying in the UK should have: The Rainy Day Box

The Rainy Day Box

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What every parent holidaying in the UK should have:

 

The Rainy Day Box

Britain is unbeatable in terms of beauty. I feel extremely lucky to live in such a gorgeous country, full of contrasting landscapes.

Of course, I love the excitement of foreign travel but I adore Great Britain and so this year we have decided to holiday at home. We’re visiting the stunning Gower peninsula for some gloriously sandy family fun.

This particularly beautiful part of the UK is very special to me as it’s where my grandmother originated from and where I spent many a happy childhood holiday.

BUT with every British holiday,
we need to be prepared.
That includes waterproofs
and wellies and our savour
– the Rainy Day Box.

The Rainy Day Box is essential for keeping the children amused indoors (as there’s only so many times you can endure the beach in the pouring rain). I prepare it in advance of the holiday so it’s ready in case we need it.

 

To make a Rainy Day Box:

Sturdy cardboard or plastic box (I label mine, but this is not essential)

And some or all of the following (age-appropriate for your child or children):

The Rainy Day Box

  • Colouring or activity books (I get mine when they are on offer in The Works)
  • Crayons, colouring pencils or felt tip pens
  • A board game (charity shops are great places to pick up board games)
  • Loom bands or beads for bracelet making

The Rain Day Box

  • A new DVD (I bought this one cheap from the Supermarket, but you could hire one for a week from your local library)
  • Indoor games such as jacks, dominos or jigsaws
  • Reading books
  • Craft kits (we still have some left from Christmas that we have never got around to making but you could easily make your own. In a zip lock bag put some pieces of card and paper, lollipop sticks or pipe cleaners and stickers, buttons etc. with some glue and scissors. Help your child to cut out a shape of their choice; this could be a mask or wand, or a butterfly or dinosaur. Attach pipe cleaners or lollipop sticks for the handle/antennae or legs and then let your child go wild with decorations.)

 

If you are self-catering you could also take a ready-made recipe kit.

Buy one or create your own by putting all the dry ingredients in a tub and wet ingredients in a small bottle. Print out the recipe and pack into your Rainy Day Box. This recipe is perfect as it doesn’t use any ingredients that require chilling.

 

Honey Flapjack Cookies 

Honey Flapjack Cookies

Both wheat and dairy free, these little oaty crunchies are completely irresistible.

Time 25 minutes plus cooling
Calories per cookie 72 Kcal
Fat per cookie 4g of which saturated 0.5g
Makes 30 cookies
Suitable for vegetarians

Porridge oats 125g (4½oz)
Medium oatmeal 50g (2oz)
Light soft brown sugar 110g (4oz)
Heather honey 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract a few drops
Vegetable oil 110ml (3½fl oz)
Egg 1, beaten

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

2 Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Then put heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture, well spaced apart, on the baking sheets and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon – you should be able to make 30 cookies.

3 Bake for 12–15 minutes until they are a rich golden brown. Leave them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking trays before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Cook’s Tip
For the best results, choose a stronger tasting variety of honey and add a teaspoon of cinnamon or ground mixed spice for a different flavour.

A Good Food Fast recipe.

 

Have fun everyone. You may even hope for a rainy day so you get to do all these activities!

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How to survive the school holidays!

Surviving-the-school-holidays

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Save your Sanity!

Top tips to you get through the rest of the school holidays

We’re over halfway through the school holidays now. And for those parents/grandparents who are looking after children, how are you doing?! As adorable as they are, week after week of entertaining our offspring can be challenging!

I have had a couple of weeks off with my children over the holidays but it’s their dad who is looking after them every day. Each evening, I tentatively put the key in the front door and peer round with trepidation wondering if he (and the house) has survived! They are all pretty well behaved but VERY demanding. Even if we wanted to ‘stick the kids in front of the tv’ we couldn’t. It just doesn’t keep their attention.

