Low Cost Summer Holiday Ideas -In and Around Norwich

It's that time of year again where we need to entertain our children for six whole weeks without breaking the bank. Enjoying quality time with our children needn't be expensive. After all, when you look back at your summers as children, do you remember every detail of a day out at the zoo/theme park or do you remember every detail of catching your first fish, playing under the sprinklers and bike rides with friends and family?

Holidays are fantastic and so are days out but prices are high and most days out to a theme park or zoo for our family can cost at least £100 for entry tickets alone. Summer holidays don't have to cost the earth. Here's a few ideas to get you going to have fun for free or very cheap:

A Day To The Beach
Very low cost if you plan your day well. Check journey times and pack up the essentials. A home made picnic, football, kite, net-for the rock pools, bucket and spade (or whatever you have to entertain the kiddies) if not kites, buckets and spades are relatively cheap and can be so much fun. Stuff it all in the boot and away you go. Remember to keep the essentials for next time, making it even cheaper. Oh, and don't forget a good old ice-cream.

Feeding The Ducks
There's plenty of rivers and ponds to choose from in Norwich. Good old fun for all ages.

Reading Challenge At The Library
As soon as the summer holidays begin, get down to your local library and get the children signed up for the reading challenge. It's a great way of filling in the time gaps or a rainy day activity. Plus children keep up (or start in some cases) with their reading for when they go back to school in September. You'll find the homework routine is easier to get back into.

GoGo Gorillas - The Gorilla Hunt In Norwich
While your at the library get a map of the Gorilla Hunt going on in Norwich. What is it? Break Charity, Wild in Art and Born Free have set up an interactive art event. With 120 Gorilla sculptures (67 baby Gorillas and 53 Large adult Gorillas) placed in and around the city of Norwich. Each one has a number you can tick off on your map with a letter. After you have found all the Gorillas and all the letters work out the mystery words. This is something that can be done over a few days.

Bike Ride
Exactly what it says, simple, healthy and children love them.

Bake
Cakes, muffins, cookies, fairy cakes. You name it - the children will love it. Most of us have the ingredients in our cupboards. If not they are very cheap.

Chalk Drawings
My children love to get their own patio square in the garden and draw a picture on it - Dick Van Dyke style from Marry Poppins. Draw hopscotch, snakes and ladders and four square. Little stone and away they go for ages.

Build An Obstacle Course In The Garden/House
So much fun and it's great that children have to use their imaginations too. I've had to take part in many obsticle courses my children have set up, from making mud pies to scootering around objects, climbing and tunnelling. Once they even made a zip-wire from tree to tree with a hose pipe & tow rope!

Park
Either a good hours free entertainment or make a day of it. Take a picnic, meet up with friends.

Walk
A nice walk in the woods or neighbourhood. Let the children make a map, it doesn't have to be perfect. Or write some things down that your likely to see on your walk. Let the children tick them off on the way.

Geocaching
This is a free interactive treasure hunt you can get on a smart phone.

Tye Dye
You need an old t'shirt, elastic bands, stones/marbles dye. You can purchase dye from supermarkets quite cheap. Place the t'shirt flat, put a stone/marble inside the t'shirt and push up. From the top wrap an elastic band round the t'shirt and stone as tight as you can. Do this as many times as you like. In a bowl or sink of water pour the dye in and stir. Then place the t'shirt in and soak for at least 6 hours. Once the time is up, carefully remove the t'shirt and wring it out. Hang it out to dry. Once dry remove the elastic bands and stones/marbles. Enjoy your very own creation.

Paint
Most children enjoy painting and most mums hate the mess! Instead do it outside where it can easily be hosed down. A really good tip I got from the creator of Karma Family Life-Mrs Kerry Anne Head, to dry the paintings, hang them on the washing line with pegs. This resolves the issue of not having enough surface space.

Cheap Cinema
Hollywood cinema in Norwich offer showings for just 99p. Similarly the Vue and Odeon offer cheap am showings and off-peak rates.

