School’s out!
The October holidays run from 14th to 31st October in both the city and shire. Luckily, we’ve rounded up some ideas for crafts, activities and places to go to help stave off boredom…
Younger children can be kept happy with a range of fun, low-cost activities interspersed with the odd day out or trip to the nearest soft play centre. If the weather’s bad, there are plenty of indoor activities like building a blanket fort, an indoor obstacle course or show jumping arena made from upturned pots and pans and garden canes, or playing The Floor is Lava, that will burn off some energy. Old-school scavenger hunts, perhaps gathering objects of a certain colour or shape, painting and drawing, or using a potato to stamp out designs on paper can also be fun.
Low to no-cost ideas for older kids include geocaching which is a modern-day treasure hunt: simply download the free app and follow the directions to the nearby location, to then find and log the hidden geocache. There are well over a thousand geocaches in and around Aberdeen and the Shire and you can even leave your own. You can get the app via geocaching.com
If you’re feeling artistic and don’t mind a bit of a mess, tie dying using a 50/50 mix of bleach and water can yield some interesting results, or you can buy some bright colours to create more of an impact. There are plenty of instructional videos online. Similarly, buying some cheap pre-stretched canvas and some pouring acrylic paints could result in a masterpiece.
If making your own entertainment isn’t for you, then there are tons of activities throughout the city and shire that are worth a shot. Many will
need to be pre-booked, often well before the holidays begin. Innoflate at the beach, or the trampoline parks at Jump In in Altens or Inverurie’s Skyline might tire them out.
Animal lovers might enjoy pony-trekking, or a visit to Ythanbank Reindeer, the aquarium at Macduff, Willowbank Animal Rescue, Wynford Farm or World Horse Rescue at Belwade Farm near Aboyne. If you book well ahead, then there are Pumpkin Patches at Udny Pumpkins
and at Charleton Fruit Farm near Montrose. Aden Country Park has Oh
Brother Where Art Thou, billed as a Medieval Puzzle for the whole family.
Garioch Heritage Centre has Brick City in Lego throughout October, while Aberdeen Snowsports offers skiing, snowboarding and tubing. Many of the leisure centres and gyms will have organised sports camps available to pre-book. The details are normally released in September, and again, booking well ahead is vital. Similarly, the city’s museums and art galleries often have special activity sessions, so check out aagm.co.uk for details.
You can have a smashing time at The Wreck It Room on Palmerston Road. Kids are allowed a limited range of weapons to aid in their destruction, but adults have a full selection to choose from. You can even take your own playlist. Find out more at wreckitroom.co.uk.
If a fortnight of holiday time all gets too much, perhaps Peterhead Prison Museum is the answer, though they do expect you to take the kids home again.