How to Create a Family Photography Competition (Kid Friendly)

The next school holiday is fast approaching and if you’re anything Iike me you'll be searching for ways to keep the kids entertained without it costing you a fortune. Well here is a cost-free and simple idea to add to your repertoire and it is sure to be fun.

A couple of weeks ago we headed to Bexhill-on-sea as a family and the kids spent the afternoon taking photos of their choice around a prompt (or theme) I had chosen for them. I told them in advance that one child would be the winner and would receive a prize, but didn't reveal what the prize was. This was because I didn't want them to put in effort according to how good they each felt the prize was. I just said it would be something they liked and different for each of them.

If you fancy creating your own photo walk or competition here are the things to think through -

1.  Choose your date and check the weather. Some children won't mind if it is pouring down outside but of course, others will hate that and it does make taking good photos much harder, so try to pick a fine day. It doesn't matter if it is cold or frosty, you can just wrap up and of course, you can get some fab photos in the frost or snow.

Walking the dog

I actually think perhaps this post should be titled 'the dog walking us' because until Archie gets to the park and has his good run around all he wants to do is pull us there!

This week whilst Daddy was working, the kids and I escaped to see Nanny and once the storm had passed we were keen to get outside and run some energy off. Who better to help us than Nanny's dog Archie?

We all headed to the local park together and enjoyed playing ball with him and chasing each other. It really is the simple things that provide the most fun at times. JJ wanted to stay home with his iPad and play some games as we had been out shopping most of the day but I'm so glad I put my foot down and told him he had to come with us as he really enjoyed himself once out.

This the last post in my series posted as part of the Mark Warner Family Active challenge. They asked us to get active as a family for at least 4 hours in October. I can confirm that we have probably had at least 2-6 hours active as a family every week in October and much of that is thanks to Mark Warner and their prompt. It is fairly easy to get younger children moving but the key I think, is in the adults setting the example and this is where we have a made a real effort this month.

• First we all played basketball together
• Then we barn danced the night away, what a blast that was
• Next the girls and I went out on a wet woodland walk
• Last week I shared with you some of favourite our 'all family' activities such as beach walks and giant hula hooping
• Then this week it is the dog walking. I'm sure you'll agree we have made the most of the October family active challenge!

Have you had a good week, how have you managed to get active this week?

I'm also linking up this post to Fiona's Country Kids - click on the badge to head over and see what others have got up to in their Country Kids exploits.

 

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A family that plays together....

A family that plays together, stays together or so the old saying goes and in fact more recently research has found that this is true, if your family share values, beliefs and interests then statistically you are more likely to stay together in your relationship/ as a family.

I'm pleased to say that we do share values and beliefs as a family but our interests are more diverse and at first thought this seems OK to me, variety is good, right? But then think about it a bit more and it really does make sense that if you are doing things together and particularly having fun doing something a little strenuous that gets the endorphins going and gives you a natural high that it glues you all together just a bit firmer.

Since we moved to the countryside a couple of months ago getting fit and healthy has been a big focus for me. I'm enjoying my lakeside walks most days and loving getting out with the kids on the weekends to go foraging and exploring. Dh works some weekends and has therefore not been out with us as much as we may hope and it was an email from Mark Warner Holidays last week that made me realise we need to do something about that.

When we first moved here it was the height of summer and school was on break so each day JJ would get us all out after dinner for a walk or to play a game, it was good having that special time together. Family time he christened it.  Sadly as the evenings have drawn in and school is back on we seemed to have lost some momentum with this but we have a target to meet now. Mark Warner have asked us commit to getting out and having some fun as a family for at least four hours during October as part of their 'Stay Active Family' challenge.

When I first read about the challenge I was a bit dismissive, Miss M broke her elbow a week or so ago and she is in a cast so my immediate thought was that we would not be able to join in. But musing on it, I realised that actually this is exactly what we need and I do not need to make any excuses.

