Special Edition – Summer Holiday Activities
Home > Special Edition – Summer Holiday Activities Dear Parents and Carers, This is a special edition newsletter packed with fantastic ideas for the summer holidays, including many activities right here in Hackney. There are plenty of free options to explore. Be sure to get outside when you can and make the most…
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Dear Parents and Carers,
This is a special edition newsletter packed with fantastic ideas for the summer holidays, including many activities right here in Hackney.
There are plenty of free options to explore. Be sure to get outside when you can and make the most of the summer.
Have a read and enjoy your summer! See you all in September.
Best regards,
Ms Toni Mason – Headteacher
Kids Eat Free
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Venues offering free or reduced meals for children:
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- Las Iguanas – join ‘My Las Iguanas’ via the app and ninos eat free with every adult main
- Asda – kids eat for £1 all day everyday (no adult spend required)
- Sainsbury’s Cafe – kids eat for £1 with the purchase of one adult hot main from 11:30am
- Pausa Cafe at Dunelm – get 1 mini main and 2 snacks and a drink free with every £4 spend (after 3pm)
- The Real Greek – Kids eat free for every £10 spent by an adult (Sundays)
- TGI Fridays – children eat free when ‘Stripes Rewards’ members purchase an adult meal
- Purezza – children under 10 get a free pizza with every adult meal purchased
- Travelodge and Premier Inn – buy one adult breakfast for £8.99 and two children eat breakfast for free
- Ikea – Kids Meal from 95p, daily from 11am
- Sizzling Pubs – kids mains £1 with every adult meal (Monday – Friday 3-7pm)
- Beefeater and Brewers Fayre – two children under 16 can get a free breakfast every day with one paying adult
- Preto – kids up to age 10 eat free all day every day with paying adults in Half Terms
- Morrisons – spend £4.49 and get one free kids meal all day, everyday
- Tesco Cafe – one free kids meal with every 60p spend from 22nd July.
- Gordon Ramsey Restaurants – Kids under 8 eat free all day everyday (at selected restaurants)
- Yo Sushi – kids eat free with adult spending £10 (Monday – Friday, 1st July – 30th August)
- Whitbread Inn – two children under 16 eat free with every adult breakfast
- Bella Italia – children eat for £1 with any adult main (Monday – Thursday 4-6pm)
- Coconut Tree – one child (under 10) eats free per paying adult 12 – 6pm (22nd July – 9th September)
- Dobbies Garden Centres – for every adult breakfast or lunch purchase, child eats free
- Table Table – two children under 16 eat breakfast for free with a paying adult
- Hungry Horse – Kids eat for £1 (Mondays only)
- Future Inns – Under 5s eat free with any adult meal
Hackney Museum
Summer holiday craft activities – Olympic and Paralympic Games
To celebrate this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, join us to create your own artwork inspired by Hackney Museum’s London 2012 objects. Design your own Games Maker uniform, make a concertina clap banner or collage with copies of tickets, maps and travelcards.
Join us for drop-in craft activities in Hackney Museum’s Learning Room on Thursdays in August, 10am to 1pm.
Self-led drawing activities will be available all throughout the summer holidays during Hackney Museum’s opening hours. Friday 26 July – Saturday 31 August. Free – All children must be supervised by a responsible adult
Fun Fridays, Super Saturdays & holiday activities
Learn about life in Hackney with our fun hands-on toys and dressing up every Friday and Saturday in term time. Live like Anglo-Saxons and load the Saxon boat; learn about Victorian toys and try on historical costumes or find out how people travelled in and around Hackney by being a bus driver on a number 38 bus.
You can do this and much more every Friday and Saturday 10am – 4.30pm. These activities are also available throughout all school holidays. All children must be supervised by a responsible adult. To find out more please visit our Families page.
Download trail
Explore Hackney Museum at your own pace and see how many objects you can find! Download our museum family trail (pdf).
Hackney Holiday Activities and Food Programme – Summer 2024
During Summer school holidays in July and August 2024, Hackney Council will once again be teaming up with a number of schools, sports activity providers and community services to offer a wide range of exciting activities and a daily healthy free meal as part of the government funded
Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF).
There will be sports activities, arts and drama, mentoring, healthy eating and nutrition sessions, food provision and much more set out across various locations across the borough.
Watch this video that shows what happened at previous sessions in some Hackney schools. It includes Marcus Rashford’s support.
