Raring2go! Solihull

Raring2go! PLACES TO GO 5 ideas for a Super Summer Staycation You don’t have to jet off abroad or head to the seaside to have fun this summer. Make every day a holiday with our tips on how to soak up the summer fun with your family closer to home. Camping Set up your tent in your garden for the night or have a go at family bivouacking by sleeping on your trampoline on a dry night. Book into a local campsite for a weekend – this is great if you’ve not been camping since having your little ones as it lets you try out your equipment, but you’re close enough to come home if you’ve forgotten an essential. Host a beach party If you’ve got a sandpit, make it centre stage in your garden, fill up your paddling pool, set up the deck chairs and lay beach towels on the grass. Get the children to bring their own water-guns or collect washing-up bottles to recycle into water-squirters. Make fish fingers and chips in newspaper cones lined with greaseproof paper, make mocktails and serve ice-lollies for dessert. Blow up a beach ball and play volley-ball over the washing line or wrap small gifts, hide them in the sandpit then get the children to dig for buried treasure. Sand While we’re not blessed with being close to the seaside in the Midlands, there are some great places that would make a perfect compromise if you are looking for some fun on the beach. Bosworth Water Park in Nuneaton has an inland beach along with acres of parkland and lakes, crazy golf and an adventure playground. Or you could try Cotswold Country Park and Beach which has the largest inland paddling beach in the UK as well as a range of water sports and other activities for families. Donkeys You could take your family to see some donkeys like the ones that you may remember riding at the seaside as a child at Redwings Horse Sanctuary, Oxhill, or opt for a pony ride at Hatton Adventure World. Picnics There’s nothing like eating your lunch in the open air for a holiday vibe and the great thing about a ‘Staycation’ is you don’t have to eat sandy sandwiches! Pack a picnic and blanket and head out. 2 3 4 5 1 18 raring2go .co.uk