Half Term Activities

Half Term Holidays can pose their own particular problems. Unless you've booked a holiday trip, you'll probably be housebound for a fair amount of the time and the weather may keep you indoors. Keeping the children amused seems like a constant challenge. Toys and television may be fine for a while, but there are a lot more stimulating activities your children could be doing.

Keeping the children amused over half term

From a very young age most children love to make or create things. It's a good idea to keep a rainy day cupboard or box that you can fill with things to encourage your child's creative talents and keep them amused at the same time. With just a little organisation you needn't be at a loss for something to do when they utter that dreaded phrase "I'm bored." If you keep everything in one place you'll find you're much more likely to use it.
Things to keep in your Rainy Day Cupboard Coloured pencils, wax crayons, felt tips. Paper- plain, scrap and coloured for special projects. Eraser. Pencil sharpener. Paints. Paintbrushes. Stapler, butterfly clips, sticky tape. Scissors, appropriate to the age of the child. Glue. Glitter.
Make sure that you keep your cupboard well stocked and it's a good idea to check before the school holidays that you've got everything you need.
Some activities to try Here are a few ideas both for young children and those at school. Making Teddy Bears You will need: Coloured paper Coloured pencils/pens Butterfly clips Glue Glitter Scissors 1) First of all you will need to cut one large circle from the sheet of paper, about 14cm in diameter for the body. Then cut one medium circle, about 12cm in diameter for the head, and two little circles, about 4cm across for the ears.
2) Then cut out two arms, like sausage shapes, and two rounded 'L' shapes for the legs and feet. 3) Glue the ears to the head and the head to the body. 4) Use butterfly clips to attach the arms and the legs to the body. 5) You are now ready to draw in teddy's face and decorate him however you like.
Keeping a Holiday Journal Something that children of school age might enjoy is making their own journal. This will appeal particularly to those children who enjoy writing, but could be tailored to suit the individual's taste or preference. If for example your child loves drawing, why not make it a pictorial journal? The main thing is to make it as fun as possible. To start with you'll need a book of some description. An exercise type book would be ideal, but make it extra special by customising the cover. You could use some colourful wrapping paper or some plain coloured paper that children could decorate with their own design. They could write their name on the front and make it really stand out by painting over the letters with a thin brush and some glue and then sprinkling over glitter. Get them to use their imagination and come up with something really striking. At the top of each page write the date and then let your child fill in the details of what they've been doing on each day of the holiday. They can illustrate each day's activities in a number of ways. They might enjoy drawing or painting pictures of what they've been up to. If they've been for a walk in the woods, get them to collect some leaves so that they can stick those in their journal. If you go somewhere special, pick up a postcard. At the end of the holiday they can look back over all the things they've done. If one or other parent is at work during the day then this is a great way for them to share in what the rest of the family have been doing. An added bonus is that it might just make sure that every day you get out there and do something!
Cakes for kids Audrey's Coffee Cakes These are not cakes made with coffee as their name might imply, but some incredibly easy little cakes you can make in about five minutes if you've got friends coming round for coffee! As they are so easy to make, they are ideal for making with the children.	Ingredients: 8ozs Self-Raising Flour 2ozs Demerara Sugar 2ozs Sultanas or mixed dried fruit 4ozs Margarine or butter 1 Egg
Pre-heat oven to gas mark 6, 200º C, 400º F 1) Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl 2) Melt the margarine or butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat and let it cool until it's only warm 3) Make a well in the centre of the flour, sugar and fruit and pour in the melted margarine or butter and the lightly beaten egg 4) Mix everything together with a wooden spoon to form a thick paste 5) Use your hands to make balls of the mixture about the size of a ping-pong ball. You should be able to make about 16 cakes 6) Place each ball in a little paper cake case and then stand those in patty tins
7) Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes 8) Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack Bon appetit!

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