Summer Fun

We all know that summer in Britain can be hit and miss, some days having several different types of weather. Come rain or sun, it's all about being prepared.

So what have we been getting up to this summer and what do we have planned? 

If it's raining, how about some 'design your own' t-shirts? We bought some fabric pens from Ikea but they are available from lots of shops and with some old vests, it's a great way to spend an hour plus, you have something you can wear afterwards!

Or how about some mess free water painting? Grab a cup of water and a paintbrush and 'paint' on the walls outside or on the floor, you don't have to worry about changing clothes or getting messy.

We are lucky enough to a local park with a tropical house, it's always worth checking out your local council website for lists of parks, we have found so many great places that we knew were there but have just never thought to go to.

How about some messy play, getting children in touch with nature, here we got out our tuff spot, added some soil, sand, leaves and shells, then added some dinosaurs and got mucky playing with them.

Heading to the beach is a great way to burn of energy and have fun, if you don't live near the coast then it is worth looking out for beaches inland. We are lucky in Nottingham to have a beach in the city centre over the summer months, but there are a few others locally or how about a local outdoor paddling pool. Grab a picnic and get outside, for a mum sometimes just being out of the house makes a difference.

Having fun over the summer is all about finding things to do, so many smaller attractions these days having their budgets cut, it's good to support them, so why not mix some free activities with some paid for, check out local council websites for attractions and see what you can find. We spent a wonderful day at Snibston Discovery Museum in Coalville, Leicester. Lot's to see and do and supporting an attraction I remember visiting when I was younger.

An easy option for a cheap and cheerful day out is scooting or walking in the park. If the weather is good, take a picnic and get some fresh air. Free and fun!

What fun do you get up to in the summer?

Snibston Discovery Museum

Yesterday we visited Snibston Discovery centre, a long standing museum that I remember visiting when I was younger. (Please note that sadly Snibston Discovery is now closed due to the council stopping their funding)

Located on the site of the former Snibston Colliery created by famous railway pioneer George Stephenson, it is an important piece of history.

We took a picnic which we sat and ate in a 1980's Finnish train carriage, now used as an indoor picnic area. The children enjoyed this as they both love trains.

Then we moved to the outside adventure play area, where there were lots of water activities. We got to learn about how we get water and use it to power things. They both enjoyed playing with the archimedes screw and pumps and then making the water wheels work.

The adventure playground is always a hit with my husband and son, this one had large and small activities, so there was something for most ages to enjoy. Next to this, there was a composting area where we got to see different ways of composting food, in various wormeries and compost machines.

There were lots of musical instruments to try and then these brilliant dishes, you speak into one end and you can hear the person very clearly at the other end, these were there when I went some 21 years ago and were still as intriguing now for my son.

Moving inside to the engineering and extractive industries galleries, we got to see many different machines from past to present, from the first bikes and busses to electric cars. Exhibits also showed how they used steam engines to power tools and machinery in the victorian era. Then we moved into the fashion gallery, which houses the largest collection of fashion outside of London. There are hands on exhibits for the children placed quite regularly around the entire museum, including in the fashion gallery, where we tried our hands at weaving.

Moving on to the science and technology areas, we all enjoyed learning about everything from wind power to tornadoes, magnets to vacuums. It was educational but fun and for a 6 year old and 3 year old this is key.

The 'how to make fire' exhibit was also a favourite, you first have to turn a stick, to make energy, then use bellows to add oxygen, then a real flames leap up in the centre of the exhibit! We also learned about reflection, how our body works and got to play with a large plasma ball.

Overall we spent nearly 5 hours at Snibston, including the picnic and two goes on the adventure playground, it offers all weather fun and is reasonably priced at just under £25 for a family of four.

There was something for everyone to engage with and enjoy. We all had a wonderful day out, learning about the world around us both past and present.

Linking up to Country Kids on Coombe Mill and Magic Moments on The Olivers Madhouse.