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Eat ice cream while you walk in the park,
Or play hide and seek until it's dark.
Ride your bike, take a hike,
Get stuck in the rain or laze in the sun.
Its summer '09 and it's time for some fun!

The summer holidays are almost here and we want to help you make the most of it. Summer is the time when you're most likely to hear your kids complain of boredom so here at Play and Stay HQ we've come up with some ideas to beat the complaints and also make sure that you get to spend some quality family time together.

Family fun is priceless and can be free. Make sure you to visit this page every day to see our daily suggestion on how you and your children can make the most of their six weeks of summer.

Put these dates in your calendar:

20 June - 31 August At Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo join your favourite characters from Ice Age 3. Journey through the ice cave with Sid, Scrat, Manny and Diego.

30 June - 2 September: Don't miss the chance to expose your children to the workings of television at Alton Towers Resort. Alton Towers has three daily shows throughout summer and there are plenty of chances to volunteer and get involved.

1 - 31 August: Make a trip to Surrey to experience the Thorpe Park answer to festivals, Sun SCREAM. With amazing shows, stunts and rides Sun SCREAM will surpass fun expectations for even the most seasoned Thorpe Park visitor.

1 - 31 August:Every day in August at Warwick Castle there will be a Flight of the Eagles Show that bird lovers won't want to miss.

1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd August: Take in an evening show at Warwick Castle with Jousting at Sunset.

21st August: Why not enjoy a Lazy Summer Evening at Chester Zoo. This African themed fiesta features a barbecue, walk along the African trail and a performance by Zulu dancers.

22 - 31 August: Visit the Moto X Stunt show at Thorpe Park and see some really cool stunts in between roller coaster rides.

Your daily summer fun ideas:

July 21st: Volunteer

Teach your children about compassion for the less fortunate by giving back to the community. Volunteering has covers a large variety of activities and it is something you can get older children to do during the day or that you can do after work. Take this chance to help animals, the homeless or even the disabled. We recommend that you pay a visit to Do It.org in order to help you find the perfect volunteer opportunity for the family.

July 22nd: Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is a great mental and physical challenge which can be enjoyed outdoors or on rainy days, on the climbing walls of many leisure centres. Try this with your children after work, on holiday or even on your lunch break. Rock climbing is a great opportunity to bond with your children and to make sure that everyone is exercising.

July 23rd: Evening Picnic in the Park

Make the most of the warm weather by having dinner in the park. Picnics are fun and the long summer days are perfect for taking your family for a picnic after work. Out of ideas for picnic food? Visit our picnic hotspot for recipes and suggestions on how to make your evening picnic in the park extra-special.

July 24th: Make Pizza

There are few foods as well-loved as the humble pizza. It's round, its delicious and you can get almost anything you want piled on top. Considering how many of us love pizza, it's not something that many people actually make at home. Making pizza with your kids does not need to be time consuming; all you need is a base which you can buy or make quite easily and as for toppings you can look around the internet for recipe ideas or just go wild. Make tonight a pizza party night!

July 25th: Go Camping

There is something magical about camping. Camping means toasted marshmallows, peaceful evenings and adventure. Carve out some good quality family time by getting away from televisions and laundry duties by taking your family camping this weekend. Those who cannot get away may be more interested in camping from home while other families will want to truly get away from it all, and will be pleased to know that there are many campsites across the UK.

July 26th: Family Fun Day

End the weekend on a high note with a family fun day. If your garden isn't big enough to play in, take some family and friends to the park armed with some games. Throw a frisbee or play a game of piggy in the middle or even mix it up and try some more competitive sports like a game of tag rugby or three-legged racing. Ask the kids if they have any particular favourites that they would like to play and have a thoroughly good time.

July 27th: Be Royal

Own Monday and everything else by being royalty for the day. Don your finest clothes and jewels and spend the day at a nearby castle. Warwick Castle has just opened the Princess Tower which features the castle's very own fairytale princess, Princess Arabella. Make sure there is time to enjoy the daily entertainment which includes jousting, falconry and archery shows. If you are too busy to make it to a castle, why not try dressing up in crowns and tiaras and even a few jewels and going out to eat with the family either on your lunch break or in the evening after work.

July 28th: Beach Day

Life is not always a day at the beach, but that doesn't mean you can't make it one. Take a day off and take your family to the beach and have a whale of a time. If a day off isn't an option, but you live near the coast, why not wind up the evening with a walk on the beach after dinner. Not close enough to the coast? You still have options. One of the best things about childhood is playing pretend, so cultivate your kids' imagination and introduce them to the game of Beaching. All you need is a bath, a bathing costume and loads of imagination.

July 29th: Art Project: Kite Making

Bring out your family's artistic side with a little art project this evening. Learning to make kites is easier than you would imagine and lots of fun. Once you've finished the kites feel free to add cute and creative designs to the front to add a little personality to your creations. Arm yourself with plenty of craft supplies and kite making instructions and have fun!

