The kids are bored of the boardgames. They’ve coloured in everything bar the walls. And now your face is pressed up against a window, wondering what to do with the kids next. Know that you’re not the only one. Right now, kids are just bodies of energy looking for a release. Keeping them entertained at home is a full-time job. You need ideas.
We hear you. So with enough on your plate already, we’re dishing up some easy-peasy, fun-filled family activities to beat the boredom. From
hunting the house for treasure to creating a killer tune from kitchen utensils, explore our imaginative ideas that will keep your kids ticking. Simple ideas
to keep them happy and busy. Before you know it, they’ll be asking
‘So, what’s for tea?’
Celebrate the start of Birds Eye Pea Season!
It’s the perfect time to sow pea seeds, it’s what our farmers are doing and it’s what you can be doing too.
Why not give planting pea or other vegetable seeds a go? We are very lucky to have our expert on peas, James Hopwood, also the Birds Eye UK Agriculture Manager, show us how to plant pea seeds and look after them so they grow into the sweet and tender Birds Eye peas we know and love. You can apply the principles to other vegetables too.
James will be providing us with regular updates on what’s happening under the soil as the peas grow as well as teaching us interesting facts about the nation’s favourite vegetable!
Colouring-In Port
Download a black and white version of this beautiful picture by children's illustrator Gareth Lucas for aspiring artists to colour in.
Download PDF here
You can discover more of Gareth's art on his Instagram @garethlucasart
Play your own game of 'Where's the Captain?" as you colour in these 3 great murals provided courtesy of Reci.pe
Veg Power!
As a fervent supporter of Veg Power! We are delighted to be able to share two of their lovely colouring-in sheets.
Click on the images to download the PDFs.
You can find many more great activities for kids from the team at Veg Power at: www.vegpower.org.uk/downloads
Don't forget to get your 5-a-day of vegetables and fruit! Read some tips for getting your kids to enjoy eating their veggies here
The Captain's Table
Cookery Book
Discover delicious recipes you can make with the family.
Download the PDF cookbook here
Aquarium
You will need:
- Cardboard box with lid
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Gluestick
- Pen
- Chalk
- Scalpel
- Coloured Paper/ Card
- Mini Sewing Kit/ String
- Bubblewrap/ Clingfilm (optional)
- Buttons (optional)
1. Cut the lid/ front of the box, leaving a frame.
2. Glue blue paper to the inside of the box, covering the sides of the box too.
3. Optional - roughly tear a different shade of blue paper and glue down to the inside of the box. Glue clingfilm/ bubblewrap on top.
4. Cut three 1mm lines in the top of the box.
5. Cut out seaweed shapes from green card (or the printout) and stick to the inside of the "frame" at the front of the box.
6. Cut out fish shapes from different colours (or from printout) and draw on eyes and scales.
7. Optional - Cut out boat shapes from cardboard and use chalk to colour the sails.
8. Use string to attach each boat to each fish, leaving around 6cm-8cm of string between them. If you want the fish to move, thread a large button under each boat. Alternatively, just thread each fish to a button.
9. Put each fish through each slot in the top of the box.
Mini Table Football
You will need:
- Cardboard box with the top removed.- 4 or 6 straws (depending on the size of your box)
- Green paper/ paint
- Chalk
- Scissors
- Scalpel
- Gluestick
- Nail files/ Lolly sticks
- Felt tip or paint
- Tinfoil for the “football”
1. Cut 4 (or 6) holes along the long sides of each box, ensuring they line up on both sides.
2. Cut rectangles out of the short sides of the box for the goals.
3. Cut the green paper to size and glue to the inside of the box.
4. Add football field markings with chalk.
5. Thread one straw through each hole.
6. Cut the nail files/ lolly sticks to size and make two different colours with felt tip or paint.
7. Carefully cut slits in the straws. If you’re using 4 straws, arrange as 1, 3, 3, 1.
If you’re using 6 straws, arrange as 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1.
8. Use tinfoil to make a ball small enough to fit under the straws.
Guitar
You will need:
- Cardboard box
- Elastic bands (preferably a few different thicknesses)
- Scalpel
- Pencil
- Chopsticks/ stick
- Paints + Paintbrush (optional)
1. Optional – paint a guitar on the cardboard box.
2. Use a toilet roll tube to draw a circle on the box. Carefully cut the circle out with a scalpel.
3. Wrap elastic bands around the box and put the stick under one end to lift them slightly.
Beat it
Tap into your kids’ creative streak on a drum kit made of pots and pans.
They can crash, bang and wallop their time (and pent up energy) away.
It’s a great way to work up an appetite, too. Soon they’ll be asking what you’re drumming up for dinner.
Treasure hunt
Discover the explorer in your kids by feeding their imagination with a treasure hunt. Set them sneaky clues to solve and watch them travel through shark-infested rugs, climb over cushion mountains, enter wardrobe caves and fight off the duvet monsters that guard the treasure … and all before teatime.
Word Search
Can you catch all the fishy words in our under-the-sea Word Search?! You can download the PDF here.
How about creating your own Word Search for others in your household?
We would love to see what you come up with! If you want you can send them to [email protected]
(By submitting any images, you acknowledge that a parent/guardian has approved sending the image in, and that the image plus first name may appear on Birds Eye social media)