Having A Screen Free Summer

The screens are down, I repeat the screens are down.  Switched off, packed away and only allowed for a very short amount of time each day.  So determined am I to be rid of the screens, I have been looking at different ways to keep the children entertained and encourage them to be active this summer.

Play some board games

One great way to make summer memorable is by ditching the screens and playing murder mystery games! Murder Mystery Games are like an escape room where you are part of a murder investigation, trying to solve clues alongside the other players. They can be as simple as gathering around a table discussing who could be the culprit or as elaborate as a whole night of costumes and clues that have to be unlocked. Board games can bring hours of entertainment regardless of age group and gender. Murder Mystery Games are one fantastic way to stay away from screens while still having exciting and absorbing experiences with family or friends.

Take a trip to the National Trust

The National Trust are an amazing charity who work hard not only to preserve and protect historic places and spaces but they also campaign to get children out and about more and their 50 things to do before you’re 11 3/4 is a wonderful list of things all designed with getting children outside, doing new things and trying new experiences.

The National Trust website makes it really easy to find properties in your area or the area you are staying if you are away and most properties will have events, trails and activities to keep the kids entertained as well as ticking off a few activities from the 50 things list.

At Hatchlands Park in Surrey, you can even go on a Sylvanian Families trail through the woodland.   You grab an activity sheet from the visitor reception and you can have fun spotting the familiar Sylvanian characters Freya Chocolate Rabbit and Ralph Walnut Squirrel, who appear along the trail and also find the wooden sculptures of Sylvanian characters created by a local artist.

Entry into most National Trust properties is reasonable but you can invest in a family National Trust pass for a year for just over £100 which gives you free entry into any property with free parking for a whole year and this is well worth the money.  Having visited Croome in Worcestershire this week, I recommend looking at National Trust for some fun family days out and the cake in the cafe was amazing which was a definite bonus too.

 Getting Green Fingers

We are not avid gardeners in this house but we always try to grow a few things every year and we have had a range of flowers, fruit and vegetables over the years. It is a great activity to get the children involved in and it is important not only so teach them the value of growing their own fruit and vegetables but it also gets them outside in the fresh air and doing some exercise.

Why not invest in a decent hose to help? My kids were all rather impressed with the hose that we were sent to review by Hozelock.  The Hozelock Seasons Pico Reel is an impressive hose, yet it is so easy to use, lightweight and easy to store.  The children loved it and couldn’t wait to put it to the test.

In a choice of three vibrant colours, the Hozelock Seasons Pico Reel comes in purple, lime green and bright pink and the hose easily unwinds ready for use and then winds back in ready to store away.  It also comes with a multi-spray gun which is a brilliant feature as it has;

• A powerful jet for cleaning
• A fan for rinsing soap off cars
• A fast fill function for filling buckets and watering cans
• Mist for gently watering seedlings
• A high-definition metal rose for gentle watering

It is really easy to alter the settings by twisting the head of the gun.

It makes watering fun and the children were very keen to have a go and loved trying the different settings.  Things soon got out of hand though and quickly escalated into a water fight.

This is a brilliant addition to the garden and the boys really enjoyed chasing each other around the garden with the hose and at least some of the plants did get watered in the process. The Hozelock Seasons Pico Reel would also be perfect to play with in the paddling pool as the spray is so gentle, it would make water play extra fun.

Making moving fun

One small screen that will be actively encouraged this summer is A’s new LeapBand from LeapFrog. Designed for children aged from 4 to 7 and in a choice of four bright colours, the LeapBand is a brightly coloured watch which actively encourages children to be more active.

So how can a device make children active?  Easy, the LeapBand is an activity tracker. It has a virtual pet which you can care for and play with and in turn your child is challenged to do different activities.  By doing the activities you unlock more fun features of the watch.  There are 50 different activities to do in total and the child can track their progress by watching the energy bar on the screen.

The LeapBand is really easy to set up.  As with all LeapFrog toys, you connect it to the computer with the USB provided and you can set the controls you want on the device.  One really good feature is the fact that you can set quiet time, when the LeapBand is essentially locked and operates as just a watch.  This is a great function and one I wish I could have on all of the devices in this house.

Once you have finished on the computer, the LeapBand is ready to use.  A is five and she was able to navigate her way around the watch quickly.  She chose her pet; Lucky Sparkles the Unicorn and chose a tracksuit colour and she was off; jumping, hopping and crawling on the floor, whatever the LeapBand told her to do.

The games are clever as some are linked to healthy living and one game that A was playing was all about balanced meals so she is learning about healthy eating as she is playing.

I am really impressed with the LeapBand, A loves it and it is nice to know that the more active she is, the more challenges she will get to do and I am looking forward to seeing the range of activities available.  The RRP is £29.99.

Dr Jody Sherman, Director of Learning at LeapFrog has these top tips to encourage children to keep active over the summer;

• Start your morning with stretches! Get the blood flowing and help wake up both body and mind by touching your toes and reaching for the ceiling. Your little ones can even help their stuffed animals and dolls do the same activities.
• Model smart active habits, such as parking far away from entrances, taking the stairs, and walking to school. Consider the extra time you’ll have together to talk about highlights from your day as you log those additional steps.
• Your child will be rewarded for being active by wearing the LeapBand. As your child goes about his or her day, the LeapBand will track movement and reinforce activity with points and prizes for your child’s virtual pet.
• Invite your child to choreograph a dance routine to his or her favourite song. Bonus points if you’re in the routine!
• Leave comfortable walking shoes near the door so you’re more likely to get out and walk than if they’re stored out of sight.
• Keep a sticker chart with your child to track your activities. Reward a good week with a fun activity, such as a bike ride in the park.
• Encourage your child to beat his or her activity levels from the day before on the LeapBand. As your child is active, the progress meter circles the device and changes colour to indicate activity with a quick visual indicator of activity levels from the prior day.

Get up and go camping

No I know that the weather isn’t perfect for camping at the moment but it is still one of the best ways to get children off their screens.  Leave the screens at home, pack some old-fashioned games, put the tent up and you will be ready for some family fun.  If you don’t trust the weather, find a local camp site or even camp in the garden.

Campsites often have great facilities for the kids but even a space for them to play football can be all  you need and there are usually lots of other children to play with too, so you can sit back and relax.

Search for a Sculpture Trail

Sculpture trails are popping up in towns and cities around the UK and they can be a brilliant way of getting children to walk for miles without them even realising.  In Bristol this summer you can search for 70 Shaun the Sheep sculptures #shauninthecity and they are really wonderful as each one has a different design and they make great photo opportunities.

Similarly in Birmingham, you can follow the Big Hoot trail to discover 89 giant owl sculptures.  See if there are any sculpture trails near you.

Do a Big Summer Challenge

Following on from the success of the Big Family Challenge a few years back, Relax Kids have launched a new website with loads of  resources to keep you and your family occupied for the whole of the summer. The Big Summer Challenge encourages cooperation, communication and health for the whole family.

The Big Summer Challenge is being launched in conjunction with a free summer journal and by combining the two  you can have some fun family experiences and also record some amazing and beautiful memories to enjoy with your whole family.

Find out more about the Big Summer Challenge here.

So whatever the weather and however old your children may be, there are lots of things that you can do to get them away from their devices and outside this summer; maybe build a den, do a treasure hunt, make an obstacle course in the garden.  If there is anything that you would add to the list, let me know in the comments, I am always on the lookout for new ideas.

I was sent the Hozelock Seasons Pico Reel and the LeapBand for the purpose of this post.  All opinions and images are my own.