‘It's the low-key moments that stay with us': the secret to happy summer holidays with the kids
The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
I was greatly amused (and slightly relieved), then, to hear my son say: 'Our summer books – that time we collected all those random things, took them home and stuck them into a book.' He was delighted that we've kept them.
My daughter said: 'Soup on the beach.' We'd stayed on the Isles of Scilly (one of our favourite destinations), and had promised them a bonfire next to the sea on our last night. Of course, by the time we got around to it, night was falling – and with it the temperature – and poor four-year-old Lulu got tired and cold. We wrapped her in a blanket, propped her on a rock and gave her a mug of bonfire-heated tinned soup – and watched as the colour sprang back into her cheeks.
The point of this (rather sentimental) reminiscing is to show that you don't need expensive foreign holidays or trips to amusement parks for your children to have a good summer. It's the low-key moments that tend to stay with us – and they can be as simple as a fun craft activity or a makeshift meal under the stars. Sure, lazing on a beach in the Algarve for a week or two is what keeps parents going through the winter months, but the 4am start for the ferry or the queues at passport control can start to undo the benefits of a holiday.
If you're looking for ways to entertain your children during the holidays but sadly can't just down tools and take the day off, read our guide to the summer holidays. It includes lots of ideas for inexpensive activities to do around your home or garden, from den-building to arts and crafts, as well as short and longer days out. We've also rounded up the best garden games for children of all ages.
Don't ever feel guilty about not being with your children for the entire school summer holidays, nor for amusing them with low-cost activities. Sometimes, the simplest activities turn out to be their most memorable.
The best wedding gifts in the UK: 13 ideas that couples will actually want
The best moisturising lip balms to hydrate and protect your lips
The best gins for G&Ts, martinis and negronis, from our taste test of 50
'Unbelievably terrible': the best (and worst) supermarket vanilla ice-cream, tested and rated
'It's hard to know what to wear when the sun comes out,' says fashion and lifestyle editor Morwenna Ferrier, 'so it always seems strange just how little thought we give to it.' But we've done all the thinking for you in our bumper guide to summer dressing, with 69 ideas for women, men and the kids. From a spicy marg T-shirt and a purse for your beach change to perfect men's shorts and a bag charm for grownups, there's something here to suit every summer style.
Monica HorridgeDeputy editor, the Filter
If you've ever planned to spend the evening outside only to be tempted back on to the living room sofa, it may be time to upgrade your garden furniture. Whatever the size of your outdoor space, there'll be a sofa, bistro seat or bench to suit in design expert Claudia Baillie's guide to the best garden furniture. There are also tips for buying vintage or secondhand furniture if you'd rather avoid buying anything new.
Have you made an eco-friendly swap that's stuck? Maybe you found a microfibre cloth that transformed your skincare routine, plastic-free cleaning products that actually work, or a shopping tote that finally broke your addiction to plastic bags.