July 30th: Fly a Kite

If the weather is fine, it's kite flying time! Assuming that you've already earned your craft badge making kites, it's time to see if your kites are airworthy. One of the best things about kite flying is that you can do it during your lunch break or even after work in the nearest park. So give kite flying a chance and keep your kids smiling and healthy.

July 31st: Sun SCREAM at Thorpe Park

One way to make summer 2009 unforgettable is to do festivals the Thorpe Park way. Sun SCREAM is a celebration of the summer holiday with jaw dropping stunts, amazing rides and a festival air which means that fun is guaranteed. Book a Thorpe Park break for the family in August to enjoy Sun SCREAM.

August 1st: Sleep Over Party

Invite your kid's friends round to spend the night and immerse yourself in an evening of junk food, giggles and movies. Pre-planned games can make the difference in making sure that everyone stays happy but remember to be resourceful when dealing with children. Making up a competition with a game like Wii Sports Resort will never be frowned upon, neither is a tea-party or princess party for younger girls. If you do the smart thing and tire all the kids out during the day, you might just be able to wrangle some sleep for yourself.

August 2nd: Family Fitness Day

Fitness day might sound like it will be less entertaining than fun day, but there are many ways to ensure that everyone has a good time while checking out fitness. The fact is that fitness day has not necessarily got to be brutally physical, by placing the emphasis on fun you make sure that your children associate healthy activity with fun activity. Nintendo Wii has made the perfect solution to finding the balance with the Wii Fit which has awesome games designed at working on your strength, balance and flexibility. But you can still have a great family fitness day with just about any of your normal outdoors activities like walking or even if there is a particular sport that your family enjoys.

August 3rd: Treasure Hunt

Make Monday less mundane with a treasure hunt. Hide some clues (and treasure) around the house and garden and challenge your children to find it. Worded clues are a great way to exercise the minds of children and it also encourages teamwork and co-operation. So get your pirate kit on and look for buried treasure "me hearties" and you can even wrap the night up by watching Pirates of the Caribbean.

August 4th: 'Staycation'

A little research and good use of imagination means that you never have to leave your house to enjoy foreign lands. Give your children the task of researching a country that they would most like to visit today and then go there tonight. Try making some of the local cuisine, decorating accordingly and even watching a movie set in the country or about the country of choice to travel to a foreign land from the comfort of your own living room.

August 5th: Video Games Night

Have a great evening in tonight and play video games together. It's a good chance for you to see why your kids love these games so much if you don't already know. And if you do know, it's an amazing opportunity to score some bonus 'cool points'. Make sure you have sufficient snack food to last through a championship, if you have a large family or have invited some friends around split yourselves into teams and go for it. A little competition is good for your family and a night in with the games console and your kids can burn some work-related stress while bonding with your children.

August 6th: Wash the Car

Grab a bucket of water, some soap and some cloths and the kids and get cleaning. Have a fun time of it washing the car this evening and spend some quality family time doing what maybe the most fun tour of all time.

August 7th: Play Frisbee

Frisbee is a classic game for summer. Revert back to your childhood and spend the ultimate afternoon or day playing Frisbee with the kids. Why not pack a picnic and head to the park with your Frisbee, have a go at playing it the old fashioned way and then try a round of ultimate Frisbee to mix things up. If you find that you have rekindled an old talent why not try out joining an ultimate Frisbee league or making Frisbee into a weekly family activity.

August 8th: Make a Family Play or Movie

Don your creative caps and spend some time making the memory of 2009. If your family has specific literary interests and knows of a play that you would like to put on then that's awesome. But why not have a go at writing a short play or movie and all taking part. If you have less time on your hands to prepare why not try doing some improvisation or even a talent show. Spending a day putting your best foot forward is the best way to make the summer of 2009 one that you will never forget.

August 9th: Go Fishing

Have a good old fashioned bonding session by taking your kids out on the hunt. Teaching children to fish helps them learn patience as well as showing them the joys of self sufficience. Spend a nice day bonding with your kids and nature this weekend and you won't regret it. If your kids are too young to handle a rod then why not try jam jar fishing down on the cost or even rigging a small fishing pool with "fish" and a net in your bathtub.

August 10th: Take a Hike

Get in touch with nature and take a hike. Take advantage of the last few weeks of the good weather and introduce your children to hiking. Hikes aren't necessarily about nature so you can make your hike about pretty much anything. If you need to go shopping why not hike down the high street and make your trip into a finding mission similar to collecting leaves on a nature trail or shells on a beach. Enjoy spending quality time with your children, exercising and just bonding.

August 11th: Write a Pen Pal

Encourage your kids to learn about different cultures and countries by getting them a pen pal. This is great for children on many levels because they are learning to interact with different people and it also helps to develop their writing skills. If the kids are learning a foreign language at school it is a good idea to encourage them to find a pen pal who speaks that language so that they may practice what they have already learned, alternately there are also many pen pal finding resources online , which are safe for your children.