Play Date
Not only is this a chance to see friends but to have a coffee morning and catch up on some sometimes much needed adult conversation.

Build A Den
Inside or out its always a winner. Cushions, blankets, furniture and pegs can all help to make a den inside on a rainy day. In the garden or a woods you can use fallen branches and sticks to make a den.

Wizards Maze
It costs under £15 entry for a family of 5 to go. Take a picnic and the children can enjoy going round the maze, go karts, the big bouncy cushion, tractor rides and other activities.

Museum
Lots of museums hold activity days for free or very low cost. Check out your local ones to see whats on.

Fruit Picking
This is always a winner. Not only will your children fill themselves up with fruit but it's very cheap to pick your own (PYO) White House Farm is one of our favourites in Norwich. They grow a variety of fruits. You can also turn your pickings into a bake day with berry concoctions and apple pies.

Theme Parks & Days Out
It's nice to get out and do something different sometimes but before you do be sure to look out for 2for1 vouchers on days out and money off. Good places to look are cereal boxes, Spree Book, Primary Times Magazine, Money Saving Expert website and use Tesco Clubcard Vouchers.

Written by Victoria.

Love the Skin you're in

There’s a lot of talk in the media news today, concerning the growing number of children apparently having cosmetic surgery for facial imperfections.
It’s been quoted that 68% of parents would gladly encourage their children to have cosmetic surgery on their faces in order to avoid bullying!

I find this revelation quite shocking and horrifying! Obviously bullying should never be tolerated. I think that goes without saying. However, surely we are pandering to the bullies and to the shallowness of our society if we send out the message to our children that they will only be accepted if they have “perfect” faces?

In my opinion, individuality of looks is something to be proud of and embraced. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and not obtained from a photo-fit catalogue of some shallow preconception of what is defined as uniform beauty! The world would be a truly boring and uninspirational place if we all strived to look exactly the same.

I remember an incident some 15 years ago when my eldest son was a newborn baby. I was proudly showing off my beautiful new baby in the crèche at the gym that I attended: Another mother noticed the tiny, insignificant red birthmark on his forehead, looked at me sympathetically and exclaimed, “Oh dear, you do realise that you can get that mark removed by laser treatment, don’t you? I took my son as soon as he was old enough. It only took about 4 laser sessions to correct his. I assume you’ll be taking him to your doctor to get him treated as soon as possible?” I won’t tell you what my reply was. This is a family blog, after all. Suffice to say, that the silly woman was left in no doubt as to what I thought of her unwelcome and ridiculously narrow-minded opinions!

My son’s little birthmark was, and still is, a unique feature of his beautiful face. It has faded over the years anyway and is barely even noticeable. However, it has never been an issue anyway, even if it hadn’t faded, and he has never been in any doubt as to how much we love him… and his face! Incidentally, he also walked into a door frame, as a toddler, and, although it wasn’t noticed at the time, it has left him with a nose that’s not quite as straight as it started out! However, this hasn’t spoiled his good looks either and he has absolutely no problems attracting the ladies as he matures!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t consider surgical enhancement if your child suffers a disfiguring accident or illness. I just don’t think we should be constantly striving for a “perfection” appearance that absolutely does not exist anyway.

Look in the mirror now. Yes, go on, I dare you!

See..you are beautiful simply because you are you, and there is no one else who looks exactly like you.

You are unique. Sure, you might have a spot on the end of a nose that may have taken a knock in its time, a few wrinkles that weren’t there the last time you looked, and one eyebrow slightly higher than the other: What does that matter?

Chances are, if you are reading this now, you’re a less-than-perfect-looking mum, like me. However, you are guaranteed to have been told how beautiful you are, at least once in your life.

Remember that little miniature person who jumped on you as you crawled out of bed this morning? You probably thought you looked a wreck with your un-combed hair, bleary eyes, and pillow-creased face! Well, believe that lovely little person who gave you that slobbery kiss and blurted out “I love you Mummy, you are the most beautiful mummy in the whole universe.”

Who needs perfection?

