1. Go for a Picnic
Why not grab your picnic blankets and baskets and head outdoors for a good old fashioned picnic! Do consider carefully where to go as well known popular places could be busier during half term.
2. Geocaching
We LOVE trails! We’ve been fans of geocaching for a while, it gets us outdoors, active and exploring! Geocaches can come in all different shapes and sizes and they are such a great thing for families to get involved in.
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world —there are probably some near you right now. Download the free Official Geocaching app to your phone and start finding.
3. Camp Out
If you have all the gear and nowhere to go why not set up camp in the back garden? Spend a couple of nights (or just one!!) on a Staycation at home. Leave your phones indoors, light the BBQ or make a fire, roast marshmallows, tell stories and enjoy some family time disconnected from the world.
No gear? No problem. Set the kids to creating a den or tent indoors. Use the dining room table or the backs of the sofa to create the tent and away you go!
4. Themed Day
Check out our February Half-Term Boredom Buster for the national days happening over the week and have a go at enjoying a themed day!
You can download a copy HERE
HERE are a few Pancake Day recipe ideas.
Mix up your daily exercise with a Strava map art walk: all you need is the Strav map app on your phone and the kid’s imaginations! It’s a great way to get the kids engaged in a walk and running around creating their masterpieces.
With no home school to be getting up for the kids can have a bit of a later night, wrap up warm, take some hot drinks and take a night walk to go stargazing, we love the free app Star Tracker so we can tell which stars and planets we are looking at!
6. Have a Family Festival at Home
We are always a big fan of Deershed at Mumbler and unfortunately, it cannot go ahead this year. But there are so many things we can do to create the festival vibes at home! Get the face paints and fancy dress on, see above for some camping ideas, decorate the garden with bunting and lights if you have them and then watch highlights of your favourite festivals online! You can catch most festivals on YouTube, or take a look at the BBC iplayer for some great Glastonbury highlights! Big Fish Little Fish do weekly Sunday Kitchen raves, me and my little girl have been enjoying these – we even got out in the sunshine last week and had a garden rave – proper Festival Sunday afternoon vibes!
You could also hire a hot tub or bouncy castle as a treat for the kids for the garden to give a real festival feel!
7. Mini Garden Olympics or Football Tournament
As there are going no be no Olympics or European championships this year why jot create your own? Pick a country to represent, dress up in their colours, create your own competition numbers and start your competition!
You could try one of the below events
You can buy cheap medals online to present to the winners!
8. Virtual Dark Skies Festival
12th – 28th February 2021
The North York Moors National Park along with the Yorkshire Dales and Go Stargazing will be bringing the wonders of the night sky into the your living rooms during this half term for the Dark Skies Festival.
More details here
You can spend the whole week in Disneyland, a day trip to London or an online adventure around Scarborough Art Gallery and Rotunda Museum via Whispers from the Museum – more details HERE. Places to see animals online HERE. For lots more ideas of virtual day trips visit our dedicated blog here.
10. Virtual Cookalong or Sleepover!
When Henry asked if he could have a virtual cookalong with a friend, I thought it sounded a great idea! The same friends have been here to cook and they so enjoyed it. The idea with the virtual cookalong is you all make the same recipes linked via zoom – (e.g. quiche and a pudding, we have some recipe ideas here) then you zoom again (or stay on) for the kids to eat together. A great way for the kids to see friends! you could also create a theme for the cookalong and dress up if you fancy!
Another idea North Leeds Mumbler heard from a friend is a zoom sleepover! This might be one for the older kids but apparently they all zoom and play games, listen to music, get ready for bed, have a virtual midnight feast and then go to sleep!!!! Anyone else tried this?!
For more inspiration of things to do over February Half Term click here.
