And Who Says You Can't?: AWESOME SUMMER TO-DO LIST

We aren’t going away anywhere hot this summer, we’ve already had our big holiday for the year back in April. (Ironically it was hotter in NY in April than it’s been here all summer to date!) Instead of trying to break the bank with jamming in another short break holiday, we decided it would be best to do a WHOLE BUNCH of little day trips around Northern Ireland to pass the summer. Hubs and I sat down with Mr. Tooter and we compiled a list of tons of stuff to do (for little cash too!! )

There are loads of lists in cyberspace of things you can do over the summer break but 9 / 10 are based in the U.S and don’t really translate that well to the UK. I would love to break out the Slip N Slide here but its just not possible with the space/weather we now have....

Anyhow, in my search for activities I figured that it would be a good idea to list them all in one place with all the additional information you would want/ need when deciding if this was something you wanted to do. I’ve lived here for 7 years now and there is a ridiculous amount of this country I haven’t seen yet. Starting this summer, that’s gonna change!

So, here is our list, in all its glory...I’ve linked to websites for info on prices and location etc for those who would like to check it out too. Most of the people I’ve spoken to have said that they’d forgotten about these places here. Well I hope you get some inspiration from our ideas and have a great summer – maybe we’ll see you around?!?!

SUMMER TO DO LIST

1. Go to Ballymenoch Park in Holwood . (We pass this every time we go to Ikea and we always say we should check it out....

2. Go make something special in Eden Pottery . We absolutely love the plate that Tooters made in school last year with his handprint. This would give him the opportunity to be creative in his own way and make something he can use every day (all that for £10 with tea and cakes?!? I’m so in!!)

make your own pottery, stamping, eden pottery

This is what Tooters made

I had a go as well!

3. Have a Science Day. This would all depend on what your child is in to. Ours loves anything and everything. Check out this website for ideas. They’ve broken it down by Physics / Chemistry / Biology and Pre-School Science for easy reference.

4. Pizza and Popsicles! We are going to have a “make your own Pizza and Popsicle”. We’ve bought a £1.99 Popsicle / ice lolly set from Ikea that holds 6. We are going to try mixing different diluted juices together to make new flavours and cool colours. Once the popsicles are done, we have a pre-made pizza base and little mini bowls of sauce, cheese and all sorts of different toppings for pizza night!! Maybe we’ll top the night off with a movie and some popcorn? YAY!!

5. Do a good Deed day. Tooters has recently fallen in love with cats (much to the disgust of our dog Roxie) There is a local Animal Shelter here – Assisi, they are always in need of helpers for the animals. We are going to take a trip up to the sanctuary and spend some time with the animals and give them a little love.

Who couldn't love these little guys??

6. Make a Movie. Most mobile phones have a video feature these days and Tooter absolutely loves using Mum and Dad’s to make little movies of his Lego mini figures and their adventures. We thought we would make a proper scene for the movie, like a backdrop, lighting....the whole nine yards. Let him make something he’s really proud of (he’s even talking about putting it up on You Tube)

7. Mini Golf. Up by the Ice Bowl in Dundonald, there is a fantastic Mini Golf course that we have been meaning to go to for AGES. PirateAdventure Golf has a Pirate Adventure themed course with smoke and sound effects! For under £20 a family of 4 can play 18 holes.

8. Cool T-Shirt project. I have seen so many of these tutorials all over the web and also a ton of people selling iron on transfers on Ebay. The other day, I found a pack of the transfers in the Pound Shop in Newtownards. Its only got a few sheets in it but it will definitely fit its purpose. We’re going to let Tooter pick an image on line of his favourite character (odds on favourite: Lego Batman) and we’ll print the image on to the iron-on transfer sheet. We’ve already picked up a pack of white t-shirts in Asda for £3 so for a massive £4.00, he’ll have a custom-made, awesome t-shirt!

We'll be using this for one of the T-shirts

9. Build the BEST FORT ever!! This is something I have been promising him for a very long time. Im thinking – clothes horse, some chairs and 3-4 double sheets will do, to start. Glowsticks for interior lighting!


First reactions are priceless

He loves sleeping in his fort

10. Go to the Waterslides. The Leisureplex in Lisburn has everything you could need for a water adventure day! Not that expensive either for what you get out of it! (£18 for a 90 minute session for the 3 of us)