Raring2go! Make summer a breeze with our handy holiday hacks Whether home or abroad, we asked our fellow Raring2go! Editors to tell us what useful items they always pack to help make travelling with the family that little bit easier… *Use a fitted bedsheet as a playpen on the beach. * Hide valuables inside a (clean!) nappy. *Take a multi plug extension when going abroad, you then only need one adapter but can use all the plugs. * Use an insulated flask to keep icepops frozen for longer. * Pack a coolbag when going away. * Mosquito bands/coils have been a lifesaver for us. * Definitely take tin foil to use as black out on the windows. * Plastic stacking cups kept my little one amused for ages whether on the beach, in water or in the room. * We always bring a backpack that doubles as a car-seat. It means we always have a safe travel option plus the kids can also use it to carry their belongings. * Carrots are perfect beach food! Easy to clean if they get dropped in the sand, and no melting or making a mess! * Take some clothes pegs. Handy for keeping swimwear from blowing off balconies, fastening food bags for the beach/pool, and keeping towels on sun loungers if it ’s a bit blowy. I always have them in my beach bag. *Always carry a pack of cards and dominoes. So many games the whole family can play. *We take a foldable, fabric storage box so we can easily throw the toys into it at the end of each day to keep the room tidy. Got any more to share? email us with your favourite summer holiday hacks. ake su er a br eze with our handy holiday hacks Whether home or abroad, we asked our fellow Raring2go! Editors to tell us what useful items they always pack to help make travelling with the family that little bit easier… *Use a fitted bedsh et as a playpen on the beach. * Hide valuables inside a (clean!) na py. *Take a multi plug extension when going abroad, you then only n ed one adapter but can use all the plugs. * Use an insulated flask to k ep icepops frozen for longer. * Pack a c olbag when going away. * Mosquito bands/coils have b en a lifesaver for us. * Def nitely take tin foil to use as black out on the windows. * Plastic stacking cups kept my little one amused for ages whether on the beach, in water or in the r om. * We always bring a backpack that doubles as a car-seat. It means we always have a safe travel option plus the kids can also use i to carry their belongings. * Carrots are perfect beach f od! Easy to clean if they get dro ped in the sand, and no melting or making a mess! * Take some clothes pegs. Handy for k eping swimwear from blowing off balconies, faste ing f od bags for the beach/p ol, and k eping towels on sun loungers f it ’s a bit blowy. I always have them in my beach bag. *Always carry a pack of cards and dominoes. So many games the whole family can play. *We take a foldable, fabric storage box so we can easily throw the toys into it a th end of each day to k ep the r om tidy. Got any more to share? email us with your favourite su mer holiday hacks. 21 You don’t need to save these fun and cheap ways to entertain the children for just Summer: wrap them up and get them out in the fresh air whatever the season. Under-fives Magic paint The simplest and easiest way to make a mess! Using as big a paintbrush as their little hands can carry, find a dry surface – a wall, a fence, a paved area, paper on the ground – and ask them to ‘paint’ using a bucket of water. If you’re brave, you could even add a splash of food colouring to the water. Just make sure you wash it all off afterwards. Or wait for the rain to wash it all away. Mud pies Clear away a patch of ground and give your toddler a watering can (or an old washing-up liquid bottle filled with water), a spade or even a large spoon and let them dig to their heart’s content. Add small containers or flowerpots as castles, flowers for flags etc. Or just mix in grass, leaves, twigs to get really messy! Just make sure none of this goes into their mouths. Minibeast hunt You can do this in a public park or wood as well as a private garden. Lift up rocks, look under leaves, paddle in shallow water or ponds to see what they can spy – snails, frogs, woodlice, worms, the list is Let’s go outside endless. Older children can research what they find later. Don’t disturb the creatures’ habitat – and try not to admit to your kids if you have a phobia about insects! Teddy bear’s picnic Put down a blanket and ask them to invite their favourite toys. If you have plastic or paper plates, so much the better. But it doesn’t really matter what it looks like as long as your child is involved. Take some newspaper: could this become invitations? Party hats? Bunting for decorations? It’s up to you how creative this gets. Make some tiny sandwiches, cut up some fruit or use play food. They’ll have their very own cafe in the park in no time. For all ages Create a den You’ll need something for the structure – a clothes airer, a table, a chair – and some material like an old towel, say, for the covering. Or make a wigwam shape by pegging an old sheet to a washing line and securing it to the ground with a large stone. The important part is your child’s imagination. Is this their shop, their school, their new home, their spaceship? Are adults allowed inside? Raring2go! 20 raring2go.co.uk
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDA0NjA=