11 Plus Exams Forum

So, DS went with a friend to the leisure centre this morning, the plan being to do an activity for a while, get some lunch then walk down the hill to the cinema to catch the Harry Potter film.

I dropped him off at 11:00am, gave him £20 and he had another couple of pounds in his wallet. He called me at 2:00pm to say he had run out of money, had forgotten to eat, was hungry and the film doesn't even start until 4:00pm.

The boys had enjoyed an inflatables session in the pool followed by bowling (DS paid for friend). OMG I had to drop another £20 to him in town so that he could eat! If he thinks this is how we are going to carry on for the rest of the holidays he has another thing coming!

It's really no joke is it
I am finding these holidays very hard and they have barely begun!

The little one is easy to please as she still likes parks.The eldest is 14 soon and has outgrown free activities.She has genuinely read her way through the teen section of the Library and tends to read in bed so evening anyway.The middle one will do parks to a small extent but will soon outgrow them.

We all love museums but fares into london are no joke.If there was an endless supply of money then it would be no prob but even swimming adds up when there is three to pay for.

Anyone got any ideas? Ed's mum maybe or anyone really?

Freya - I remember asking one of my sister's best friends what her secret was for having turned her sons into three such charming, well-educated, self-sufficient and delightful young men (having 3 boys myself I was particularly interested). Without missing a beat she said, "keep them short of cash". I've been stung for £30 already today so I'm thinking of taking her advice!

I get the "giving money to friends" routine as well. I tend to give a bit extra, "just in case", especially if there's travelling involved. When I ask where all the money went I quite often get, "oh, x didn't have any/much money, so I gave some to him"

Last year dd learnt a very valuable lesson.

She went into town with several friends. They all spent up except her. They asked if she would loan them some. She did. She never got the money back. Lesson learnt (unfortunately!).

DD keeps herself very well occupied. If she's bored she will go next door and 'look after' their two little ones. She has a friend come round 1/2 times a week as well as playing cricket 2 times a week. She also knows it's not long until she goes on holiday next week (a week away camping) and then another week at the end of August.

All in all she's pretty easy to keep occupied, but when she does go to town it costs plenty

DD1 has been very unlucky with the friends she has made in that they are in a different income bracket.Her two besties are away for the entire summer and the others rarely here.We have one booked in and she had one last weekend.
It is a great shame that all the hobbies she does stop over the summer I had a job by her age but that doesn't seem possible these days and she is a tad too young for paid babysitting.
Was even thinking I might go and buy some art materials and maybe she can take up painting or something.

Any ideas anyone ...please?

I don't really have any ideas to be honest.

I confess that, thus far, I have given my children no money at all this holiday - but pocket money is in the infancy of discussion.

My children, Ed in particular, would spend ALL day in his bedroom with the door shut, loud music on and possibly his games console too. He is coming to the end of his 3rd week and that is pretty much all he has done.

In fact, right now, both children are on their bikes on the way to the park - but that is only because I really nagged them to go out!

We recently signed up for free swimming for a year for both of them. I actually thought it was a nationwide scheme but I can see that some councils opted out. Something to do with the Olympics in 2012.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7973936.stm

There are lots of things that I could suggest, but I doubt that they would suit every age of child.

Scrapbooking, fruit picking, jam making, baking, decorating their own rooms (I have said no to this one, but it might appeal to you!), taking up a new instrument, teach them to trade on that famous auction site (although they would need adult supervision - not sure what the minimum age is), preparing for a car boot sale, doing some community/charity work...

Thanks might think about the car boot one. I have never been to one.Doesn't help I am the most undomesticated person to walk the earth.I confess I buy a kit if I make little cakes and jam making...no idea!

To be honest eldest, like Ed, would sit in her room , on her laptop, listening to music quite happily but it bothers me.I feel it's not good for her but maybe I worry too much....

CM, why don't you invest in a family railcard and we can meet up in the launchpad and ignore the kids! When I lived in Norfolk there were also £1 train fares to London in the hols and if you book in advance you can get massive discounts. First thing is the railcard though!

Or we could always set up tents in Ed's mums back yard and have them all do DIY for a week?