Daily Routine ideas

Morning Routine make your bed get dressed brush hair and Teeth have a wash

Morning activity ideas arts and crafts play in the garden skipping ball games trampoline lego, painting, baking, drawing, board games

Lunch healthy lunch ideas pizza making, wraps, healthy sandwiches, fruit kebabs, smoothies, crackers and cheese

Afternoon activity ideas salt Dough, playdough, den Making, playing with toys, gardening

Evening Routines have tea quite time/Screen time wash, brush Teeth and put PJs on.

Learning ideas Work packs from school/school websites Mathletics Numbots Book Club TT Rock Stars Reading/drawing/ Play/creative fun/baking/gardening http://www.openculture.com/free_k-12_educational_resources http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/ https://www.jumpstart.com/parents/resources/school-resources

How to make salt dough • By Emily Kerrigan - Recipe writer and author of Modern Family Food

You can make simple salt dough from everyday ingredients in your kitchen cupboards. Save money and keep the kids entertained with this thrifty kitchen craft.

Making salt dough is a really fun and easy activity for kids and the chances are you will have all of the ingredients in the cupboard ready to go on a rainy day. Children will love using their imaginations to create all sorts of exciting objects (although simple shapes do seem to work best) and hours of fun painting their creations, but do take care to remind little ones that the salt dough is not edible.

Makes 1 ball Prep 10 minutes Cook 3 hours ADVERTISING

• 1 cupful of plain flour (about 250g) • half a cupful of table salt (about 125g)

• half a cupful of water (about 125ml)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. 2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and stir until it comes together into a ball. 3. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape into your chosen model. You can roll it out and cut out shapes, numbers or letters using biscuit cutters, or make any kind of model you can think of. We made some fruit and veg shapes plus cupcakes for a teddy bear’s picnic.

4. Put your finished items on the lined baking sheet and bake for 3 hrs or until solid.

5. Leave to cool and then paint.

Top tips

• Simple designs work best, as the dough isn’t sturdy until baked. If your child can’t decide between a tall giraffe or a flatter gecko, for example, steer them towards the gecko. Also bear in mind that the bigger/fatter the model, the longer it will take to harden in the oven. • Try using silicone baking sheets to roll out the shapes without the need for extra flour. This saves on cleaning up your kitchen. Silicone sheets are also a quick way to bake without needing baking parchment.

• If you want to make salt dough 'cupcakes' like we did, pop your shaped dough into cupcake cases before you put it in the oven and bake the pretend cakes in cupcake trays. The dough then sets firmly stuck to the paper cases, ready for painting with pretend icing, cherries or sprinkles.

For inspiration, visit our friends at 5 Minute Fun and discover 5 ideas for using salt dough.

Playdough recipe • By Emily Kerrigan - Recipe writer and author of Modern Family Food

Did you know you can make playdough in next to no time from everyday ingredients found in your kitchen cupboards? Save money and involve the kids in this thrifty kitchen craft activity.

This super-easy playdough recipe is the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon inside. It's quick enough to hold a young child's attention and you only need a few storecupboard ingredients. Little hands can play with the results straightaway, so there's immediate gratification for all involved!

Makes 1 coloured ball Prep 10 minutes ADVERTISING

You will need

• 8 tbsp plain flour

• 2 tbsp table salt

• 60ml warm water

• food colouring

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the water, a few drops of food colouring and the oil.

2. Pour the coloured water into the flour mix and bring together with a spoon.

3. Dust a work surface with a little flour and turn out the dough. Knead together for a few minutes to form a smooth, pliable dough. If you want a more intense colour you can work in a few extra drops of food colouring.

4. Store in a plastic sandwich bag (squeeze out the air) in the fridge to keep it fresh. You can make a batch of colours and give away as kids’ party bag favours or hold a playdough party for your child’s next birthday.

For inspiration, visit our friends at 5 Minute Fun and discover 5 easy models to make from playdough.

How to make a bath bomb • By Rachel Beckwith - Family editor - bbcgoodfood.com

Try making your own homemade bath bombs for an easy kitchen project that kids will love – give these as gifts or use them to make bath times more fun.

Making bath bombs is a great indoor activity that will keep the kids busy on a rainy afternoon – and they're also a lovely gift for friends and family. Experiment with colours, add flowers from your garden and use different shapes. Once you have the main ingredients, it's really easy to adapt this recipe to what you already have at home.

