Now this is the kind of half term I like. The sun is shining at last (at least there's a break between the rain showers), our local park has been refurbished. The half terms we've had so far this year have been wet and miserable affairs. Summer half term has got to be an improvement on that.
Of course, not everywhere in the UK gets a week off at half term - Scottish and Northern Irish schools tend to only take a day or so, and then have longer off in the summer. Is this a better system?
How do you and your kids handle half term? What happens if you have to work? Do you use school clubs, or can you manage to work at home?
I work from home, and in the weeks leading up to half term I am extra busy trying to get as much done as possible (confession time: I wrote this last week. Right now I'm probably on Brighton beach, having an ice cream/shivering under an umbrella - delete as appropriate).
The people I really don't understand are the ones who schedule half term like it's a military campaign. Each day must have an improving activity, and on no account must children be allowed to get bored. If you haven't made an appointment with these types at least a fortnight before half term, then you won't be seeing them because the schedule is full.I think I am just a bit slack because I agree with Debbie that boredom is good for kids. It does them good to have to really dig into their imagination to find something to do, and it isn't always good for every minute of their day to be directed by an adult.
There are certain ingredients that always feature in our half term: swimming, the park, a boring trip that mum tries to disguise as fun (Hey! Let's all go to the optician!) Bedrooms may be tidied, a homework project may be done, a football may be kicked. I may even get a bit of work done. As long as we don't stay indoors two days in a row, we'll find things to do.
What have you got planned for half term week? Leave a comment below