So last Friday it was JJ's birthday and we headed up to the staffroom to join the staff for afternoon tea and a surprise cake for JJ. Another of the families who live on site came up too and we just launched into an impromptu game of basketball. Is there a better way to burn the freshly eaten cake off? This is not the sort of high-energy game that I'm normally up for but I had fun helping Miss M realise that she can do things with her arm cast on, we just have to be careful. I whooped for joy as I scored a goal, or is it called a basket? who knows, it does not matter we had fun.

JJ and daddy got competitive together and Miss E had great fun with one of the volunteers as they ran round and round. I can report than no-one got whacked by the ball and we did in fact have a brilliant time for the half hour we played, as you can see from the photos.

I hope seeing the pictures of this old fat bird playing a bit of basketball might inspire you to try something fun and new with your children. It is so easy nowadays for kids to just sit inside with their iPads or laptops and they are missing out on the wealth of fun we had as youngsters riding on our bikes or playing games such as 50:50 home or Stuck in the mud. It seems universal that kids just want to spend time with their parents and if we lead the way to an active life that is what they will learn and live.

Do please leave me a comment and give me some ideas for fun activities we can do together this month, or tweet me and use the hashtag #MWactive. 

Thanks, Mich x

I'm linking up this post to Fiona's Country Kids - click on the badge to head over and see what others have got up to in their Country Kids exploits.

 

Disclosure: For posting about the activities we get up to this month I will be entered into a competition to win a Mark Warner holiday, I am not receiving anything for writing this post and of course, as always my words are honest and my own.

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

#CountryKids - Blackberry Picking with the kids

As a child I often went blackberry picking. I remember there being berries in the woods behind our house and also up the hill, so it was easy to get some yummy berries. Of course we always had to be careful of pricks, stained clothes and stinging nettles.

I found out this week that those things are no different 30 years later, you still end up with purple stained nails! Since we moved to the countryside seven weeks ago I have been eyeing up the blackberry bushes and keeping an eye on them. Before we went away to the New Forest the berries were all still green and red and I was super surprised to come back and find many of them ripe and ready for the picking. We have now been able to pick the blackberries for about three weeks now and they show no sign of drying up, there is such an abundance here which is just fabulous for us as at our old home there was one area near by and hundreds of people trying to pick them!

I promised the girls we would get out and do some picking once I had sorted a few things in the house and off they went to play in our courtyard.  Miss E came back excitedly to tell me there were blackberries in our garden and could she go over there and pick them without me. Yes no problem I said and I expected to see her a few minutes later with a few berries. My, my did she surprise me when Miss M walked back in with half a large bucket full!

We then headed out together again later and got some more, but what to do with all these blackberries?

Well apple and blackberry bakewell pudding came first -

Then blackberry and strawberry milkshake -

and of course blackberry muffins -

Of course quite a few where just eaten as they were and we have a ton in the freezer now too.

I've really enjoyed picking our own, it is so satisfying to know that we are eating food grown wild in our home grounds. We have been out three times for blackberries this week alone and there are still millions to ripen yet - literally, I kid you not. Fancy coming over to pick some?

I'm linking up this post to Fiona's Country Kids - click on the badge to head over and see what others have got up to in their Country Kids exploits.

 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

#CountryKids - Woodland finds

I don't think I'll ever get bored of living in the countryside, I know I've only been here 6 weeks but it is amazing, the landscape changes week to week and I am in awe of nature. The girls seemed to have developed the same love as me and at least a couple of times a week (even now they are back at school) we make sure we get out in the woods and go for nice long walks to see what we can discover. With the help of my trusty guide book we are learning together and discovering all sorts.

Of course imagination comes into it as well and I've enjoyed hearing what the girls are 'seeing' and imagining on our walks together. Did you know there is a crocodile in this lake, I had all three kids god good and proper with that one. We stood there dead still for ages before I burst out laughing and they all told me off!

and there are not just crocodiles in our lakes, there are snakes in the woods and also a monster too!

Probably the girls favourite finds are fir cones. We go on hunts with their buckets to find these and I'm thinking about using them as a display in our fireplace. It really appeal to me to have local items being useful in our home.

and isn't this a perfect way to end our walk?

I'm linking up this post to Fiona's Country Kids - click on the badge to head over and see what others have got up to in their Country Kids exploits.

 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!