Wow! It’s half term already! The kids have just about got used to being back in school, new routines, one way systems, hand gel, masks, bubbles…the list goes on. If your house is like mine, you’ve had it all: Smiles and anticipation of seeing their friends, exhaustion and tears from suddenly having lessons ALL day without snacks every 15 minutes and all the other emotions in between the coronacoaster just keeps on giving so we thought we could help you chill with our 5 half-term activities.
Half term is a great time to reconnect, share experiences, make memories. I’m imagining kicking up Autumn leaves in the woods, a trip to the zoo, a day out with friends, visiting the grandparents. BUT the weather and a little pandemic are putting paid to my plans. The grandparents live in Wales, we can only have one person visit (we’re a family of 5), and it’s going to rain all week. Gaaahhhh!
It’s OK, I’ve got a plan. So here are my top 5 things to do over this rainy half term.
The first of 5 half-term activies; build a game.
They want to play a game, but you need to clean up the kitchen (probably from round 1). Sound familiar? Get them to design the game for the double win. Personalised versions of known games are great so designing their own monopoly board (just save one of your Amazon boxes from your late-night random purchase), creating their own set of happy families using people they know, even decorating a set of playing cards are all great.
Play an escape room from home.
Older kids can need, how can I put this nicely, more…encouragement to spend time with the family and get involved so a play-at-home escape room can be just the thing. There are lots of different types to choose from: downloadable ones that you print at home, boxed ones or online ones.
We love our online escape rooms at Sneaky Dog Escapes because we can play them with friends and family online without being in the same house. My sister lives in Scotland so we haven’t seen her family in 2020 at all (sad face) so to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon with them, all cousins together, was a real treat. Our kids range 8-14 and The Pegasus Project went down a storm (with the added bonus of a sequel, Operation Mindful, for our next adventure).
VR hire.
Sometimes you just want to hunker down, get out the duvets and hibernate till it’s all over. We all love a pyjama day but that doesn’t mean you can’t have adventures. Our VR hire has got to be the easiest entertainment for the family out there – we bring it to your door! It takes 2 mins to set up and a child can do it. I know, because I’ve tested it with my 8-year-old. There are over 30 games to choose from so plenty for everyone. Our google Chromecast device means you can watch the action on your smart TV so it makes a great spectator sport too!
Bake a cake!
I love food, hate cooking and need something for my kids to do – I’ll get them to cook. Genius! You can even add a Halloween theme to it. Instead of boring stew, convince them to cook a witch’s brew. They could make soup and serve it in a cauldron (scooped out round bread loaf) or make pizza and create a spider’s web on top with olives, peppers and stringy cheese. Make cheese straws and shape them into wiggly snakes before cooking. The key in all of this is having fun (and dinner). If you want to create Insta perfect pics, there are some amazing Halloween recipes for you. Me, I just want to have some fun with the kids and get dinner cooked. For me, that definitely means not getting hung up on the end product photo.
Have an adventure in virtual reality.
For the perfect family experience, our virtual reality escape room adventures have it all! As a mum, I want to share some great half term times with my kids but with a teen and pre-teen in the mix, trying to prise them away from their phone or speak in sentences of more than one word can be almost as hard as keeping on top of the laundry. Imagine then a family activity with no phones, no eye-rolling, only fun! Bliss, huh?
So here are two wins for you: You can bring your teen/pre-teen down with some friends and be the coolest parent in town (they can remain socially distanced throughout too) and you can grab a cup of coffee around the corner or relax in our reception.
OR
You can come and join in the fun too. If you can send a WhatsApp photo, you can play VR. It’s that simple. Our VR experiences are designed to be played TOGETHER so they are a great way to share some quality time with your children in a way that you’ll all love.
Even better, we’re offering 20% off all our VR games with the code OCTFUN20 until Sunday 1st November
I know spending time with your kids is so important but that it can also sometimes be so hard to find something that spans the ages that you all can enjoy. Let me know what you get up to this half term and let us know if you have any more half-term activities you can share with us. Whatever you do this holiday, may it bring you joy and laughter.
Love Alex and the Sneaky Dog Team x
PS I really have tried, tested and enjoyed all these ideas – all photos taken directly from my proud mum phone gallery 🙂