The Beach Book - fun things to do at the seaside

Loads of things to do at lakes, rivers and the seaside

Whether you find yourself at the seaside, by a lake or beside a river, The Beach Book is packed full of ideas for exciting and innovative things to do. There are lots of tried and tested activities for all year round, whatever the weather, suitable for all the family to enjoy.

The book aims to encourage 'wild' time for children where they can play freely in nature, exploring their environment and connecting with the outdoors in a fun and practical way. Spending time outdoors as a family and discovering the wonders of the natural world, is a great recipe for health and happiness!

All the activities are clearly explained and each suggestion comes with numerous ideas based on the theme. There are lots of full colour photographs and the text is easy to follow. You can follow the instructions, or use the ideas to inspire yourselves to do or make something memorable while out and about. 

There are imaginative ideas that take building sandcastles to a whole new level. With designs for castles and fortifications to try, and hints such as using picnic rubbish as moulds, you will soon be creating masterpieces on the beach. Or how about making a giant pair of crazy sand shoes to stick your feet in? They'd create a great photo opportunity.

There are projects such as cook outs and ways to light up the beach, perfect for summer parties. Ideas for games such as ball runs, beach skittles or following treasure maps will keep little ones busy and having fun. Hints for rock pooling allow children to discover the creatures of the sea, whilst respecting them and their environment. There are ideas for making kites and windsocks and also for making sailing boats to float in the water. Little ones can let their imagination run wild as they make footprints in the sand or search for their own sea monster.

The section on beach pictures has lots of ideas for using the natural materials that litter the beach to create pieces of natural art. Seaweed, driftwood, pebbles, rocks and shells can be used to make all manner of designs. We really like the idea of working together to make a big picture and then leaving it behind for others to enjoy until the tide comes in and washes it all away.

We had our on go at making a piece of beach art whilst on holiday in Wales.  It was great fun using different shaped and sized rocks along with dried seaweed to create a picture of our family. Everyone got to join in as we challenged each person to create somebody else. Preserving it as a photograph means we get to remember it forever. (I love my seaweed hair!)

This really is a lovely book, the latest title in a series of similar books from the authors encouraging families to enjoy the outdoors together in a creative and fun way, nurturing an appreciation and love for the environment. It is perfect for packing when going away on holiday, ensuring there is never a dull moment at the beach.


THE BEACH BOOK
Loads of things to do at lakes, rivers and the seaside.
Frances Lincoln Ltd Publishers
By Fiona Danks & Jo Schofield
Price: £9.99
Paperback and eBook
Publication date: 2nd June 2015

Childhood Holiday Memories

The third week of August saw my family pack up our suitcases and catch a train to our annual holiday destination. I remember counting down the days until we went away, excitedly asking how many sleeps we had to go.  We would always go holiday clothes shopping before the big day and I loved picking out new outfits and making my holiday packing checklist. Hastings, Barry Island, Bournemouth or Phwelli were places that I remember going to as a child back in the 70's.  We stayed at holiday camps and Butlin's was a favourite choice, where we'd stay in a chalet instead of in a caravan.  It felt very posh to have our own bathroom and not have to use the communal toilet and shower block!

My fondest childhood holiday memories include riding fun fair dodgems with my dad, playing the penny falls in the arcades, shivering in the chilly outdoor pools, doing the Wiggle Wiggle Whoops at the family disco (although I was too shy to actually make it onto the dance floor), getting autographs of Red Coats after the shows, buying souvenirs from my travels to add to my collection and spending days at the beach exploring the rock pools and caves. Rock-pooling was without a doubt my favourite holiday activity.  I could spend hours exploring the rocks and finding shell fish, crabs, jelly fish and little fishes that had been trapped in the pools as the tide went out.  My dad was always very brave and would pick up the big crabs to scare us!  I had a real love of nature and wildlife when I was a child, and loved seeing the creatures in their natural habitat.

Maybe it is because of this childhood love of animals that my most vivid and memorable childhood holiday memory continues to endure. There were signs hung on every lamppost in Hastings advertising an exhibition that was coming to town called 'Jonah's Whale', offering paying guests the chance to see a real whale!  I was so excited at the prospect of seeing one of nature's biggest creatures and asked to go. I had seen the Blue Whale at the Natural History Museum and was mesmerised by its sheer size and majesty. To see a whale in the flesh would be a dream come true and beat anything we could have found in a rock pool! (These were the days before we were fully aware of animal welfare remember!) My parents agreed and on the day of the show we paid our entrance fee to see the whale. Unfortunately my image of a big, healthy, happy whale swimming in a giant tank of water was a million miles away from the reality.  We went into a car park where there was an articulated lorry parked up with a very large, very dead whale laid unceremoniously on the trailer. It was covered in some sort of tar-like substance to help preserve it, blackening its skin and was a really sorry sight. Someone was clearly cashing in on finding a washed up whale, displaying its corpse to holidaymakers for cash before it decomposed. Funnily enough, no one else in my family remembers this event.  My parents probably wrote it off as a rip off and just forgot about it.  But it's something I have never, ever forgotten.

Holidays were an opportunity to get away as a family and to experience new things together in new and exciting places.  Life was a lot more simple then, but some things never change.  As a parent, nothing beats spending quality time with my children, seeing and doing new things and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Competition sponsored by Butlins Holiday Parks, helping your family make memories.