So, it’s crafts, jigsaws, walks, parks
and endless questions from dawn
to dusk – exhausting stuff!

What are your survival tips for the holidays? We have found the following very useful:

  • Charity shops – a cheap supply of ‘new’ games and puzzles works wonders.
  • Umbrellas and watering cans. This has entertained them in the garden for ages.
  • A daily trip to our local park or pool (it’s essential to get out of the house for a while).
  • Summer reading challenge – most local libraries offer a reward to children who read several books over the holiday. We have created our own chart with a Kinder egg reward for every five books read.
  • A holiday scrapbook – we save tickets, leaflets and postcards from everywhere we visit and stick them into a scrapbook and then encourage the children to write a little about each visit (helping to keep their writing skills active).
  • Local websites – to look out for free local events and places to visit.
  • Balloons – these have inexpensively entertained really well (when they’re not squabbling over who has which colour!)
  • A treasure hunt – we work out a route nearby or in a local park with five or six locations. Each location has a clue to the next location (with a little reward at each) until they find the final location with its treasure.  You can tailor the theme, location and clues to your child’s age and interests. Draw the treasure map and accompany them with helpful hints where needed and those rewards and treasure.
  • Colouring/painting/chalking/printing. Using ideas from craft books and online, we do something creative every day.
  • A hand-drawn/coloured train/race track for cars etc. Great fun to create and provides hours of fun even when it’s finished.
  • Play dough (see the recipe below).
  • Plant flower or vegetable seeds in individual pots, make pretty labels for them and nurture.
  • Fill ice cube trays with melted chocolate and dried fruit. Then encourage the children to be good all afternoon while they set in the fridge!
  • Build a den, indoors or out, dependent on the weather, using a clothes horse/washing line/old bedding/towels/cushions and pegs. Then enjoya picnic in the den (teddies optional).
  • Painting with feet – we place some old wallpaper on the grass and use a tray of paint (with a bucket of water nearby for cleaning their paws afterwards).
  • A mini beast hunt armed with paper and pencils (perfect for Isaac, but this one is not so great for our twins who are going through a phase of moaning about every tiny insect they see!)

Have fun everyone!

 

playdoughPlaydough Recipe

Plain flour 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Vegetable oil 1tbsp
Cream of tartar 2tsp
Salt ½ cup
Food colouring a few drops

1 Place all ingredients in a pan on a low heat.

2 Stir continuously until mixture thickens to a firm dough texture.

3 Store in an airtight container and keep away from pets.

Days out for free

Free days out this Easter

DAYS OUT FOR FREE!

Enjoy the long Easter weekend and take advantage of the huge choice of days out that won’t cost a penny.

It’s Easter this weekend and many of us will be enjoying a couple of extra days off. What will you get up to?

I would like my Easter to be a
mixture of baking, days out,
crafting and relaxing (no chance!)

As a mum of three, I am on a strict budget and cheap days out are a must.

Here is the Dairy Diary’s essential guide to days out for free:

Scotland

McManus Galleries Albert Square, Dundee, Angus
www.mamanus.co.uk
Dundee’s main art gallery and museum, is a remarkable Gothic building where art, history and the environment combine to offer a fascinating glimpse into Dundee’s colourful past.

National Gallery of Scotland The Mound, Edinburgh, Midlothian
www.natgalscot.ac.uk
The gallery exhibits an outstanding collection of art by the greatest artists from the renaissance to post-impressionism.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 75 Belford Road, Edinburgh, Midlothian
www.natgalscot.ac.uk
A fine collection of prints, paintings and sculpture from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Kylerhea Otter Haven Strathoich, Fort Augustus, Inverness
www.forestry.gov.uk
A hide perched above the shore of Kyle Rhea, offering the opportunity to watch local otters and other coastal wildlife.

 

North England

Durham Cathedral The College, Durham, County Durham
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
A remarkable example of Norman architecture, the present cathedral dates back to the 12th century.

