School's (nearly) out for summer
How to party like a (primary) school leaver...
There are just a couple weeks to go until the kids break up for summer. It is a big year for us as my older daughter is finishing primary school and is currently living her post SATS best life - rehearsing a play, singing on top of the Shropshire Hills in her rock band and preparing for a leavers trip to the seaside. We’re calling it her “year 6 summer” and the vibe is freedom, fun and the promise of new adventures.
I love the school summer holidays and as a freelancer, I really appreciate that I get to enjoy a lot of it with my girls. As much as I pretend to be good at winging things, I have to be organised because seven weeks is a lot of time to fill. A bit of rhythm and structure suits our family and empty weeks scare me a little.
I really enjoy a pre Summer holidays planning session, thinking about how I want the summer to feel. This year it is all about harnessing that year 6 summer energy - so lots of fun, adventure and joy. I make sure that the bigger trips are all booked in - this year we’ve got two weeks in Devon plus a couple of shorter trips in the UK planned. I then book in any workshops the girls want to do, which allows me to see what time is still available for other things.
After that, I make a looser list of things we’d like to do over the holidays. This becomes our family “summer list”. Over the years it has included anything from things we want to cook, fruit picking, friends we want to see, the girls organising a tea party, taking a picnic to our stone circle or shopping for new backpacks. Everyone gets to make suggestions and there is a sort of understanding that it is a wishlist rather than a must do list, which takes the pressure off me somewhat. When we have a free day, we can check our list and see what suits our mood, energy and the weather.
I also like to think about crafting projects because I have never met a craft project I don’t want to get stuck into and my girls feel exactly the same way. This summer, I’ve got homemade bandana keychains, junk charms and DIY sticker bookmarks on the agenda - so I’m planning to order a few supplies as well as raid our local art materials recycling charity to see what extras I can get.
I also spend some time thinking about snacks, ridiculous as that sounds, because I know I’ll be asked for them a million times a day, and I know my stress levels will rise if I feel like the the ratio of of kid-pleasing sugary cr@p to conscious-pleasing wholefoods is off. I’ve just stocked up on interesting snacks in the big Sainsburys and I’ve sorted out all the mismatched containers for storing lots of chopped fruit and veg in the fridge. I feel so much better! So what else?!
My top 8 buys for a fun and carefree summer
Rash vest
My family are all pale and I spend a lot of time feeling acutely stressed about sunscreen. Rash vests on the beach (and in the garden) look cool and reduce my stress levels. This one from Toastie (£21.60) is in the sale and looks trendy enough for my style-conscious 8-year-old.
Slippy Slide
Have you ever met a kid who doesn’t like a slippy slide? I have not. I don’t really know why we don’t have one of these yet. All my fun mum friends do so this summer I shall also become fun and get one of these. This one from Sunnylife (£40 in the sale) is easy on the eye. They sell really cute floaties too.
Snackbox
Keep the snacks coming, people. Chant it like a mantra. As long as there are snacks, everyone shall remain happy and sane. It is ALWAYS worth spending 5 minutes getting some snacks ready before you head out of the house. Even if you are already running late. I love these yumboxes from Scandibugs. You can pack a selection of different things (they sell lots of versions with different amounts of compartments) and present it to your kids like a tapas box when you sit down at the National Trust picnic table or on a park bench. Presentation is everything when it comes to kids and picky eating. And snacks just look super cute in these boxes (small ones from £22.50).
Fridge Goals
Ok so this one is just a pipe dream, but I long to have a massive fridge and freezer that I can fill with ice pops and pizza so we’re always ready to host a few extra kiddos. I would very much like something like this American Style Bosch Fridge Freezer . Even if you don’t need a new fridge, a good clean out, a restock and a bit of prettifying is deeply therapeutic.
Coolbag
We have lots of little cool bags for backpacks but this year I’d like to get a bigger one for taking in the car. Some cool bags are so ugly so I have been considering getting this one from Business and Pleasure ( £65) - isn’t it just too gorgeous.
Ice Cream Maker
I didn’t even know that soft scoop ice cream makers were a thing until recently. This one from Cuisinart, £119.98 even has a little stainless steel sauce cup. Nobody needs one of these but can you imagine the joy it would bring?!
Treats
I’m making a small summer box for each of my girls as a surprise for the first day of the holidays - they’ll each get a book, a few craft bits and tiny treats. They currently are obsessed with Japanese snack boxes - like this selection box from Sakura Box, £39.97 and I know they would go absolutely wild for this.
Fun ice cube trays
What is it about kids and ice? Stick an ice cube in their drink and it somehow turns it into a whole event. I love this watermelon ice cube tray from Dunelm, £1.75 and I know my girls will too.
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