Get creative at our half term Doodle Den! 

We're turning The Mill House into one giant canvas for family-friendly doodling fun, where little ones can get creative on the walls, floors and our giant colouring cube, while grown-ups join in, enjoy a cuppa, or book our special Doodle + Drink evening session to create, sip and unwind.

Book here!  

I love to set myself a challenge here at Mum's Guide to HQ!

And this half term I wanted to challenge myself further.

I know half terms can be daunting, I know half terms can be expensive, I know financially most of us are feeling the pinch !

So I ask you guys on our socials to set the budget for a family of 4 for 9 days of activities and I set to work!

Now I will start this by saying obviously I am aware that what I am suggesting is not going to suit everyone, I have no idea of your childs ages or interests, nor what your travel/access arrangements are but I have tried to make it suitable for most primary school aged children ( a fair few activities are also suitable for older/younger children).

I have tried to keep these as local as possible, the furthest afield from hertford is hoddesdon and waltham cross so still super local.

Plus this only includes activity fees in there is one not travel or food (sorry I'm not that good!) but as always we firmly recommend taking a packed lunch/ snacks and drinks with you, including that travel mug for your coffee. Food is one of the biggest expenses when out and about.

Sunday 24th May 

1: Model Railway Day

10-4pm £5 per adult kids FREE

View the model railway and live train rides and enjoy some fantastic activities. Details here

2:Cedars Nature Centre and Cedars Park  - Magnificant birds trail

£2.40 pp (under 2's FREE)

Cedars Park in waltham cross is a beautiful historic parkland with acres to roam and explore, Free (but limited) car parking and a play trail. Entry to the nature centre is just £2.40 pp and includes entry to all the animal talks including, feeding the meerkats and the fish, meeting the ferrets and the rats and giving them a stroke as well as a discovery table and the magnificant bird trail. You can pop in and out of the centre as you wish and with good weather you can easily make this visit coupled with the parkland take most of the day. (Top tip the paths in the park are perfect for bikes and scooters too!).

Tuesday 26th May

3: Rivers Day - Hertford Castle

 FREE 1pm to 3pm 
Learn about the river, take part in river-themed crafts, grab a bag of free duck food! Of course this visit can be further extending by a play in the park, or pop down the road to Hartham afterwards if you are after a better play area. For details on Rivers day see here.

4: Family Movie Morning

Tuesday 26th May 10am

Totally free and drop in- including popcorn and drinks details here.

5:Stay and Play- Hertford Heath FREE

Wednesday 27th May 2-4:30pm

Suitable for under 5's details here

6: Ware planting session FREE

Wednesday 27th 12-4pm

Plant your own sunflower and tomato seedlings with Ware in Bloom. Take them home and watch them grow! All ages welcome. Free to take part. Details here.

7: Sporting inspirations - FREE

Thursday 28th 12-4pm

Turn up and have a go at pop-up tennis, badminton, volleyball, tennis-football, dodgeball, boxercise, basketball, crazy catch and team games. No need to book.

8-11 year olds between 12-2pm and 11+ year olds between 2-4pm details here.

8: Drop in Crafts at Hertford Museum

Tuesday 26th- Thursday 28th May 10am-1pm £4 per child

Always fantastic activity and bonus the mess stays there! Couple this with enjoying the wider musuem (mine used to love the play shop upstairs) to get the most from your visit. Details here.

9: Egyptology days 

Thursday 28th and Friday 29th May 10:30am - 3pm

No set fee but suggested donation of £2 per child details here

Total cost £31.60

Ok so I've gone £1.60 over - but in my defence the Egyptology days are suggested donation I think that is close enough, not to mention that if your child is under 2 then cedars is free.

Its just a bit of fun, i'm sure not everyone will want to do something every day- I know i certainly like to have a few rest days but its just an example that school holidays don't have to be expensive, with a little bit of creativity and avoiding buying food out you can make some amazing memories this half term without breaking the bank. 

If you are tempted to buy food out can we recommend the Asda kids meal packs for £1 , kids eat free at beefeater breakfast (up to 3 kids per adult) or kids eat for £1 at the Goat Hertford heath.

And of course the weather is supposed to be superb so dont forget to check our local FREE splashparks and parks as well! But don't forget the picnics!

Thanks for reading

Kayleigh & the boys

XxxX