These activities should be inclusive for all eligible children and young people (aged 5-16), including those with special educational needs or disabilities (5-18). However, some activities may not be suitable for all children. Please discuss any needs with the provider before booking a place
Here is the link to find a provisder near you: Hackney Holiday Activities and Food Programme
Badu Summer Camp
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Summer Multi-sports Camp (5yrs – 11yrs)
Mon 29th July 2024 – Fri 23rd August 2024
City Academy School
The BADU holiday camp held at City Academy Homerton Row E9 6EA. A fun filled 4 weeks that involves various activities from playing sports to arts and crafts sessions with BADU staff who are all DBS checked and have full child protection and safeguarding training. Please note that when booking your child for our activities, there is a strict NO REFUND policy. If you cannot attend an activity that you have booked, the amount paid will be credited back to your Class for Kids account to be used for future bookings. Your child should be provided with a healthy packed lunch and enough snacks for two break times. A refillable water bottle and a change of clothing is also required. Children are not permitted to attend in crocs or football boots for safety reasons. Full, closed shoes should be worn at all times.
Library
Cricket Coaching Programme
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Please find details above of a free cricket course for 7-11 years old children at Stepney Green Secondary Schools for the upcoming Summer Holidays.
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Swimming at Britannia
FREE SWIMMING FOR UNDER 18’S AND OVER 60’S
Free swimming is available for all under 18’s and over 60’s in London Borough of Hackney leisure centres.
To gain access, users are required to have a valid Pay as you Go membership for the London Borough of Hackney leisure centres operated by Better.
Here is the link to see what is on offer at Britannia – Britannia Leisure Centre
Discover more
Swimming is a great way to have fun and get healthy, whatever your age or level of ability.
At the new Britannia Leisure Centre we offer a fantastic 25m six lane competition pool, 20m training pool and leisure water with state-of-the-art interactive flume, splash pad and toddler pool.
80 ideas for FREE or cheap days out…
Most of these activities are free or very cheap, but it’s always the eating out that seems to cost the most, so remember to take drinks, snacks and treats if you plan to eat out to scale down the cost – or a picnic can be done as cheaply as you like.
Thanks to https://moneysavingcentral.co.uk/free-days-outfor the great ideas!
1 – Throw a BBQ
Lighting up the barbecue doesn’t have to be expensive, and the kids need feeding anyway! Check out these 20 Ways to Save Money on Your Summer BBQs
2 – Visit a Splash Pad
Councils are installing new splash pads throughout the UK every year. These are such a fun, safe way to spend the day and you don’t have to spend a penny!
3 – Picnic at the Park
Get a group of friends together and all meet up at your local park for a picnic day. You can take a Bluetooth speaker for a bit of music and even a portable BBQ or simply opt for a traditional picnic on a blanket. Check out ‘Green Flag awards’ website to find your nearest award-winning free park.
4 – Visit your local Museum
Museums are a great day out and absolutely free. You will probably have to pay for parking though as they’re usually in city centers. Check out their website for a list of free events before you plan your trip as there are often daily activities to choose from that are completely free.
5 – Go for a Walk
In my local area, we have so many beautiful places to go for walks, I often print out a treasure list for the kids to tick off the things as they come across them, it keeps them occupied and they have a treat for ticking everything off.
6 – Find a Local Nature Trail
There are plenty of beautiful nature trails to explore throughout the UK that is suitable for families. You can find child-friendly routes on the National Trust website.
7 – Geocaching
Join the world’s largest treasure hunt, for free! You can download the app from the Geocaching website, find out how many treasures are in your local area and get started straight away. Remember to take some treasure with you to replace the treasure that you find.
8 – Stay in a Bothy
Stay in a bothy in a remote part of Scotland or Wales – there’s no need to book and it’s completely free. Bothies and bothying are basically stone tents! It saves having to pitch your tent and you can use things in a bothy that have no place in a tent, such as candles or a line for drying clothes from. Find your nearest Bothy here
9 – Blackberry Picking
I used to absolutely love doing this as a kid, especially being able to help with making (and eating) the pie after.
10 – Music Festivals
Most councils put on a music festival in each area, it probably won’t be well advertised, so again keep an eye out on social media and get in on all the local groups so you don’t miss out.
11 – Free Swimming
Council-run leisure centres now offer free swimming sessions to under 16s throughout the holidays, ring your local for the free session times.
