Exploring

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFCC80" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0438e8e3.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="04595810.png" border=0 width="149" height="129" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="124a8c00.png" border=0 width="168" height="192" ALT="Serif DrawPlus" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FF9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04400c82dwnjbj.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> Holiday Boredom Busters for Kids</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#3366FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>   |     <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Holiday Boredom Busters for Kids"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us "><U>About Us  </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bike ride"><U>Bike ride</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bike treasure hunt"><U>Bike treasure hunt</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bug hunt"><U>Bug hunt</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cookery"><U>Cookery</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Distort a picture"><U>Distort a picture</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Do a leaflet drop"><U>Do a leaflet drop</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Do your own newspaper"><U>Do your own newspaper</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Get pebbles off the beach"><U>Get pebbles off the beach</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make a collage"><U>Make a collage</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make a wormery"><U>Make a wormery</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make things out of cardboard boxes"><U>Make things out of cardboard boxes</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make things out of lolly sticks"><U>Make things out of lolly sticks</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make up your own game"><U>Make up your own game</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make your own cafe/shop"><U>Make your own cafe/shop</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make your own news report"><U>Make your own news report</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make your own treasure hunt"><U>Make your own treasure hunt</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Old folk"><U>Old folk</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Paint a picture"><U>Paint a picture</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo book"><U>Photo book</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Water Slides (for hot summer days)"><U>Water Slides (for hot summer days)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Put on a Pantomime for neighbours, frien"><U>Put on a Pantomime for neighbours, friends  or family</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Start a car wash and valeting service"><U>Start a car wash and valeting service</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Start a dog walking service"><U>Start a dog walking service</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Go horse riding"><U>Go horse riding</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Toy sale"><U>Toy sale</U></A>   |   Exploring   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Water fights"><U>Water fights</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How To Download FREE Music From The Inte"><U>How To Download FREE Music From The Internet</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Football"><U>Football</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bowling"><U>Bowling</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Your Ideas"><U>Your Ideas</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id78.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Joke Page"><U>Joke Page</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Board games"><U>Board games</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Face paints"><U>Face paints</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tidy your room (yes this can be fun!!)"><U>Tidy your room (yes this can be fun!!)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grow Seeds, Make a Mr. Grasshead and lot"><U>Grow Seeds, Make a Mr. Grasshead and lots of other fun</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Have a worm count"><U>Have a worm count</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ice skating"><U>Ice skating</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Things to do when friends come round"><U>Things to do when friends come round</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hunting for long forgotten treasure in c"><U>Hunting for long forgotten treasure in cupboards and spare rooms etc.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How to download games FREE"><U>How to download games FREE</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pop Up Cards"><U>Pop Up Cards</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flower Pot Present"><U>Flower Pot Present</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Moving / Dancing Funny Person"><U>Moving / Dancing Funny Person</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Orange and Lemon or Mint Creams"><U>Orange and Lemon or Mint Creams</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Computer Upgrades"><U>Computer Upgrades</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Free Stuff"><U>Free Stuff</U></A></div> <div> Exploring</div> <div> If summer is for lying in the sun, then winter is for walking. Crunching through leaves, making patterns in the mud with footprints, even running home through the rain, these are all fun pastimes which are free!  One word of warning here to parents- don't ever let the kids hear the word 'walk'. Walking is an alien concept to most of them, and it has to be introduced rather deviously. You could go for an 'Explore' as Pooh I think it was refered to them, you could suggest a visit to the shops (sweet shops of course) or to see friends (theirs of course) and go by a circuitous route, or even start the trip by bus. In my experience, children find going on buses a real novelty. On some occasions, if you or the neighbours have a willing dog for example, you could just possibly mention the word walk. But do so with caution. If you are really lucky, your offspring might have a friend who actually enjoys walking; if so, encourage them to come like mad.</div> <bR> <div> Once you have got rigged up in appropraite gear for the weather, plan where you are going to make sure you don't overdo it. No good coming back with totally shattered kids who never want to set foot out of the door again. Break them in gently.  Make the trip interesting too. You can do different styles of walking- marching, skipping (takes years off you for two minutes at least!), silly walks, and incorporate other games on the way- hide and seek, or take a ball with you.  If you're going for a long Explore, take some really nice food to eat and a drink too. Plastic bags are essential to bring back any rubbish and collect anything you can find, from beautifully coloured or skeleton leaves to make pictures with, seeds they can plant,  to creepy crawlies or  special treasures. Looking at birds for example can spark off a real interest in them. As a parent it makes sense to encourage any  interests to develop and an Explore can be an ideal starting point.</div> <bR> <div>  Some councils run special days for groups on exploring the countryside, so look out for details in your local library. Local bus companies also do special day trips which are very reasonably priced and just anywhere can be interesting. Children like variation-if you live in the country, visit a big, noisy city. If you live in one already, take a trip to the peace and quiet of the countryside or the bustle of a small country town on market day. Don't forget local museums are often free- and dry on rainy days too.</div> <bR> <div> If something goes wrong- you've missed the bus, Johnny's wet his pants and you've both forgottrn to put in a spare pair, or it pours down all day, then see the funny side of it. The most problematic trips van be the most memorable. Losing a welly in the mud, eating in a cafe where the food is just unbearable, getting soaked in the rain, these are the stuff memories are made of. As long as you're safe, that's all that really matters.</div> <bR> <div>  So, a few safety thoughts. It's best to have a rule that children only walk so far in front of you, depending on their age and sensibleness. If they go by themselves, make sure you know where they're going and an approximate return time. Mobile phones are a great boon here-lending them yours will keep everyone happy.  Dress according to the weather, remembering that a brisk walk warms you up but when you stop you can quickly get cold. If you're going to get wet, at least keep dry on the outward journey. When you get home, a hot bath will warm you through. Have  Wonderful Walking (Sorry- Exciting Exploring)</div> </td> </tr></table></body>