If like myself you are facing a long summer at home with the children then you'll no doubt be looking for a few things to pencil in to the diary to keep the little ones entertained. It's only early days and we've already been swimming three times in the past week to avoid the rain!
I've written a few articles recently covering various summer activities but I thought it would be worth pulling this information together and sharing some ideas about places I intend to try this summer, as well as those worth a revisit because we've enjoyed them in the past. Please feel free to share your ideas and experiences via the comment box below.
All parents will be very well aware that a day out with the children can be expensive so I thought I'd start with the freebies. Cheshire East Council have put together a new programme of events for the summer holidays, with a variety of activities suitable for all ages and abilities - designed to keep the children active. All sessions are free and will be held in children's centres, parks and multi-use games areas. On Friday 13th August "It's a Wipe-out" will be held at The Carrs where a selection of activities will be available, including inflatables, slip and slides, dance mats, skate and BMX jams, play activities, bowls, face painting and a climbing wall.
All children aged four to 11 years can also take part in the Summer Reading Challenge at Wilmslow Library which is aimed at getting children to read six or more books of their choice from the library during the summer holidays. Each child will be given a pack of material, including a fold-out poster and puzzle, and they can collect stickers and colouring sheets as they work through the challenge. Every child who completes the challenge receives a certificate.
Another important factor when making plans for the holidays is the weather, which often prevents us from enjoying the great outdoors. I've just booked tickets, in anticipation of a rainy day, for the Legoland Discovery Centre at Trafford - you can exchange your Clubcard points for tickets and get four times the value. According to the Cheshire Mum blog, written by local mum Claire Lancaster, over 3000 pieces of lego have gone missing since Legoland Discovery Centre opened in March so I thought we'd better not leave it until the next holidays as there might not be much lego left!
For those who likes the outdoors there are a number of fantastic gardens open throughout Cheshire as part of the National Garden's Scheme. One of the highlights is Hillside in Mobberley where the six-acre garden, which is rarely open to the public, is home to almost 100 flamingos and other exotic birds and as a member of the National Trust I'll certainly be frequenting Quarry Bank, Dunham Massey and Tatton Park.
My list of places to visit includes the new Crow Wood Playscape at Lyme Park which is due to open this week as the result of a £250,000 grant. From the photos, the new play area aimed at children aged 2 to 12 years looks fantastic.
We're also going to explore The Runway Visitor Park at Manchester Airport with three raised mounds which apparently offer fantastic views over the airfield. There is also a growing collection of aircraft to view, including Concorde and the recently retired Nimrod, as well as grassed areas with picnic tables, an Aviation shop and restaurant.
Looking further afield we'll be travelling to Chester again to visit the zoo (I've found some discount vouchers online). Yesterday we joined the stampede in Chester and had a fantastic time hunting out the rhinos, 62 of which are on display in and around the city until 12th September. My 5 year old loved using the map to locate the rhinos and ticking them off the list once discovered - and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around Chester, which up until now we have dipped in and out of for specific reasons.
Heading South, another suggestion would be Monkey World, just off junction 15 of the M6, and also worth a visit is the neighbouring Trentham Gardens - home to a great Adventure Playground including the Barfuss Park, Britain's first and only Barefoot walk, two large sandpits and a JCB track, all of which are located within the Italian Gardens.
If you have work commitments, or are looking for a bit of time to yourself, then one of the more unusual options is the Summer Filmmaking Project which will be held at Dean Row Village Hall on Browns Lane. This week long course is open to children aged 7 to 16 years who will work together to produce their own film project.
Click on the links above for further information or visit our events section for an extensive calendar of what's going on in the local area.
If you have any personal favourites for keeping the kids amused, or any new ideas, then please do let us know via the comment box below.
Please note that posts on the site are not to be used for commercial purposes, we will only publish independent advice which we consider to be of value to our readers.