12 – Rock Pooling
Another firm favourite of my kids, all you need is a net and bucket and you have the tools to keep the kids happy for hours. My lot love finding sea creatures to “rescue” and pop back into the ocean
13 – Go to a Farm
Many farms are charity run and are free to the public, a quick Google will turn up all the available ones in your local area. Most have parks and outdoor eating areas available so you can make a day of it.
14 – Visit Heritage Houses
There are loads of Grand houses and Castles throughout England, Scotland, and Wales that are open to the public, and many host free events during the half terms to keep the whole family entertained. Visit Heritage England, Historic Scotland, or Visit Wales to find your local hidden treasures.
15. Go for a Bike Ride
There are plenty of cycling routes throughout the UK that are suitable for families. You can find safe cycling routes on the National Trust website.
16 – A day at the Waterfalls
Waterfalls are a stunning location for a family picnic, you often need to get there on foot so it’s a great opportunity to work up an appetite. You can find a list of all the UK waterfalls on wikipedia.
17 – RAF Museums
Admission to RAF Museums is free of charge, although they do charge a small fee for parking.
18 – Plane Spotting
Go to your local airport viewing area, take a picnic and watch the planes taking off and landing.
19 – Library Workshops
Your local library will put on free workshops and special events throughout the half term – simply check your local library’s website for up-to-date event information.
20 – Nature Activities
Woodland Trust offers over 100 free activities on its website for outdoor and indoor fun with nature. Activities include downloadable guides for making bird feeders, nature detective hunts, colouring sheets and more.
21 – Group Sports Day
When was the last time you enjoyed a game of Frisbee? Rounders? Football? Rally together a team of friends, family, and school friends and take what gear you might have and head to your local field.
22 – Camp in your Garden
You don’t have to trek to a far-off wilderness location to have any fun in nature. Use your own garden to pitch a tent, grab your torch and some books and games and snuggle down for the night.
23 – Go on a Treasure Hunt
You can find loads of treasure hunt ideas online – or you can print off your own. Grab some friends, set up some prizes, and spend an afternoon seeing which group of friends’ hunting skills are the strongest.
24 – Summer Holiday Clubs
Community centres usually offer summer holiday clubs and activities that are either free or heavily subsidised.
25 – Collect Pine Cones
We always grab a bag of lovely pine cones in the summer when they start to fall, ready to turn into Christmas decorations as part of our free Christmas activities.
26 – Join the Great Butterfly Hunt
The big butterfly count is a nationwide survey aimed at helping assess the health of our environment. It takes place yearly from mid-July to mid-August. You can download an identification chart to help you work out which butterflies you have seen, then record them on the free app.
27 – Photography Challenge
This is a great one for kids of all ages. List down 10 items for them to find and photograph at your chosen location (beach, park, castle etc)….then choose the best shot from each, award 3 points for best 2 for 2nd place and 1 for third (you can tinker with the scores depending on the number of children) – the child with the most points wins.
28 – Printable Activities
A quick search online will pull up hundreds of websites that offer free printable colouring sheets, activities and more for children. This is a great way to keep them entertained on a rainy day.
29 – Craft Day
Set up a table out in the garden and let the kids get creative. Check out Pinterest for hundreds of craft ideas for kids.
30 – Build a Den
I miss the old days and the way we used to play, kids always seem to be stuck in front of a computer these days. Get them to go old school and build a den in their bedroom, you can have hours of fun!
31 – Junior Bake Off
Kids love baking cakes, so why not make it into a little competition with yourself, siblings or friends. Get someone to judge – print off and award a certificate to the winner.
32 – Kids Come Dine With Me
How about letting the kids cook tea tonight? You can make it a competition between other friends’ kids and go round to each other’s houses to taste the children’s delights – see this BBC guide for ideas on what kids can cook at different ages.
33 – Swim Safe Courses
Get children aged 7–14 ready for safe swimming in open water with Swim England and the RNLI’s free water safety sessions. Choose from inland and coastal sites throughout the UK. Sign up to Swim Safe.
34 – Cycling Festivals
British Cycling in partnership with HSBC is closing the roads to traffic in 14 city centres throughout Britain again this summer and throwing cycling festivals for everyone. It’s totally free to take part, you get to see your city from the saddle and it’s a fun, active day out for the whole family! Think stunt shows, street food, and endless family-friendly activities. Sign Up
35 – Pet Workshop
Pets at Home offers free workshops for kids – Great for children with pets or who are thinking of getting one. There are activities and animal petting and you get a goody bag to come home with.
