School’s out for Summer, and while it’s exciting to have the kids at home, surviving the next 6 weeks without moans of “I’m bored!” may seem like a daunting prospect.  So, we’ve put together some Summer Survival Tips for all you superstar parents out there!

1. GET OUTSIDE!
   

   Take advantage of this glorious weather and head to a nearby park for some fresh air and some adventures. Take a picnic and head to Aldenham Country Park, hit Chorleywood Common and go on a mini-beast hunt, grab your swimwear and enjoy Cassiobury Park’s splash park – there are wonderful parks all over Hertfordshire. It’s always a big hit and a good place to meet-up for a playdate too.

2. STORY TIME!

   Watford Library hosts Weekend Stories on Saturday afternoons throughout the year, and the good news is, they continue through the summer holidays! All ages are welcome and it’s free (although if you’re able, they ask for a voluntary donation of £1 per family.)

3. GET CRAFTING! 
   

   Now, don’t panic. This does not mean you need to spend a fortune on craft materials. Be creative with your crafting and use things around the house. (Blue Peter style!) Use your recycling and create recycled robots, cut up junk mail and make a mosaic. Or, if you’re in need of a little help from the professionals, head to Hobbycraft for one of their Kids Craft Club session.

4. BE SAVVY! 

   There are lots of things you can do without spending a penny, or on a limited budget. Ride bikes and scooters, build dens, explore, become a nature detective, try scavenger or treasure hunts, run, hold your own back garden Olympics! Vouchers, Supermarket loyalty card points and discount vouchers can reduce the cost of day trips. Use the internet and shop around!

We spoke to Watford Mum Club (aka Sophie!) and got her top 5 things to do this August. Here are her recommendations:

1. Cassiobury Farm opens its doors exclusively for a limited amount of days during the summer and the dates in August have been announced and are as follows: Saturday 3^rd, Thursday 8^th, Saturday 17^th, Thursday 22^nd and Saturday 31^st. Visit Cassiobury Farm for a chance to see lots of rare bread and exotic animals as well as plenty of fun for kids, including a bouncy castle, face painting, fishing, crazy golf and much more!

2. The Knebworth Country Craft and Steam Fair is taking place at Knebworth House on 10^th – 11^th August for its 9^th year running! A great family country fair with all day entertainment including steam engines, birds of prey flying displays, goat show and lamb feeding, kids petting pens and lots more! There is also a children’s play area, dinosaur trail and the beautiful Fort Knebworth and its lovely gardens.

3. The Big Beach at Watford Town Centre is returning on 16^th August bringing the seaside splendours to Watford!

4. GYMBO FEST is taking place on Saturday 17^th August in St Albans Town Centre and looks to be amazing, with soft play, bubbles, singing, dancing and so much more. As well as cool talks and workshops for parents to take part in too. What more could you ask for!

5. The summer holidays are a really hard time for parents with younger ones, as all the classes come to an end and don’t start up again until September, BUT we are lucky enough to know about some Summer Special Noise Makers classes, which we will of course be attending! The wonderful Elise is running her Noise Makers Summer Special classes for under 18 months and 18months – 3 years at The Barn on Thursday 1^st and Thursday 8^th August, so don’t miss out!

We also asked Watford Mum Club for her top tip for surviving the summer holidays. Here’s what she had to say:

“My top tip for surviving the summer holidays would be to embrace boredom every so often! You aren’t going to be able to plan for every single day and that is ok! Being bored sometimes is good for kids, because it will encourage them to be imaginative and think of stuff to do to get their brains working!”

Remember, there’s no requirement as a parent to be Wonder Woman or Superman. So don’t be. Drop the guilt! It doesn’t achieve anything, just be realistic about what you can achieve in the time you have available. And, most importantly, enjoy the Summer with your kids!