A single mum who created a simple A4 guide for parents to survive the summer holidays has been praised online.
Middlesbrough's Amy Moynihan shared her tips and tricks about navigating the end-of-school period. The 31-year-old created the list of free or cheap things to do for Teesside's parents after experiencing financial struggles herself at times.
At one point, Amy even admitted skipping meals to feed her son when money was tight. It led her to try and help as many families as possible by trawling the internet and looking for activities that don't cost much. Amy looked through Facebook and Google for hours to find a number of events mums and dad can take their kids to - including treasure hunts and bird watching.
The family take part in fun activities (Amy Moynihan)
The mum has created a list of free or cheap things to do over the holidays with her sons (Amy Moynihan)She told TeessideLive she was "trying to figure out how I’m going to get through the summer hols without going insane and while being skint," and has received amazing reviews from fellow parents.
Amy explained: "The summer holidays are the perfect time for family bonding and getting out and about trying different things. It doesn’t have to be expensive just takes a little bit of planning. "Kids won’t remember how much money you spent on them but they will remember spending time with you making fun memories. Even if it is mum jumping in puddles with them in the pouring rain."
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Amy herself revealed she has felt the pinch of pennies at the end of the month and has missed out on meals. She added: "I think most parents worry about the cost of the summer holidays and after the first week it can be hard to come up with ideas. It’s easy to let them on their tablets and consoles especially when it’s raining, and there’s nothing wrong with that when you want a bit of peace and quiet."
Some of the popular ideas include day trips to the beach, picnics, a family 'Come Dine With Me' and building a fort in the back garden, as well as much more ideas for both indoor and outdoor activities.
Days out:
- Visit Stewart Park
- Visit Albert Park
- Visit the Dorman Museum
- Visit Fairy Dell Park
- Visit Preston Park
- Climb Roseberry Topping
- Visit Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park
- Visit Seal Sands
- Complete a Huntee (a treasure hunting app you can download linking to nearby trails)
- Complete the Tees Sculpture Trail
- Visit Guisborough Forest
- Take a day out to Redcar
- Take a day out to Saltburn
- Take a day out to Marske
- Take a day out to Seaton Carew
- Take a day out to Staithes
- Visit Runswick Bay
- Visit Tees Barrage
- Visit Teessaurus Park
- Rock Pooling at the beach
- Crabbing at the beach
- Geocaching (an outdoor activity using the GPS on your mobile to hide and seek containers)
- Have a picnic
- Visit Saltburn Valley Gardens
- Go swimming
Go to the soft play
Visit Hemlington Lake
Things to do at home:
- Do some bird watching
- Have a movie day at home
- Collect twigs and leaves to make art at home
- Baking at home
- Science day at home
- Get free boxes from supermarkets to build a den
- Get the kids to gather old toys and books and do a garden sale
- Older kids offer car cleaning with a bucket and a sponge
- Do a family 'Come Dine With Me' with friends or family members
- Hold a sports day in your street
- Camp out in the back garden
- Do some gardening
- Try a new recipe
Events:
- Visit one of Four All Café's craft days
- Try some events at Easterside Hub
- Visit a craft day at Park Centre
- Go to one of the Preston Park events
- Visit the Orange Pip Market
- Go to the Middlesbrough Mela Festival
- Go to Stockton International Riverside Festival
- Go to Stewart Park Farmers Market
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