36 – National Play Day
August 1st is ‘National Play Day’. There are hundreds of community events throughout the UK for families to join in, from adventures in woodlands to street parties and community treasure hunts. Find your local events at playday.org.uk
37 – Free Tennis
Charity organisation ‘Tennis For Free’ offers children aged 3+ a free two-hour coaching session. There are currently 38 locations in England, Wales, and Scotland every week. Visit tennisforfree.com.
38 – Bring Books to Life
Reading charity Bookstart hosts thousands of free literary events for little ones in libraries and community spaces around the country. See what’s on offer in your area at booktrust.org.uk
39 – Painted Rocks
Have you heard of the new craze sweeping the UK? Paint a rock, hide it and make a stranger smile. It’s easy and it’s fun! You can search for your local painted rocks group on Facebook to find the best areas to check.
40 – Have a Water Fight
Grab some guns and balloons from your local pound shop and let the kids go wild in the garden!
41 – Tour Your Local Fire Station
The Fire Service is very community based these days, and having young visitors to the station demonstrates the importance of fire safety and the dangers of fire. Simply phone your local station to arrange a suitable time to visit.
42 – Home Cinema Day
Keep your PJs on, grab a bowl of popcorn and your quilts, and spend an entire day on the sofa watching movies – perfect!
43 – Bug Hunt
You can easily build a simple bug box out of stuff that’s sitting around your house. Once you have that, it’s easy to find and collect insects for the box, even from your own garden. Get the children to write down the bugs they found and teach them an interesting fact about each one.
44 – Spa Day
The girls love this one! I buy some cheap face masks from home bargains, give them massages, paint their nails, let them have a bath bomb, plait their hair, and let them drink non-alcoholic wine – this is one of their favourite days in.
45 – Obstacle Course
The course possibilities are endless with all the objects you have around the house and you can change it around each round, becoming more challenging as the players improve their skills.
46 – Feed the Ducks
Take a trip to your local park, river, or lake, and feed the ducks, swans, and usually in my experience….the seagulls!
47 – Go Fishing
Fishing can be a great activity for kids, but you might be better off getting them nets which are ideal for catching crabs in rock pools, tadpoles in lakes, and little fish in rivers – and are a lot easier too!
48 – Flower Pressing
Pick some flowers when you’re next out on a walk and place them between 2 sheets of paper in the middle of a big book. Put some more heavy books on top of it and leave for a few days. You can frame them and hang them up in the children’s bedroom or playhouse.
49 – Sand Dunes
There are lots of beautiful sand dunes positioned around the UK’s coastline for you to discover. Make sure you take a sledge or a baking tray to ride them!
50 – Hobbycraft Workshops
There’s a fantastic free kids club at Hobbycraft, there are activities to do such as card making, slime making, scrapbook making etc. Events are suitable for ages 4 and over. Check out what’s on
51 – Free Community Events
Check out your local church, library, or children’s centre. All these types of organisations offer free activities. You can also ask around in local Facebook groups for free local activities.
52 – Playdough
Did you know you can make playdough in next to no time from everyday ingredients found in your kitchen cupboards? The kids will not only have fun making it but have hours of fun playing with it afterwards.
53 – Junk Modelling
Save all your old (clean) boxes, tubs, toilet roll tubes, packaging, and material, and let the kids spend the day making masterpieces.
54 – Go on a Bear Hunt
You can easily spend an entire day exploring the woods, take a picnic and their favourite teddy bears, explore, play hide and seek, spot wildlife and tell them it’s a bear hunt – they will love it.
55 – Disney Day
Let them dress up as their favourite Disney character, print off some free Disney activities and colouring’s, and spend the day watching Disney films, you can even treat them to a prince or princesses tea party – Perfect!
56 – Gardening
Let them have fun being little gardeners while getting the gardening done for free!
57 – Rock Collecting
We always collect a rock when we’re out on our adventures, each child has their own collection that we use to decorate their area in the garden. I use a free Rock/Mineral identifier app on my phone with them which makes it easy to figure out what exactly you’ve found.
58 – Sandpit
All you need is an old pool or something sturdy enough to pop some sand in, fill it with some cheap play sand, and give them their buckets and spades to enjoy digging in the garden.
