A couple of weeks in the UK with the family took on the usual format. This year one trip was staying on a farmhouse with a horse riding stables so the kids could ride horses to their hear's delight.
Of all the many activities the kids enjoy doing, horse riding may remain an occasional activity rather than a regular hobby compared to others, but we'll have to see. As parents small decisions on encouraging (paying for) certain hobbies could have a big influence on kids future lives. But how much/early/what musical instrument should they learn? What about the various forms of dance? And Sports? And arts and theatre? The list could go on and they surely can't take them all up seriously. Some they can take at school during class or as extracurricular activities. Some they can try and see what they like or what they are good at, but some activities you can't really try since you may not get good and enjoy it straight away. And of course the enjoyment and suitability factor will be influenced by the setting, i.e. the teacher, the friends, even the timing of the activity during the week!
As the kids get older they are of course getting better at walking or cycling during these holidays. There still remains a lack of "grit" (the in word it seems), though that may not be unusual for their age. But they tend to do quite well in the right circumstances, e.g. having a dog (or other supportive friends) for company, having snacks on the way, having something interesting or fun at the end of the trip, avoiding hills or excessive effort, avoiding activities when kids are tired etc.
The kids always enjoy camping, partly for the camping experience, partly for what they get up to when camping when they can meet friends, play on playgrounds and so on. At this campsite we were in a corner where there was no road and many other kids in the same corner to play with.
No matter where we go in the UK there are always unlimited places nearby to explore, though some better (for kids) than others... it could be castles or other historical relics (that usually have kids activities on, especially during school holidays), it could be museums of something strange (tanks, butterflies, wildlife park) or something local (lifeboats, as we were on the coast, or a model village). There could be a steam railway, or a natural attraction and of course there could be a swimming pool, beach or other leisure facility (water park this time!). There is probably a pretty village or market, and there is always going to be visits to some pubs and/or cream tea cafes!
This year we got fairly lucky with the weather and managed to do quite well on all fronts, with only the odd walk or cycle going on a bit too long (or hilly), and a good mixture of fun activities with exercise. There's always plenty of deserts too unfortunately that can entice kids.
This trip was the first time we got to meet my sister's new son; Hannah particularly likes playing mum (with anyone, but especially her cousin) though Leah tends to be obsessed with my mum's dog still (at least she is big enough to pull the dog rather than the other way around when she was younger which often led to problems)! Though there was still the odd fights over the dog too.
The scariest part of the trip? Either going on a ride at Gulliver's Land with an almost 5 year old that goes upside down (she was exactly 120 cm and thus able to go on it) or trying to rescue family members lost in a very complicated hedge maze at Longleat. The most bizarre part? Living in Africa but going to a Safari Park in the UK to see African animals... or my sister spending most of her bus trip back to London next to someone throwing up.
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