August 12th: Sock Puppet Theatre

Bring creativity and laughs to your week by trying out sock puppet theatre with your family. Sock puppets are definitely most amusing to pre-teens, but they are certainly not too immature for parents. Other benefits of sock puppets include the fact that it is a great way to get rid of old socks is that they are really easy to make and a great crafts project for your children. So why not bring a little fun to an ordinary Wednesday with sock puppets.

August 13th: Make A Family Album

Get creative today and finally put some use to all those old pictures you have lying around and make a family album. If you haven't got old pictures just lying around why not print some so that you can spend the evening immersed in memories. Your children will get a kick out of really old pictures of their parents and it is a great way to introduce them to family members and friends that they have not met. A nice structure for the album could be to start from childhood photos of you and to progress towards pictures of your children, this way you get to share your life and memories with your children.

August 14th: Family Games Night

Get into the weekend mood with a night of board games. Try mixing up classic fun games like Monopoly with more educational games like Scrabble or even Trivial Pursuit but just make sure that the emphasis is on fun and bonding.

August 15th: Explore London

London, one of the most exciting and diverse capitals in the world is there for most of you to explore after a brief train ride. So why not take the kids there, even if you already live in London there is so much to see there that most people have never experienced. London has a wealth of family oriented discoveries, from the Science Museum to Madame Tussauds, London Zoo and even Buckingham Palace London has something for everyone.

August 16th: Karaoke Night

End your weekend on a high note with a little family karaoke or sing-a-long. Karaoke no longer has a pub requirement since both the Xbox and the Wii have karaoke like games which means that you can be totally comfortable and play from the comfort of your home. Singing together will help to build your children's confidence and a little friendly competition is always healthy.

August 17th: Go Bowling

Make sure that these last few weeks of summer are unforgettable by mixing classic and extraordinary activities. Bowling is the name of the game and its the perfect activity for a Monday. It's light enough to start the week and stimulating enough to set a positive tone for the rest of the week. So put on your bowling shoes and take the children out bowling.

August 18th: Build a Tree House or Den

Spend some time on a massive project today: make your children a tree house or den. Tree houses and dens are nice because they give children a special place to escape to and a potential new world to play in. Dens are much easier and less time consuming to make but a tree house has a certain romantic quality which comes from being outdoors. If you are interested in building a tree house then you should accept that it will take sometime and it is a fairly long term project. However, the benefits of giving this special treat to your children far outweighs the effort.

August 19th: Have a Water War

Embrace your inner warrior tonight and plan a water war. Get your children and their friends involved, pick teams or even countries, fill up some water balloons and go to war. A water war is a great way to teach your children to strategise and its a great way to have fun without actually promoting violence.

August 20th: Paper Mache Project

Enjoy a relaxing evening in with your children making various items out of paper mache. Paper mache is fun to work with because it is pliable and you can make all sorts of things from masks to sculptures. It's also a brilliant way to recycle paper so this project can actually help you teach the children environmental awareness or in the very least, show them it in action. Arm yourself with some old papers and a recipe and get crafting.

August 21st: Fruit Picking and Pie Making

Why not get your weekend off to a sweet start with some fruit picking and pie-making this evening. If you don't live anywhere that going on an evening fruit picking mission is possible then you can pick fruit out at the supermarket or even your local market. Ty to make it into an adventure, see it as a chance to show your children the best way to chose fruit and don't forget to pick up the rest of the ingredients for the pie. The internet has a wealth of pie recipes available, so if you just make the time you could turn your evening into something sweet.

August 22nd: Family Movie Night

Family movie night can be a special thing, if it already is a regular activity in your family then it may have become a tad generic: everyone just picks a new movie and you watch it. Why not try to make this movie night extra special by using it as an opportunity to introduce your children to some of your favourite movies. Show your children what you loved at their ages, make your movies theirs and share an unforgettable bond.

August 23rd: Grow Your Own Garden

This is truly a fantastic pre-autumn activity as growing your own fruit or vegetables is a nice project that will last for the rest of summer and the products can last you to the fall. At the end of it you can even make chutneys and jams.So why not research what vegetables are best to grow in August and arm yourself with some gardening tips, hit the garden centre and embark on an amazing new project.

August 24th: Story Time

Stress the importance of reading and teach your children how exciting reading could be this evening with story time. Try to find some amusing folk tales or any appropriate book and make the most of story time. You can find good books in a library, or even online at special websites or an online library. Happy reading.

August 25th: Take a Family Portrait

Get your hairbrushes, Sunday best and make up at the ready and take some family pictures. Family pictures are a great way to capture a moment and hopefully the smiles from these photos will remind you of all the amazing times you had this summer. Taking family portraits doesn't necessarily need to be expensive and invlve a photographer, a camera with a self timer will produce decent results and you may even be able to get some nice artistic shots if you have a friend who is handy with a camera. You can use these photos for many purposes especially for a family Christmas card or even with a newsletter to friends and family. [i][ Image by Billaday][i]

Bookmark this page and come back tomorrow for another great suggestion for things you and your family can do during the summer holidays.