59 – Grow Some Veg
Not only will this give the kids something to do every day (watering and tending to their patch) you will be getting free food, which is always welcomed.
60 – Collect Tadpoles
Raising tadpoles is fun and educational, just ensure to release them back into a suitable environment when they have turned in to healthy froggies.
61 – Cooking Lessons
Why not let them help out when you’re preparing your tea – It’s a great way to teach them about healthy eating too
62 – Sweet Treats
All kids love to do a bit of baking, let them bake your desserts which is cost-effective. You can also let them make some yummy homemade ice lollies to keep them cool in the sun.
63 – Fly a Kite
This is such a fun activity, why not even have a try and make one yourself?
64 – Go to the Beach
Everyone loves a day at the beach all you need is plenty of sun cream, a bucket and spade, and a blanket.
65 – Create a Scrapbook
When you have days out through the summer holidays, keep hold of all the used tickets, print off some photos and write down all about your adventures in a scrapbook.
66 – Game Swap
Put out a post on Facebook to see if any family or friends would like to participate in a book or game swap. This way you get rid of your old board games and books you are bored of and get to try out new ones.
67 – Cheap Cinema
You can get seriously discounted cinema tickets by going to the dedicated morning screenings in most cinemas. Tickets cost around £2.50 each, and of course, make sure you smuggle in your own snacks for optimal savings.
68 – Pool Party
There’s not a child I know that doesn’t love splashing about in a paddling pool during the hot weather, you can pick up pools really cheap towards the end of the season, so keep an eye out for bargains ready for next year.
69 – Science Experiments
I used to LOVE doing this as a child, there are loads of safe experiments you can do with the kids that are super fun and educational too.
70 – Chalk the Garden
Another firm favourite of mine, I used to feel so naughty chalking all over my garden. You can buy large packs of coloured chalks online for less than £3 delivered, for a large 12 pack.
71 – Car Wash
Again another sneaky way to get your kids to do free chores! They love anything to do with water, so it’s always a winner.
72 – Time Capsule
Create a time capsule with your kids and bury it in the back garden. Pop in some of the artwork they have been doing over the half term.
73 – Skate Parks
Visit a skate park together and watch older kids do tricks or even teach the little ones some confidence training on the ramps.
74 – Teddybears Picnic
Get out the blankets and cushions, make and deliver some invitations to your friends and tell everyone to bring their favourite teddy or doll along. You can do this indoors or in the garden, depending on the weather.
75 – Splash in Puddles
Don’t let the rain spoil your fun, kids love to run and jump in puddles. Dress them in their wet gear and head out for some rainy day fun!
76 – Junior Parkrun
Every Sunday, in parks all over the UK children aged 4-14 can take part in weekly 2k timed runs.
Saturday’s offer children of any age a chance to join in on Parkruns timed 5K runs. Saturdays are busier than the Sunday sessions but have the advantage of allowing the whole family to join in, including pets and babies/toddlers in prams.
77 – Crazy Golf
Create a crazy golf course in your garden with household objects, junk, and donations. Things like pipes, trays, wood, and anything else you can get your hands on to make ramps. Ask on Facebook if anyone has an old set of clubs lying around, to make it completely free.
78 – Free Tennis Sessions
multiple venues across England, Scotland, and Wales are offering free tennis sessions and/or coaching organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) through its Big Tennis Weekends scheme. Events are suitable for families and children of all abilities and are available until the end of September.
79 – Free Tennis Coaching
Another alternative is to check out Tennis for Free to find out where there are free ongoing tennis coaching sessions in your area. The scheme works with councils to provide free ‘walk on and play’ court access throughout the year, not just in the summer.
80 – Go Paddling Week
Running yearly during May half term, Go Paddling Week is the perfect opportunity for paddlers old and new to take to the water and be part of the biggest paddling event in the UK. Free paddling activities and taster sessions of canoeing and standup paddleboarding. Sign up here
81 – Raise Money for Charity
This is one of my favourite things to do with the children, it gives them such a sense of achievement and keeps them busy for hours planning and executing their events.
82 – Gruffalo Trails
There are 15 free Gruffalo trails set in forests and woods across the UK. The Gruffalo story by Julia Donaldson is set in a deep, dark forest and children love reenacting the beloved book on these new trails.
You can download free Gruffalo Spotters activity sheets here
Dates to Note
Wednesday 4th September 2024 – Children in Y1-6 return to school at 8:45am. We look forward to seeing you then.