Try these top boredom-busting ideas

It's likely that at some point you'll run out of ways to keep children entertained when they're out of kids camps and they'll utter that feared phrase: "I'm bored!"


Don't worry! We've got several boredom-busting ideas to keep them occupied on evenings and weekends that'll keep them having fun for hours to come.



Cabbage patch kids

Kids who like to get their hands dirty will love to create their own vegetable patch in your garden. Doing this will not only provide yummy food for your table but will also encourage them to eat more healthily (a constant struggle!) and give them an idea of where their grub comes from.

Courgettes can be planted at this time of year and will be ready in around ten weeks and carrots can be put in the ground until July and will grow within 12 weeks.

You can also grow cabbage and then make coleslaw from it or use it instead of lettuce for sandwiches in the summer picnics to come. Yum!

Lots of shops have gardening equipment designed for smaller hands so you can pick up a watering can and get kids to water their own vegetable patch.



Let it rain

On rainy days when you don't want to leave the house and get drenched you can still do gardening projects indoors with a terranium. All you'll need for this is a two-litre pop bottle, potting soil, water, seeds and scissors.

Diarmuid Gavin, who presents Gardeners' World, told the Mirror that people can make gardening more interesting for kids by deciding to "plant bright primary coloured flowers that children like".

One variety that can be kept in a terranium is African violets, which will add a splash of colour to a room, or miniature bromeliads, such as the aechmea inky, a plant with pretty pink flowers.

Kids can easily create their own terranium by washing the bottle out, cutting it near the base and filling the bottom with soil. Seeds can then be planted and watered before the two sections of the bottle are positioned back together. Easy peasy.

Now all you have to do is wait for your plants to grow!



Cooking up a storm

When all of your kids' vegetables are ready it's time to cook them!

You can buy readymade pizza bases (or make pizza dough if you've got the time) and let kids decorate their own with tomato paste, cheese and a selection of vegetables they've grown in the garden. That way they can't say "I don't like it mum!" as they've chosen it themselves!

Another option is to design foods in the shape of animals to get kids interested. A sweet treat can be created from raisins, an apple, honey and cocktail sticks. The apple should be cut in half, and raisins dabbed in honey, before they're stuck to its outside. Then the grapes can be stuck on the ends of four cocktail sticks, which are inserted into the

sides of the apple for legs. There you have it: A ladybird!

If your kids are big on reading and are Roald Dahl fans you could always buy them the author's Revolting Recipes book, which tells them how to concoct much of the food from his treasured tales. Snozzcumbers anyone?



Sock it to them

When your kids are full thoughts will turn to what to do next to make the most of the day. How about making sock puppets?

They can liven up a dull afternoon and can be made from nothing more than an old pair of socks (that reach your elbow) and some accessories. You can even go all out and make several for a puppet show. The puppets can be made to look like humans, or animals and can be named to help kids feel that they have their own personalities.

Eyes should be placed on the spot on the socks where toes would reach. Wool is a good material to use for a sock puppet's hair and felt can be used to create a tongue.

By this point your kids should be tired out and ready for bed giving you time for some much needed relaxation.

Posted by Clara Glasper

News provided by Barracudas Activity Day Camps , the UK's No.1 operator of Easter and Summer camps for kids !



Extract: Boredom will be a thing of the past with these tips on gardening, making sock puppets and cooking.