Let us know by replying to this newsletter or emailing us at thefilter@theguardian.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Indonesia: Kites in the crosshairs as planes face peril
At a paddy field two kilometres from Jakarta's international airport, the rustle of fluttering kites is periodically drowned out by the thunderous roar of plane at kite strings in the field are a group of children, their necks craned towards the skies. But their eyes are also darting below, keeping a lookout for patrolling airport officials who could come to confiscate their kites - and their fun."In the past, my friends and I would run away when an officer came," seven-year-old Atif, one of the kids in the field, tells the BBC. "Now I'm braver, so I go along with it when they scold me.""If my kite is taken, it's sad, but I can always make another one."A tug of war is unfolding here, between airport authorities and one of Indonesia's most cherished is popular in Indonesia - especially at this time of the year when students go on summer holidays. But authorities have issued warnings about the kites, which they say pose a safety hazard if they block aircraft sensors or get snagged in three days in early July, kites disrupted 21 flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the one near the paddy field, according to air-traffic controller AirNav Indonesia. Some had been diverted to another airport and some aborted landings, deeming it too dangerous to go near the are "moving obstacles" for planes and a "serious risk to flight safety", Putu Eka Cahyadi, head of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Authority, tells the BBC. "We don't want accidents to occur." Such fears are not July 2024, a helicopter crashed in Bali after it got entangled in kite strings, injuring three Indonesians and two Australians on July 2020, strings and bamboo sticks from a kite were found in the engine of a plane after it arrived at Soekarno-Hatta. While the plane had managed to land without mishap, the incident triggered serious safety concerns. The following month, the airport set up a task force to crack down on kite-flying near its years on, the problem has persisted. In July, transport minister Dudy Purwagandhi urged airport authorities and regional governments across Indonesia to minimise the harm that kites are posing to flights."It's certainly a fun activity, but we also need to educate them to prevent the public or children from engaging in activities that could endanger flights," says Mr Putu. His colleagues have tried giving the kids footballs and badminton racquets to steer them towards other sports. But kite-flying is woven into the fabric of Indonesian culture. Traditionally made with leaves, colourful paper or cloth, kites are flown in Indonesia for various purposes: for rice harvest ceremonies, to chase birds away from crops or, in Bali, as a form of prayer and offering to the gods."Kite flying has been passed down through generations from our ancestors. Almost every region in Indonesia has a tradition of kite flying," says Asep Irawan, an expert from the Indonesia Kite Museum."However, we need to be cautious, especially [with] children. They just fly them. They don't see the potential danger." Those caught flying kites, drones or other things that pose safety risks around airports may be jailed up to three years or fined one billion Indonesian rupiah ($61,000; £46,000).But it's not just on airstrips that kites can be dangerous. In densely populated areas, kites are also a deadly distraction. Last year, an eight-year-old boy died after venturing onto a toll road in Depok city, south of Jakarta. Police believe he was hit by a car while chasing a 2020, a man was arrested after his kite broke and fell onto a substation in Bali, causing hours of blackout in more than 70,000 houses and on the paddy field near Soekarno-Hatta Airport, the children say they don't mean to mess with the planes - but they are hard-pressed to find better places for their lost 31% of its urban green spaces between 2000 and 2020, as fields and forests gave way to congested roads and apartment blocks. "There's nowhere else around here," says Rasha, a 17-year-old who makes and sells kites. "There's one other spot, but it's still close to the airport. There just aren't any other places to fly."The paddy field is now home to a community of kite enthusiasts, who organise regular kite-flying competitions. Rasha has won them has got into trouble before with the patrolling airport officials, who chided him and confiscated his kites."The police even came to our house and took two of my kites and burned them, strings and all. After that, my siblings scolded me and told me to stop. But recently, I started flying kites again," he says."It is pretty dangerous. But once your kites have been taken away, you stop being afraid."