Individuality and personal flaws are so much more interesting and endearing.

It’s the people who love the faces we were born with , that make us beautiful and perfect, anyway, and not the cosmetic surgeons.


Written by Bev.

Colchester Zoo

Over the Easter holiday, I took my tribe to Colchester Zoo.

We've been a couple of times before, and have really loved it there.
They have a bit of everything, from Monkeys to Lions, and Meer Cats to Penguins, so it is always a real winner for our family, as no one misses out on their favourite animal!

We, thankfully managed to bag a sunny (but very cold and windy) day for our trip, and had great fun seeing all the animals and playing in the many playgrounds that they have dotted around the zoo.

So I thought that I'd share with you some of our favourite photos from our family day out.

If you would like to find out more about Colchester Zoo, and their animals, you can visit their website by clicking here.

Have you visited Colchester Zoo? What is your favourite animal?
Written by Kerry.

How to make a String Decoration

My children love making these. It can be very messy depending on their age but that’s part of the fun plus the finished result is a decoration for their bedrooms.

We used coloured string but you can also use plain string and leave white for a shabby chic look, or add some paint to your glue for colour.

What you will need:

·         String 

·         Bowl

·         PVA Glue  

·         Round balloons  

·         Scissors

·         Newspaper or something to protect your work surface

·         Paint – if required

1.      Cover your work surface with newspaper

2.      Blow the balloon up to your required size. We use between 5cm and 20cm. Remember the bigger the balloon the more string you will need!

3.      Pour the PVA glue into a bowl. If using plain string add paint if required and mix.  

4.      Cut the string into 50cm lengths. This prevents knots and is easier to handle

5.      Place a length of string into the bowl and coat with the glue. To prevent the string slipping around the balloon, remove the excess glue (glue & paint) with your fingers.

6.      Wrap the string around the balloon. Overlap the string to create a lattice effect. Keep going until you have the desired effect you wish. Remember not to leave big spaces.

7.      Hang the balloon to dry. Leave for at least 24 hours. Check that all the string is completely dry and feels hard. Pop the balloon and remove it carefully from your decoration.

      

     

If you pop the balloon too soon the string will collapse with the balloon. This happened to us! We use coloured string instead plain string and adding paint as my 4 year old gets a little carried away with paint! To re-use the string I simply soaked the string in warm water to remove the glue and separated the lengths again.

Remember if your string decoration gets wet it will also collapse.

You can add glitter to the glue or use some decorative ribbon to make these hanging ornaments or Christmas tree decorations. If you leave a small space when you are latticing your balloon you can fill with small chocolate eggs for Easter. The ideas are endless!

Enjoy crafting!     

Written by Victoria.

The Tooth Fairy comes to visit

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd share with you all a poem I wrote when we had a run on wobbly milk teeth in our madhouse!

I HAVE A WOBBLY TOOTH
AND I CAN MOVE IT WITH MY TONGUE
MUM SAYS THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE VERY YOUNG

SHE SAYS MY TOOTH WILL FALL OUT
AND A FAIRY WILL GIVE ME SOME MONEY
SHE'LL TAKE MY TOOTH WHILE I'M FAST ASLEEP
WELL, I THOUGH THAT WAS VERY FUNNY!

NOW I KNOW I SHOULD BELIEVE MY MUM
COS MUMS ARE SUPER CLEVER!
AND I DON'T THINK SHE'S EVER FIBBED TO ME
NO HONESTLY, NOT EVER!

I'VE BEEN THINKING LONG AND HARD
AND THIS TIME I DON'T THINK MUM IS RIGHT
COS I SAW SOMETHING REALLY ODD
WHEN I COULDN'T SLEEP LAST NIGHT

I'LL TELL YOU THE END OF MY STORY
IF I MAY BE SO BOLD
YOU SEE, GRANDAD IS STAYING WITH US
AND I KNOW HE'S VERY OLD

WHEN I CREPT INTO HIS BEDROOM
YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT I SAW...
YES REALLY... ALL OF GRANDAD'S TEETH
WERE IN A GLASS RIGHT THERE BY THE DOOR...!