These ingredients are safe to use in the bath, but it's important to note that bath bombs are inedible. We recommend this craft for children aged eight years or over. ADVERTISING Ads by Teads

Bath bomb recipe

Makes 4 half-balls Prep 30 mins, plus 2-4 hrs setting

• 100g bicarbonate of soda

• 50g citric acid

• 25g cornflour

• 25g Epsom salt (optional)

• 2 tbsp oil – such as sunflower, coconut or olive oil

• ¼ tsp essential oil, such as orange, lavender or chamomile

• a few drops of liquid food colouring

• orange peel, lavender or rose petals, to decorate (optional)

You will also need

• mixing bowl

• whisk

• plastic moulds (see below for ideas)

Method

1. Put the bicarbonate of soda, citric acid, cornflour and Epsom salt into a bowl. Whisk until all the ingredients are combined.

2. Pour the base oil, essential oil and food colouring in a small bowl. Mix together well, combining the oil with the colouring as much as possible.

3. Very slowly add the oil mixture into the dry ingredients a little at a time, whisking between each addition. When all the oil is added, add a few tiny drops of water and whisk again (it will fizz when you add the water, so mix it in quickly). You're looking for the mixture to slightly clump together when pressed in your hand and keep its shape – it shouldn't be too wet.

4. If you're adding peel or flower petals to decorate, drop them into the bottom of your chosen mould. Pack your mixture tightly on top, pressing down and smoothing out the top with a teaspoon.

5. Leave your bath bomb in the mould to dry for 2-4 hrs, then carefully remove it. It's now ready to drop into the bath – watch it fizz away!

What can I use as a bath bomb mould?

You can use anything flexible as a mould for your bath bombs, so have fun looking around your home for things you could use. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Yogurt or pudding pots

• Christmas tree decorations (we used a star)

• Plastic packaging from toys

• Easter egg packaging

• Silicone ice cube trays

• Silicone cupcake cases

• Plastic biscuit cutters (place them on a tray)

For children, we suggest making half-shapes as it can be tricky to make a sphere that sticks together. If you want to make a complete sphere, you'll need a two-sided mould. Slightly overfill each side with the mixture, then press firmly together and secure with elastic bands while it dries. Be very gentle when you remove them from the moulds.

Where can I buy citric acid?

Citric acid is often used in homemade cordials and winemaking – you'll find it as an ingredient in shop-bought bath bombs. The reaction with the bicarbonate of soda is what makes your bath bomb fizzy.

You can buy citric acid online and from some larger pharmacies. For our recipe, we used Wilko citric acid.

Top tips for making bath bombs

• Be sure to use liquid food colouring, not gels. Gels will clump together when you add them to the bicarbonate and it's hard to mix them in.

• Once you've added the liquid to the mixture, you need to work quickly to mix everything together and push it into the mould as soon as you can.

• To allow your bath bombs to dry, leave them uncovered in a cool, dry place (away from taps and humidity). They will take longer to set in humid weather.

• If you've got more than one colour, why not make a rainbow bath bomb? Layer up the different colours and they will blend together beautifully.

How to make bubble mixture • By Rachel Beckwith - Family editor - bbcgoodfood.com

Learn how to make your own homemade bubble mixture for a simple way to keep the kids busy in the holidays, and find ideas for making your own bubble wands.

If you’ve run out of store-bought bubble mixture or need a quick entertainment idea for the kids, it’s easy to make your own bubbles from washing-up liquid and water. But what’s the perfect ratio, and what can you use if you don’t have a bubble wand? We

tried and tested different bubble mixtures and have come up with the best recipe for you to try with the kids at home.

Bubble mixture

Makes 350ml Prep 5 minutes ADVERTISING Ads by Teads

• 50ml washing-up liquid (one part)

• 300ml water (six parts)

1. Measure the washing-up liquid into a container.

2. Slowly add in the water, being careful not to create too many bubbles at this stage. Gently stir the mixture together to combine – a chopstick is perfect for this.

3. If you can, let the bubble mixture rest before using it, as it will make your bubbles even better

4. When you’re ready, dip your bubble wand into the mixture and start blowing bubbles!

Homemade bubble wands

If you don’t have a wand from a store-bought pot of bubbles, don’t despair! You can have fun by looking for different items around the house that can be used to make bubbles. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Paperclips – bend them into wands or use as they are

• Straws

• Biscuit cutters

• Pipe cleaners

• Fly swatters

Top tips

Glycerine can be found in the baking section of most major supermarkets and can be added to the bubble mixture to make it more stable. We found that adding 1 tbsp glycerine to the recipe above made our bubbles last much longer.

Letting it rest overnight, or as long as you can bear to wait, does allow the mixture to settle and combine, which will improve your bubbles.