The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
I'm a cleaner at a top UK holiday park – these are the worst things guests do that leave housekeeping raging
THE summer holidays have finally arrived, which means millions of Brits are loading up the car ready for a traditional family break in a static caravan at one of the hundreds of UK holiday parks. However, much like the stereotypical lairy Brit abroad, sometimes we simply forget our manners when heading off on our hols, whether the final destination is Magaluf or Margate. 4 And it's the unsung heroes of the holiday parks - the cleaners - who have to pick up the pieces. I'm one of the anonymous army of housekeepers busy working behind the scenes to make sure your linen is fresh and your loo is sparkling, so you can enjoy a well-deserved rest. But in return for helping you to have the most relaxing break possible, a little consideration for your cleaner would go a long way. Working against the clock in a metal sweatbox, usually for a minimum wage, caravan cleaning is about as unglamorous as it gets - not many people would say their dream job involves picking another person's pubes out of a plughole. But there are a few little things you can do to make the whole experience more pleasant for your housekeeper. From poor bed-making etiquette to fridges full of leftover food, here are the top things that all caravan cleaners hate, how you can avoid them, and what happens if you don't. Leaving food behind Whether you are motivated by doing something nice for the next guests staying or you're just doing it out of sheer laziness, please don't leave food in the fridge, freezer or cupboards when you go home. Whether it's a half-used packet of cereal, an opened bottle of orange juice, or half a loaf of bread, it all goes straight in the bin. It hurts to have to chuck it, but there's no way I'd be drinking out of an open bottle left behind by some random stranger, and I wouldn't expect anyone else to either. If you do have something worth sharing, perhaps offer it to the person in the caravan next door; otherwise, just take it with you. All the passport rules you NEED to know now to stop your summer holidays being ruined or even cancelled Or if you really don't like food waste, perhaps don't go overboard in Lidl in the first place. Leaving half-used products behind While we are on the subject of leaving half-used stuff behind, don't do what one lady did and leave a half-bottle of Femfresh wash sitting in the shower. Nobody wants your second-hand foof soap. Unless it's washing up liquid or liquid soap in a dispenser, bin it or take it with you. Letting the kids run riot I get it, the kids are on holiday too, and everyone likes to let their hair down. I have two little ones myself, and I know how excited they get when they burst through those caravan doors for the first time. However, if you let your kids draw on the walls or furniture of your caravan, or leave sweet wrappers and drinks cans scattered all over the floor (when there are no less than four perfectly good bins in the caravan), then know that I am judging you, and judging you HARD. In short, if you wouldn't let your little darlings do it at home, why let them do it in someone else's place? 4 Making the beds before you check out It goes against everything we were taught when we were kids, but before you leave, please don't make the beds. Stripping them is far more helpful to the housekeeper. I would much rather walk into a van and find a mountain of tangled sheets, duvet covers, and pillow cases on the living room floor than four neatly made beds with hospital corners. It saves so much time. Besides, all bed linen is washed, bleached, ironed and changed between guests anyway - I can assure you that nobody wants to sleep in your dirty old sheets. Telling lies about the state of the caravan Thinking about pulling a fast one to try and claw back a bit of cash? Don't make false claims about the cleanliness or state of the caravan when you arrive. 4 We keep the receipts - every inch of the caravan is photographed and logged on our system after each clean, from the kitchen cupboards to the sofa bed. We will know if you are lying. We also know exactly how many plates, bowls, glasses, and mugs are in the cupboards. If you break one, just fess up - it does happen. Behaving like an absolute slob This shouldn't really need saying, but try not to behave like an animal. Leaving a pile of dirty dinner plates, not emptying used tampons out of the bathroom bin, dropping cigarette butts all over the decking, or leaving rubbish strewn over every available surface (use the bins, people!) is unacceptable behaviour. Ditto leaving dirty knickers on the floor, used razors in the shower, and fistfuls of used tissues stuffed down the sides of the sofa (shudder). And beware - if I have to go over my allotted two hours of cleaning per van because you left the place looking like a tip, expect a big fat extra cleaning fee to be added to your bill. When all is said and done, you should expect a good standard of cleanliness when staying at a holiday park. Whether you have booked a five-star lodge or a budget option, there is no excuse for grubby linen, dirty toilets or sticky kitchen worktops. If you aren't satisfied with the standard of cleaning, don't hesitate to contact the park or holiday lettings agency responsible. But