Whinlatter Forest Park Braithwaite, Keswick, Cumbria
www.forestry.gov.uk/whinlatterforestpark
The only mountain forest in England.  In addition to the stunning scenery there is also an adventure playground, visitor centre and shop.

Lake District Visitor Centre at Brockhole Windermere, Cumbria
www.brockhole.co.uk
Set on the shore of lake Windermere, the centre boasts interactive exhibitions, trails, film auditorium and adventure playground.

Home of Rest for Old Horses Bulrhenny, Richmond Hill, Douglas, Isle of Man
www.iom-horseshome.com
A wonderful retirement home for horses, with museum, café and shop.

Imperial War Museum North The Quays, Trafford, Wharf Road, Trafford Park, Manchester
www.iwm.org.uk
Constructed in 2002, this museum is a real interactive experience with a huge audio visual presentation and thousands of objects from conflicts from the 20th and 21st century.  Not to be missed.

The Albert Dock Liverpool, Merseyside
www.albertdock.com
A variety of shops and restaurants on the river Mersey.  The Tate Liverpool and Beatles Story (charges apply) are well worth a visit.

Otterburn Mill Otterburn, Northumberland
www.otterburnmill.co.uk
Mill museum and shop, nursery, tea garden and coffee shop.

Baltic the Centre for Contemporary Art South Shore Road, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear
www.balticmill.com
Housed in an imposing building, a former grain warehouse, this is one of the largest centres for contemporary art in Europe.

Henry Moore Institute 74 The Headrow, Leeds, Yorkshire
www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk
The Henry Moore Institute is a centre dedicated to sculpture. Based in the heart of Leeds, the Institute comprises three integrated elements: exhibitions, research and collections.

National Museum of Photography, Film and Television Little Horton Lane, Bradford, Yorkshire
www.nmpft.org.uk
The Museum’s renowned collection includes more than three million items of historical, social and cultural value. These include three key ‘firsts’: the world’s first negative, the earliest television footage and what is regarded as the world’s first example of moving pictures.

 

Central England

Kettle’s Yard Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
www.kettlesyard.co.uk
Founded by H.S Jim Ede, former curator of the Tate in London as a ‘refuge of peace and order, of the visual arts and of music’.

Gloucester Cathedral 2 College Green, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk
Constructed in 1089, by order of William the Conqueror, this impressive building has wonderful stained glass windows and architecture to be admired.

Old Dairy Farm Craft Centre Upper Stowe, Nr Weedon, Northamptonshire
www.old-dairy-farm-centre.co.uk
A rural shopping experience with unusual gifts, antiques, delicatessen and restaurant.

Rufford Abbey and Country Park Ollerton, Newark, Nottinghamshire
www.ruffordcraftcentre.org.uk
Gallery, craft shops and ceramics centre, set in picturesque parklands.

Sherwood Pines Forest Park Edwinstowe, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
www.forestry.gov.uk/sherwoodpines
Over 450 acres of ancient woodland, with exhibitions, shops and restaurant.

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery Betheseda Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag
Home of the world’s finest collection of Staffordshire ceramics, there are also art exhibitions, and displays of costume, industry and transport, reflecting the lives of the local people.

Coventry Transport Museum Millennium Place, Hales Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
www.transport-museum.com
Displaying the largest collection of British road transport in the world, this museum tells the story of the history of transport.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH
www.bmag.org.uk/birmingham-museum
First opened in 1885, it is housed in a Grade II listed city centre landmark building. There are over 40 galleries to explore that display art, applied art, social history, archaeology and ethnography.

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology Beaumont Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire
www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk
Britain’s oldest public museum, displaying famous collections of art and artefacts from across the world.

 

South England

Bucks County Museum Church Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
www.buckscc.gov.uk/museum
An award winning museum charting the heritage of Buckinghamshire.  With an art gallery and Roald Dahl children’s gallery (charges apply).

Milton Keynes Gallery Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
www.mk-g.org
Striking building housing exhibitions of contemporary art.

