Summer Holiday Bingo

Everyone I know is nostalgic for the long summer holidays of their childhood ... those six weeks of freedom ... six weeks of no structure and lots fun generally terrorising the neighbourhood on our bikes, with water fights and in the playground behind our street.

Fast forward nearly 30 years.  And those six weeks became my nightmare.  

The school summer holidays were / are fun, for the most part.  But these days, the sheer number of people trying to get away in those 6 weeks means that the family summer holiday needs to be booked and planned like a military operation, preferably at least 14 months in advance if you want to get to go somewhere specific.  (We've already got next year's planned as I write this!)

Most people thought (think) that I'm lucky.  That my Boss has allowed me to work term-time only.  That that meant (means) that there's no major panic about childcare during school holidays ... unfortunately, for me, those 6 weeks are long.  And, in the past, have been very lonely.  

I switch my out of office on the last day of term, write myself a to-do list for September (so I don't forget what I had planned to do next), wave at my colleagues, and see them 6 weeks later.  

Unfortunately, last summer, the holidays were approaching, and my anxiety levels were going through the roof.  For the most part, other than running club, I had virtually no adult social contact for the whole time.  

I spent 6 weeks trying (and failing for the most part) to meet up with anyone else.  One of the best days of the holidays (for me) was spent with a friend-of-a-friend, on a day trip to an event 2 hours from home with our 2 LGs ... someone I'd met twice before.  

While I didn't want to be doing nothing, stuck in a house where I couldn't use the garden for playdates of any kind, I didn't really want to end up trying to do everything every day for 6 weeks.  Somehow, in the midst of the fog that was my planning for saving my sanity, I came up with Summer Holiday Bingo ...  

20 activities, ranging from easy to bonkers, for my LG to 'collect', 1 at a time through the holidays.  Some were easier and more successful than others.  Most worked.  The Pirate kit we made out of old cardboard boxes and wrapping paper is still going strong.   

Most importantly, they were all do-able, and most were cheap or free.  They got me, us, out of the house.  Out of the place that caused my anxiety levels to rise.

Would I do it again?  Probably.  But my LG is older now, and I’d guess she’d want to change some of the activities.  I know I do.   This year's might include a chore chart too ...

And this year, I’m pretty sure I won’t be on my own when we do them :-)