at the same time, don't be the filthy heathen that we gossip about back at headquarters. Don't forget, if you leave something particularly gross behind, you may be slapped with a park ban. Rest assured, we won't be sad to see the back of you. Why caravan holidays are so underrated CARAVAN park holidays are a British staple. And with the cost of living crisis wreaking havoc on Britain's purses, more of us are turning to them for an affordable break. Josie O'Brien, Senior Digital Writer on Fabulous, weighs in on why she thinks caravan holidays are seriously underrated... WHEN I was a child, my mum used to collect the £9.50 holiday vouchers in The Sun. She'd use them to book a couple of nights away at a caravan park during the school holidays. As an adult, I fully appreciate the convenience of a humble caravan holiday. No faffing about with passports, no luggage limits and no bog-standard hotel breakfast of stale toast and grey eggs. I still love caravan holidays as an adult. In a world of doing everything for the 'gram, a caravan park brings you back to basics. There's no obligation to get dressed up, no stress to fit a million picturesque excursions in one week and I don't find myself flustered in tourist hot spots like abroad. I love going to coastal caravan parks and strolling along the beach parade. My highlight is always fresh mussels, ice-creams and classic pubs to grab an afternoon tipple in. And then, of course, there's the cost. Staying in a caravan is definitely way cheaper than my international trips. With no expensive hotel bills and the ability to cook my own meals, I'm spending hundreds less than I would abroad. I've had some of my best and most relaxing holidays in caravans. Maybe I'll buy my own one day. The UK's biggest holiday park is right on the beach with thousands of caravans, indoor pools and cheap stays. Plus, the UK hotel with stunning views of the Northern Lights and it even comes with an in-house astronomer. 4
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- The Guardian
What to drink with seafood? Albariño is its natural companion
It's World Albariño Day today – 1 August. I've got a soft spot for arbitrary wine holidays, so I'm marking the occasion by using it as an excuse to spend the weekend guzzling one of my favourite white wines. I've given you notice (sort of), so off you go to your nearest independent or supermarket to pick up something racy and saline. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. It used to be thought that the albariño grape was brought to Spain by the French monks of Cluny, but that has since been disproved, with no parentage between albariño and burgundian varieties. Rather, the grape is now believed to be an ancient variety that's native to the Iberian coast, with a naturally thick skin providing resistance to the diseases a humid climate can give rise to (alvarinho is the grape's name in northern Portugal, where it's essential in the production of easy-to-love vinho verde). The wines it produces are direct and acidic, with an unmistakable mineral salinity. It's often unoaked, but some producers are having fun by experimenting with barrel-ageing their albariños to give them extra weight and depth. Such wines are often drunk a little later, but most albariño is designed to be drunk within a couple of years of its release. But why August for World Albariño Day? Why not deepest, darkest winter or the yawning, stretching spring? My guess is that it's because the stuff goes down like a homesick mole and works with pretty much anything you'd want to eat when it's hot and sticky outside. Which makes sense when you think of Galician cooking, or indeed other coastal regions that grow albariño, where the cuisine is defined by seafood. What grows together goes together, and all that. A friend of a friend in Galicia says albariño has aguja, unlike most other Spanish wines. The word translates as 'needle', and relates to the verve of top, high-acid albariño, whose unique electricity is best paired with very simple seafood, preferably cooked in salt water, as they do in Galicia. 'It's my go-to picnic wine,' says Jeff Koren, director of wine at The Chancery Rosewood in Mayfair, who loves albariño so much that he once worked a vintage at the vaunted Bodegas Albamar. 'I want to drink it with crudites, Greek salad, prosciutto or jamón with melon, while I'd pair the cool, textured, barrel-aged stuff with anything I'm eating in the summer heat.' The grape's harmonious relationship with coastal regions has brought it to various corners of the world where the vineyards benefit from cooling maritime climates. Areas of New Zealand, California and South America are all producing their own interpretations of this wine, so there are plenty of options for your albariño day celebrations. Apologies for the rather late notice, it will almost definitely happen again. M&S Albariño Uruguay £10 Ocado, 12%. Defined by the Uruguayan coast, this saline wine shows ripe peach and nectarine. Adega de Moncao Trajarinho Vinho Verde £11.95 Jeroboams, 12%. A classically styled vinho verde made from alvarinho and trajadura. Anna's Way Nelson Albariño £11.95 The Wine Society, 14%. From New Zealand, this is all orchard fruit and lively citrus. Bodegas Albamar Albariño £28 Mother Superior, 12%. Made with natural yeasts, this is a great introduction to this experimental producer.