Falmouth Art Gallery The Moor, Falmouth, Cornwall
www.falmouthartgallery.com
One of the leading art collections in Cornwall and features work by old masters, major Victorian artists, British Impressionists, leading maritime artists and contemporary painters and printmakers.

Walford Mill Craft Centre Stone Lane, Wimborne, Dorset
www.walfordmillcrafts.co.uk
This centre showcases the best in contemporary craft and design.  There is a wide range of pottery, textiles, jewellery, wood and metalwork.

Tolpuddle Martyers Museumn TUC Memorial Cottages, Tolpuddle, Dorchester, Dorset
www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk
Charting the famous local story of the farm labourers who were arrested and departed to Australia after forming a trade union in 1834.

Chelmsford Museum and Essex Regiment Museum Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex
www.chelmsford.gov.uk
Documenting local and social history, with decorative arts, natural history, and mitilaria.

Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum and Memorial Garden Serle’s House, Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire
www.serleshouse.co.uk
Historical artefacts from the history of the Hampshire regiment are on display in this fine Georgian House.

Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery St. Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent
www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk
Exhibiting costumes, life size dinosaurs, fossils and even an Egyptian mummy, in an impressive Elizabethan Manor House.

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton, Sussex
www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums
Re-opened in 2002, this new look museum offers state of the art facilities, fashion, paintings and ceramics.

There are over 50 free museums, galleries and other places to visit in London.  Here is just a small selection.

Freightliners Farm Sheringham Road, Islington, London
www.freightlinersfarm.org.uk
Working city farm, in the centre of Islington.

British Museum Great Russell Street, London
www.thebritishmuseum.org
Founded in 1753 this is the world’s oldest museum. With 2½ miles of galleries.

National Portrait Gallery St Martin’s Place, London
www.npg.org.uk
The largest collection of portraiture in the world.

Tate Britain/ Tate Modern Millbank / Bankside, London
www.tate.org.uk
Some of the best British and contemporary art in the world.

Victoria and Albert Museum Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London
www.vam.ac.uk
An enormous and diverse collection of decorative arts.

 

Wales

National Museum and Gallery Cardiff Cathays Park, Cardiff
www.nmgw.ac.uk
Journey back in time to discover dinosaurs and woolly mammoths, the secrets of Celtic, Viking and Roman ancestors and Welsh natural history.

National Woollen Museum Dre-Fach Felindre, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire
www.nmgw.ac.uk
Families can have fun following the specially designed trail, ‘A Woolly Tale’, trying their hand at carding, spinning and sewing along the way.

Welsh Slate Museum Llanberis, Gwynedd
www.nmgw.ac.uk
The museum building is sited in the Victorian workshops built in the shadow of Elidir mountain.  Not so much a museum as a pocket of history, showing the relics of the slate industry.

Dylan Thomas Centre Somerset Place, Swansea
www.swansea.gov.uk/dtc
A splendid building which houses a permanent exhibition in celebration of the life and works of Dylan Thomas.

Big Pit National Mining Museum of Wales Blaenafon, Torfaen,
www.nmgw.ac.uk
Discover what life was like as a miner, go 300ft underground, view the exhibitions and multi-media tour.

 

Northern Ireland

Ballydougan Pottery Bloomvale House, 171 Plantation Road, Portadown, Craigavan, Co Armagh
www.ballydouganpottery.co.uk
This historic thatched house has seen generations of local craftspeople, dating back to 1785.

Armagh County Museum The Mall, East Armagh, Co Armagh
www.nmni.com
An impressive collection of paintings and artefacts reflecting the lives of the local people.

Ulster Museum Botanic Gardens, Belfast
www.nmni.com
As Northern Ireland’s treasure house of the past and present, the museum is home to a rich collection of art, history and natural sciences.

 

Make a little time to bake something special this Easter

Of course, no Easter is complete without
Simnel cake. Happy Easter everyone!

Simnel Cake  

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