Make this half term the best ever!

16th October 2017

Half term is fast approaching and parents all over the country will be desperately trying to think of things to do with the children! At one end of the spectrum is just keeping them at home and letting the various screens of the household entertain them. Which is undoubtedly convenient but seems a bit of a cop out somehow. But on the other hand if you do try to organise trips and outings you can often end up completely broke by the end of the week!

So here at Venture we have been putting our heads together to think of some ideas for family days out that won’t break the bank. Here are our top five ideas - one for every day of the half term holiday:

A day in the city Seeing this title makes you immediately visualise all your money evaporating out of your hands but it need not be so! Every city has a wide range of activities available for free. In London, for example, there are over 20 free museums and galleries that you can visit, including The British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Modern. Whilst most cities have some kind of bus tour or similar, you can see just as much by walking round. Why not plan a route in advance: for younger children you could make it into a treasure hunt where they have to spot key landmarks as they go along. Eating out can be expensive but you can get round this by either taking food with you to eat at a particular point of your tour, or choosing a good value food outlet such as a pizza chain: and don’t forget to check online in advance in case there are offers available. Also check with your local train company in case there are special half term travel offers.

A day in the country Not to be outdone, make sure you also get out in the country one day this half term! There is so much to do, and the majority of it is free. If we’re lucky enough to get some of those gorgeous hazy-sunshined autumnal days then so much the better! Getting everyone out in the fresh air for a day will itself be therapeutic and energising. If you can combine this with a walk in the woods, picnic on a beach - or perhaps some late-season fruit-picking then so much the better. If you are not completely confident about heading off into pastures new, then why not consider visiting a local National Trust or English Heritage site? Some do not charge just for entering the grounds and most of those that do charge offer reduced or free admission for children.

Back to nature Whilst on an outdoor theme, make sure you do some communing with nature this half term. Most children love animals and it would be a wonderful day out to do something animal-related. A day out at a zoo or other form of wildlife park can be really good fun, but tends to be expensive. But there are alternatives. For example there are many donkey sanctuaries around the country that have free admission (though welcome donations). These enable children to interact with the donkeys and find out more about what is being done to help them. If you prefer something smaller then look out for other animal sanctuaries such as swans or goats or owls. There are also many working farms in the UK that welcome visitors and offer the opportunity to help with the animals.

Shop till you drop! We appreciate that shopping trips with children are not normally anyone’s idea of fun! But with a bit of tweaking they can be quite productive. In today’s instant high-tech culture it can sometimes be quite refreshing to go back to basics. So why not look out for a market to visit this half term? There are numerous farmers markets all around the country, selling a wide variety of produce. Children will be amazed at the concept of going from stall to stall to buy different things rather than simply filling a supermarket trolley! Also look out for more specialised markets such as Little Pickles that are designed to give private sellers the opportunity to sell their nearly new items such as maternity wear, nursery furniture, bikes, books, DVD’s, games, clothes and toys. If this whets your appetite to start selling stuff of your own you could apply for a seller’s slot in future or perhaps organise a family car boot sale: a great opportunity to declutter,occupy the children, and make a bit of cash all at the same time!

Family Portrait Day If you try some of our other ideas you may find that you actually like spending time together as a family (unless there has been some spectacular fallout by now!). Hopefully some of your outings will have provided excellent opportunities for some memorable photos: but why not take this one step further? Make the most of these happy times and enjoy a family photoshoot together! A family photoshoot is a really fun day out, and to make it even more so we have something very special happening at Venture this half term. From October 21st to November 5th we are running Half Term Creepy Halloween! Come for a very special creepy photoshoot dressed in your favourite Halloween costume. The end result will be a series of family portraits with a difference! They will be a lasting memory of this wonderful half term week, and you will have treasured memories of your creepy photoshoot experience for years to come.