What? More school holidays?

We only seem to have got over one set of school holidays, when it's time for the next! Don't worry, keep calm and put your wallet away. There are plenty of things that can help keep your kids entertained and they don't have to cost you a cent.

ART & CRAFT FUN

Salt dough creatures
All you need is 1 cup salt, 2 cups flour and 1 cup water. Mix the dough (add water gradually) until it feels like playdough and then create your creatures: Maybe they could be aliens or monsters. See how many arms you can fit on one creature! A two-headed zombie might be fun. Or what about a werewolf?

Bake them at around 100˚C for an hour (thicker creatures may need longer)
Let them cool and then go crazy with the paint!

(Fun tip: Mix the paint with PVA glue. When it dries it makes the paint look shiny.)

DIY super-easy kite
Using just one piece of paper and some simple crafting skills, you can make the world's easiest kite using our printable template. For full instructions, click here!

Ice-cube painting
All you need is water, food colouring, paper and ice cube trays.
Mix water and food colouring and then pour into ice cube trays and freeze overnight
Empty coloured cubes in a bowl and start drawing with them.

Perfect on those hot summer days. Just be aware the food colouring can stain so set newspaper down and wear old clothes.

OUT OF THE HOUSE

Scavenger/treasure hunt
Write a list of interesting things that can be found outside. For example a pink flower, a rock shaped like a snowman, or even a particular sign like a Give Way or Stop sign.

Make a list with check boxes beside it and happy hunting! For older kids make the treasures slightly harder or more cryptic.

Park life
There are so many good parks and gardens around the place, no matter where you live, and there's nothing more fun than kicking your legs up on a swing or seeing how far you can make it on the monkey bars and if there's a lake take some bread to feed the ducks

Free events and shows
One of the best ways to find free activities for your kids is to look up the website of your local council. I am always surprised at how much stuff my council puts on for free including plays, dance parties, library events and even cooking classes and other workshops.

Hit the beach
We are enjoying the driest, warmest winter for years, so don't think the beach is out of bounds just because of the season. While you might not fancy dropping the kids in the ocean, wrapping up warm for walks or games at the beach is a great idea at this time of year – and it's perfect for kite flying.

Just remember, you've made it this far, there's a light at the end and then there's at least a couple of months til you have to do it all again.