Written by Bev.

Imagination Vs Technology

It seems that everywhere we look these days, we are surrounded by technology.
None more so than our children.

What with Apple i-gadgets, Microsoft X-Boxes, and Sony PlayStation's being commonplace in almost every home, it is no wonder that our children are somewhat lacking in imagination. A generation of "imagineers" in Japan and America have already done the work for them.

I try to provide an informative and creative environment for my children to grow up in. They're certainly not devoid of technology, in fact we are all very much on the i-gadget bandwagon, with an iPad, iPod's, a PlayStation, and a laptop floating around the house. But I'm very lucky because while all of my children are good at using all of these products, they don't rely on them (yet!).
Generally they don't need the TV, or the numerous variations of technology that they have access to, to keep them amused or happy. They enjoy going to the park, and having picnics, riding their bikes, jumping on a trampoline, climbing the trees in the local woods, and skating.

I love that the kids are so low maintenance when it comes to days out. It seems an increasingly rare thing to have children who take great pleasure in the little things, like having a ladybird crawl across the palm of their hand or reading a good book at the library instead of being plugged in to the latest video game or sat sprawled out on the sofa in front of the TV.

It was lovely today to see them reject the insistent bleeping of incoming messages. Since my eldest daughters have discovered 'FaceTime' with their friends, there has been a constant stream of calls. Today however, these calls have been ignored by my children. Not because I have asked them to do so, but because they were happily playing board games together and did not want to be disturbed! Bill Gates and Steve Jobbs haven't taken them just yet!

My husband suggests this may be because our eldest children are girls, and computer games in particular are more likely to be adopted to addictive levels by boys, and that when our three year old son gets older, he will be kidnapped for days at a time by Football Manager and Call of Duty.
My husband has said that this is how much of his childhood was spent, but growing up in my house we didn't have access to computers until we were much older, so it feels alien to me to get sucked into a game or device to the point that you ignore everyone and everything around you.
I think subconsciously I work hard to keep the children's interest in things that are based "in the real world" as a result.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to remain 'screen free' because so much of everyday life is based around online information, virtual "communities", and social media. I'm not naive and I know that as they get older they will spend more and more time with technology because that's the world we all live, work and learn in these days. But I'm also hoping that if I can set the tone for them in their formative years and show them a world that doesn't exist through a screen, they'll look to return to that world themselves when they're old enough to make their own choices, and eventually, with their own children.

Are you for or against a technological family lifestyle?

I'd love to hear how you spent time with your family over Easter, especially as the summer holidays are fast approaching!

What will you be doing with your children?

Written by Kerry.

Choices...

We've been on a bit of a rainy Easter holiday the past week, down on the South coast. Not to let the weather dampen our spirits, it was decided that each of us would have a day in which we could choose what we'd prefer to do. This meant no grumbling or whining on the days when it was time to walk up a really steep hill (which magically had an ancient maze cut into the ground at the top!) or visit a small town museum (who could have predicted it would have a Lego Roman trail around the exhibits?). 

There were a few times when the promise of a cream tea (or that chilled bottle of wine waiting for us adults in the caravan fridge) saved the day. It also meant no turning back for the adults in the group - if a child wanted us to go on a ride at a well known theme park that spun us around backwards, upside down and round and round at what seemed like 500 miles an hour, that's what we did...

It's not a bad thing for children to have to use their inner resources when the cry of "I'm bored" came up - one such time was during a trip to a Cathedral during the last few days of the holiday. The kids sat in the middle of the pews (so I could keep one eye on them as I wandered around the edges) and by the time I returned, they were both immersed in a very intricate game of I-Spy - with many unusual objects to choose from within a few metres!

Children love to feel they have an equal say in the family - and for little moments like a day out on holiday, it can make them feel empowered and special. For now, though, it's back to the old routine of school and homework - and the only choice they will get tonight is whether to brush their teeth before or after washing their faces!

Written by Andrea