www.iva.co.uk

Looking after my Godchildren for a few days in the Holidays,has anyone got any ideas of things to do that don't cost much (weather permitting)

Dpending where you live what about a walk up the downs, take the kite with you and have a picnic too - exercise and fun all in one !

Or swimming and then a picnic in a local park

Buy some cheap paper and cheap paints and do some leaf paintings. Or if you can collect fir cones or anything like that buy some plasticine and make animals using the cone as a body.

We have a lot of 'crafty' days when my niece and nephew visit. Keeps them amused for hours! And sometimes I can go off and have 40 winks!!

BBQs for dinner!!!! Always a treat

I like a trip to the local beach for a cheap day out; you can take cricket, tennis, football or whatever you have around the house. It'll only cost a round if ice creams - the rest you can pack up.

For bad weather - id go for baking at home. There are kits in the supermarket that only cost a couple of pounds. Board games are good too. And of course anything arts and crafts will amuse them. Girls might like a make up lesson...partic if Mum thinks they're still too young!!!

Swimming is a good cheap place (well it is here) and any crafty things they usually like. A picnic in the local park and flying a kite etc.,

I have one of my step grandkids stopping for a weekend in September so as I'm at work then hubby will take her walking with the dogs (weather permitting) he will help her make some cakes for when mummy comes to pick her up again and she'll probably help with her baby niece as well.

They just love the attention I think, well my grandchildren do. A school project of making something to represent the Victorisn era will keep my eldest daughter and granddaughter busy this summer. My daughter (18) always does her creative homework as I'm useless at being creative.

Ah Leslie! I'm useless at it too. An eggbox just looks like an eggbox to me!!!

Looking for ideas myself too for this week, I have the week off work, weather is beautiful but I don't get paid until Friday, we are skint as have had a few large bills to pay out for this month (£180 car MOT and service, £220 to fill the oil tank!) so have the princley sum of £50 to last until Friday, I can't really afford to put any fuel in my car and only have a range of 60 miles left in it, hubby needs his car for work and only has enough fuel in the tank for work until Friday, we live 8 miles away from the nearest town, nowhere near a beach/swimming pool etc, kids are too old to be happy to sit and do crafty things/help out in the garden etc etc, looks like lots of dog walking this week and utter boredom!, bikes all have flat tyres and can't afford to drive to the nearest town to get a new repair kit, arrrgghhh!!!!

Make me some Victorian peg dolls? If you've got some dolly pegs...

Can they have a sleepover inviting some friends and have a picnic with a tent in the garden? water games are always welcome in the nice weather? x

Ooh. My load do paper mache the old fashioned way flour and water and a balloon. Baking and tasting. Making dolls out of old clothes and stuffing them with the same. Use old bttons for eyes. Colouring outside on the patio. Washing our car keeps them busy. Then on top of all that I get the sun voucher codes free online so I don't have to buy the paper and use those for summer and eater holidays. 49 pounds for 4 days in the lake district next easter. Don't mind if I do I plan ahead. Seems to work. Save milk ottles etc they make great rockets

I think I must have been lucky with my 2.Daughter was more then happy if you gave her a puzzle book with lots of number puzzles in and son was just happy to be outside getting dirty,and wet when it rained.Both fully grown up now daughter has 2 step children who are always "BORED" unless they are attached to some electronic device.

Can't beat a roll of gaffer tape !!!!!

I cannot remember my Mum doing anything special for us in the summer holidays, with mum on the social as a widowed mother we didn't have holidays away, just 6 long weeks of pleasure
We just went outside an played, skipping hopscotch, french skipping (with all the elastic bands) footie and rounders in the park, tennis against the garage walls tring to hit the No Ball Games sign. Times of innocence in the early 70's [:D]

Same here, I was always outside and I used to love French skipping.