Early years settings and schools are often asked to share ideas about what parents can do with their children over the long summer holidays. So a group of staff who work in local nursery schools, nursery classes, pre-schools and daycare settings recently got together. This leaflet is a result of us sharing our ideas ideas for keeping your family about activities to do in the summer. entertained We have counted, and there are at least 50 ideas here! They are based on our experiences as professionals and as Mums bringing up children in West Berkshire. Our most important reminder is that our wonderful West Berkshire Family Hubs in Calcot, Thatcham, Hungerford and Newbury are open pretty much all the summer and run a variety of drop-in activities for pre- Victoria Park Nursery School & Family Hub Newbury, Berkshire RG14 1EH school aged children. 01635 41296 [email protected] www.victoriapark.w-berks.sch.uk Wildlife walks – Inkpen common, Hungerford marsh Use your phone to photograph what you find Leaf rubbings Treasure hunt (in the garden) Salt dough Rolling down hills (Northcroft, Coombe, Beacon hill) Make your own playdough Cloud spotting Photo book Cow-spotting on Greenham/Hungerford common Den making indoors or outside Rabbit spotting Cook together Climb a tree Make treasure maps for walks Train spotting Walk to a new park or playground Watch the sunrise Family hubs - open all summer in Newbury, Bike rides Thatcham, Hungerford and Calcot Paddling in puddles Summer holiday church camps Splash park in Victoria Park Church toddler groups Snelsmore Common Mum and baby meet-ups in Debenhams The Chase in Woolton Hill Prayers & Bears at Kintbury church Northcroft Park Pets at home animal experience (may need to Newbury Rocks Hungerford Marsh book) Newbury Mums Meetups (Facebook) Your local play park Sit in a barbers shop to watch haircuts West Berkshire Mums (Facebook) A new play park further away Go on a bus Thatcham Lakes Visiting the train station Look-out tower at Greenham Common Library Canal towpath Shaw House Whilst we’ve tried to make everything on the list Donnington castle Visit the dentist free or low cost, we do have some extra Inkpen woods recommendations about treats to save up for: Penwood woods Four Kingdoms in Headley, Bucklebury Farm Canal walk and over the railway (Thatcham) Visiting some local allotments Park, Finkley Down Farm in Andover, Steam in Going camping in the garden Swindon and the Living Rainforest in Hampstead Donnington Castle in the dark Norreys. The last 2 are perfect for rainy days! Scarecrow hunts Finding numbers on front doors Blackberry picking The Corn Exchange has a range of activites Picking strawberries Geocaching during the summer for younger children. And Blowing bubbles in the park Have a picnic there are usually a couple of shows that are just Visiting a flower shop Puddle jumping in the woods perfect for under 5s. Throw paper planes .