If you have been following me since pre covid you may remember that I used to write school holiday blogs containing ONLY FREE activities for families during the holidays. This year seemed like the perfect time to re-start. We are all watching what we spend at the moment, so I hope these will help you out. 6 weeks is a long time, and I expect most of you have some plans already whether or not you are going away or have planned some fun days out , all of this costs money, so I am here to help you find lots of things to do all for FREE to fill up some of the days and keep the kids occupied. There is so much to do on our doorstep for FREE, but there are only so many times you can go to the local park, beach or out for a picnic. so look no further than my ultimate FREE summer holiday guide, Enjoy! Things to do in Dorset for FREE I thought I would start with a basic list for when you need inspiration, maybe you might find something on here that you haven't tried before, or something that you have long forgotten about. * Crabbing at Poole Quay, or Mudeford Quay * Visit the beach * Swim in a lake * Try geocaching * Go to the park * Go to a local splash park. There are so many locally including; Redhill Park, Littledown Park, Upton County Park, Hamworthy Park, Christchurch Quay, Boscombe Gardens, and Brewery Square * Fossil hunting * Watch the sunset/ sunrise * Blackberry and apple picking * Camp in the garden * Picnics * Prize bingo night * Movie nights * Games nights * Do some baking Free activities for TeensUp4Summer is a BCP initiative for young people. They have lots of free activities on over the summer holidays, please visit their website for more information. Summer Activities (upinbcp.co.uk) Watersports LibraryIt is now free to join and borrow paddleboards, kayaks and other water sports equiptment from The Watersports Library! You can find out more on the watersports library website. Reading ChallengeOnce again the libraries are running their summer holiday reading challenge. You can sign up at your local library anytime from now. The aim is to read 6 books during the holiday and you get rewarded along the way. FREE famliy attractions in DorsetPoole MuseumLearn about Poole's history at Poole Museum. On Poole Quay , and free entry for all. They often have quiz trails on for the kids. Home | Poole Museum | History of Poole | Poole Heritage | Maritime Museum Kingston Maurward Animal ParkKingston Maurward is now free to entry for all. As well as animals they have an indoor and outdoor play area and beautiful walks. Kingston Maurward Animal Park & Gardens | Dorchester, Dorset (kmc.ac.uk) Fancy's Farm, PortlandAnother amazing free farm is Fancy's Farm in Portland. They have lots of animals and a large indoor playroom. Fancys Farm FREE summer holiday events in DorsetHere are some date specific events that are taking place over Dorset to keep the kids entertained. All are free. Please make sure you check with the event providers for up to date information and if you need to pre book etc. Festival Coast LiveEvery Tuesday Poole Dream Machines takes place on Poole Quay. Visit to see a huge display of motor bikes. Every Thursday from 21st July to Thursday 25th August, Poole Quay will be giving you FREE live music, entertainment and fabulous fireworks from 7pm until 10pm. Art Workshops 23-27th July, Gather, Poole Dolphin CentreArts2educate are holding free "setting sail" art workshops for children. You can book a space via eventbrite. Summer Live in BournemouthThere is lots of free family entertainment going on in Bournemouth gardens this summer. Please check the Facebook Event for more information. Small business netwalking - Wedneday 10th August 10amIf like you me you run your own business and would love to meet up with other likeminded parents for a walk and chat. This is for you! I have been going to Joannes netwalking events since they first started many years ago, we meet up once a month and in the summer holidays we can bring the kids too. We meet at Potterne and walk (the kids usually bring their scooters) through the woods to Moors Valley. Please visit Joannes Facebook event for more information. Crazy Golf at Brewery Square - Tuesdays in AugustCommonwealth Games Trails, until 9th September5 different trails in Bournemouth have been created to raise awareness of the Commonwealth games this summer. Each trail is between 1.2-1.6k , you can find more information here: Maumbury Rings Family Fun Day - Sunday 31st July
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As a "Plastic Free Poole Business Champion" and with it being plastic free July I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share with you what I do to stop single use plastic in my business, and in my home, and hope that you can take some of the ideas to do at home yourself too. What I doBack in 2020 I applied to become a plastic free business champion for Poole. To do this I had to do a plastic audit of my business to see what I could swap. You would be surprised how much single use plastic you use without thinking about it. It was a real eye opener for me. Some swaps I made were stopping putting my prints in plastic cellophane bags. I swapped disposable change mats (which I was using a lot of!) for re usable ones, which to my surprise are actually 100% leak free and they look pretty too. I get these from Cheeky Wipes and simply wash them in the machine when they get wet. All of the snacks that I offer my clients during sessions are now in plastic free packaging. Loose prints and client gifts are wrapped in tissue paper with eco stickers. Even the company I order my boxes and USBs from package without these items plastic. All of my packaging is plastic free, even down to my parcel tape. What you can doAs a family, we are keen to do our bit to save the plant. These are some of the simple changes you can do , if you don't already, that won't cost you a fortune: * Keep fold up shopping bags in your handbag, your car, baby change bag, by your front door and anywhere else you can think of so that you always have one with you when you are out and about. * Remember to bring your own cup when you buy takeaway coffee, you sometimes even get a discount/extra loyalty stamp for doing this. * Stop using cling film and food bags. Make use of any reusable tubs that you have at home, and keep ice cream and margarine tubs to store leftovers in. Cling film can be substituted with beeswax wraps , which can be expensive to buy but are so simple to make. See below for instructions to make your own. * Try soap instead of shower gel, shampoo bars, and mouthwash / toothpaste tabs to reduce plastic bottle waste. See what you get on with , even one small swap helps. * Switch to bamboo toothbrushes and cotton buds. I think these also look nicer in your bathroom too! * Try to buy loose produce from supermarkets and try out your local plastic free shop for other loose food items. * Start carrying a reusable water bottle with you. I never leave the house without one. Even making one small swap helps. How to make your own beeswax wrapsTrust me it is super simple, all you need is some material of your choice (cotton is best) some beeswax pellets (cheap to buy on amazon) some baking paper and your iron! 1. Firstly choose some material in patterns that you like (I went to the Dorset Scrapstore, and took the kids to fabricland to choose some that they liked) and cut it to size. It is a good idea to make a few different sizes depending on what you are going to use them for. I mainly use mine for sandwiches and to cover bowls of leftovers. 2. Cut some baking paper to just over twice the size of the piece of material. 3. Put the baking paper on the ironing board, then the piece of material, then sprinkle some beeswax pellets over the material, then fold the baking paper over the top making sure that it completely covers the material and there is about a 1inch gap around the outside to stop the wax going onto the ironing board as it melts. 4. Gently iron the baking paper to melt the pellets. It is very important that the iron does not come into contact with the wax. You need to coat the entire piece of material with wax. If you find you don't have enough pellets to cover the whole piece simply wait for it to set them peel the paper off and add more pellets into the gaps , then re melt. 5. There is no need to coat both sides as the material is porous and the beeswax soaks through. Allow to cool then peel off the paper and your wrap is ready! To use the wraps simple wrap up your food like you would with cling film and use the warmth of your hands to shape the fabric to fold it. To clean the wraps simply wash in cold water. I hope I have inspired you to make at least one change to reduce your personal single use plastic. I would love to know how you get on and please let me know if you decide to try making your own food wraps.
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