Summer activities to keep your children entertained

Schools out for summer and, while kids and teenagers are no doubt squealing with delight, the same can’t be said for parents who will soon be tearing their hair out trying to keep their offspring entertained. To help out all you frazzled parents The Celt’s JENNY MCGOVERN has put together some summer activity ideas to fend off the inevitable 'I’m bored’ mantra...

 

Cooking up a storm in the kitchen
It’s time to get the aprons out and dust off the old cookbooks, try your hand at baking delicious treats, brownies, cookies and delicious fairy cakes. Pick up some food colouring and a variety of sprinkles to make them really stand out, it’s guaranteed hours of fun- and you just might be able to trick the tykes into a bonus activity, washing up!

On yer bike!
Good it’s time to get on your bike! Cavan now has a variety of cycling tracks. Kilykeen Forest Park recently opened its family cycle track, which is quickly becoming a firm favourite with adults and children alike. Get your daily exercise fix amongst the stunning scenery. While you’re there, why not bring a packed lunch and have a picnic in the park?
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Funhouse
If the weather is not ideal, plan a trip to an indoor play centre. The kids can amuse themselves, while you relax with a cup of tea and a good book. Warning-earplugs may be an essential for this activity.

Let’s bowl
Take advantage of the local bowling alley, there are always good deals available in the summer months, some of which include party food. Who knows, you could even set up your own summer bowling league.

Here’s looking at Zoo
Get in touch with nature and plan a trip to a wildlife park or Zoo to see all the animals, birds and reptiles Ireland has to offer. Dublin Zoo, Fota Wildlife Park, Belfast Zoo and even Tayto Park promise an amazing, educational day out. Before your visit, how about printing out a 'Zoo Bingo’ card and encourage the kids to mark off each animal they see?

Trench Town
Speaking of educational days out, don’t forget to visit your local museum in Ballyjamesduff. As well as learning about their local history and the history of Ireland, visitors will be able to experience what life was like in the trenches of WW1. The Trench is becoming a must-see attraction for visitors since it opened in August 2014 and includes sound and visual
effects to enhance the experience and educate visitors on life in the trenches in World War 1.

Let’s go to the beach
If the weather Gods smile down upon us then there’s no better time to head to the beach or a lake near you. Make sure to pack the suncream, frisbees, the buckets and spades and a picnic. Encourage kids to search for a variety of smooth stones or shells and they can have more fun painting and decorating them to their hearts content at home.

Giddy-Up
Go for a horse-riding lesson or a pony trek, there are several schools in Cavan to choose from and lots of riding centres provide lessons or short rides for younger children.

Camping 101
Prepare your children for a lifetime of camping at summer music festivals by teaching them to pitch a tent in the back garden. Summer sleepovers are a rite of passage for children. Camping in the garden gives them that little bit of independence but also allows you to feed, water and keep an eye on them from a safe distance.

Eco Warriors
Germinate those green fingers and get the kids to help with the gardening. Give them their own special project to do, planting a herb patch is a relatively fuss free activity. If they have their own special patch they’re more likely to look after it. Give them dedicated tasks to do such as watering the flowers or weeding and how about setting up a compost area, encourage the kids to recycle and use the compost bin as much as possible.

Fairy Fort
While you’re in the garden how about creating a space for the kids to set up their own 'fairy garden’. Have the kids explore the garden to collect building materials for fairy houses. Twigs, moss, leaves, stones plus a little bit of glue and glitter, and a home for the fairies will come to life.
Literary Whizz
Again if the weather is miserable keep the kids entertained by getting them to create their own books. It was a project that I did in national school and it’s one of my favourite memories. Let them create characters, storylines and illustrations, all you have to do is provide the paper and materials and let their imagination run free.
Joining the library and reading books or making jigsaws or playing board games are also good bankers for those rainy days.

Bubbles bubbles everywhere
There are few things more satisfying in life than blowing bubbles, the bigger the better. Try experimenting with drops of food colouring to make beautiful bubbles, it’s cheap AND entertaining.

It’s not rocket science!
Science experiments are great fun, here’s one you can easily do with the kids and you probably already have the supplies.
By mixing 450g of cornflour with 475ml of water in a container you create something that’s called a Non Newtonian fluid. It looks like a liquid but acts like a solid. If you slowly place your hands in the 'liquid’ your hands will reach
the bottom, however if you hit the 'liquid’ at speed you won’t be able to penetrate the fluid.
It’s great fun, the kids will love it and you can add food colouring to the mix for extra oomph.

Water, water every
where
Go swimming; if they haven’t yet learned how to swim, summer is the perfect time for children to start. Irish Water Safety hold several blocks of swimming courses in lakes all across the county in the summer months. Check out www.iws.ie Speaking of lakes if there’s a lake/pond in the area that has wildlife on it why not encourage the kids to feed the ducks. All you need is stale bread and patience.

Movie Madness
There are lots of summer blockbusters to see in the cinema this summer, why not take the kids to see one early in the day- this is the time when ticket prices are cheaper.