The Best Staycation this Summer!

Top Tips for a summer of family photography

Well we hope that you are enjoying summer? The weather has been wonderful and the kids are off school. It feels like summer will go on forever.

Except forever can seem like a very long time if you are not going on holiday, and have staycation time on your hands to entertain the children. Whilst it’s tempting to rely on screens to do this for you there are lots of cheap and cheerful things that you can do either at home or in your local area that you could all enjoy together.

We’ve put together a list to get you started …...

1. Go for a Picnic
   Get right back to the Enid Blyton days with sandwiches, hard boiled eggs and lashings of ginger beer! Everyone loves an old-fashioned picnic and hopefully there is somewhere not too far away from you where you can go: either a beach, park, woods or field. If there is space you could also organise some games or a treasure hunt to let everyone run off a bit of steam.
2. Museums
   There are all kinds of family-friendly museums around many around and most of them are free. Some are general museums and others specialise in a particular aspect of life. If you live within easy reach of London then the Science Museum or Natural History Museum could keep your brood occupied for hours!
3. Stately homes
   The UK has a wide variety of stately homes including of country houses, castles and palaces. Many of these have gardens that are free to enter and often have activity areas where children can play. Check out organisations such as The National Trust and English Heritage to find what is available near you.
4. City farms and community gardens
   The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens is the leading UK charity dedicated to supporting city farms, community gardens, care farms and other green spaces. There are many opportunities to visit farms and gardens and also to volunteer to help. Check out what is happening in your area - including special summer events - here.

5. Special summer events
   Many other organisations also run special summer events so do keep an eye open in your local area. Local councils, community organisations, churches, pubs are likely to be organising family activities, mini festivals, live music, treasure hunts, quizzes and other fun activities that you can all enjoy without spending a fortune.
6. Film time
   If you need some quiet time to cool down then why not choose a film everyone will enjoy. Whilst it can be expensive to go to the cinema there are often good offers around, for example on voucher websites, in newspapers or from the cinema itself. Many cinemas now accept that you will bring your own sweets instead of purchasing them there, so check in advance as this will save a small fortune! You could also organise a film at home - perhaps with another family - which is cheaper and makes logistics easier.

7. Games afternoon
   If you live near any kind of open space or playing field then outdoor games are a great way to spend an afternoon. Teaming up with other families can make it more fun - and also spread the organising load. There are many outdoor games for children that are fun and simple and require little or no equipment. If the weather does let us down - or you want to keep cool - then an indoor games afternoon can be equally fun. Try some of the old favourite board games such as Mousetrap, Cluedo, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit (there are various different versions now) or Rummikub. You could also resurrect some old-fashioned party games such as hide and seek, pass the parcel, tray memory games, or anything musical - bumps, chairs or statues.
8. Treasure hunt
   Building on the above theme how about getting together with friends and family to organise a treasure hunt? You could base it in a local park or other outdoor area, and either prepare clues and hide them beforehand or give the children a list of things to spot. Have small prizes at the end, perhaps a few sweets per correct answer.

9. Creative afternoon
   This can be great fun for the children - if you can bear the chaos! Again, it works well with another family, especially because that means there are extra adults to help with the activities. You may want to set up arts and crafts in one room, lego in another, baking in the kitchen: activities that mirror your particular skills and interests and that your home can accommodate.
10. Car boot sale
    These can be great fun for children to wander round, especially if they have a small amount of money to spend. You could perhaps do a family version of Bargain Hunt and see who can get the best value items for a set amount of money. Another option is to fix a date to have your own stall at a local car boot sale so that you can incorporate this with doing some much-needed decluttering this summer!

We do hope that you enjoy your staycation this summer. Don’t forget to take lots of photos of whatever you do together as a family so that you can preserve these happy memories for years to come. To help with this - and for an additional fun activity for you and your family - why not read all about our Summer Sizzler family photography offer here.