I was reading an article in the Sunday papers this week (the express this time) about keeping the kids amused in the summer holidays, and how it seems to cost the earth to keep them amused and having fun. 

It got me thinking about what we got up to when we were kids. There was no money for regular day trips, we had to entertain ourselves. It seems to me that these days there is not much home entertainment, we expect it all to be provided and most of the time we are willing to pay for it. 

There was a big gang of us, my brothers and friends and it did seem to be always sunny, it must have rained at some point but I don't remember it much.

The beginning of the holidays would start a bit slow but we would soon get into the swing of things, going down to Healey Dell making tree dens and running riot in the derelict buildings down there, we would walk up through Turners and play in the water fall in the river near the Fairy Chapel.

We had a shed in our back garden that we made into a 'house' and spent hours just sat in there.

We had water fights with the gang around the corner, no guns like today just old Fairy washing up bottles.

Occasionally mum would take us up Knowl Hill with a jam butty picnic or to Tandle Hills where we would roll down the hill for hours.

The newspaper had adapted games from a book called The Bumper Book of Summer stuffed full of ideas to keep the kids amused for free.

• football obstacle course in the garden 
• slow bike rides - the one who finishes last wins
• sprinkler statues - like musical but turning a sprinkler on and off, ( for a hot one this)
•  Camping in the garden, there was nothing more exciting than sleeping outside ( if only for a few hours ) It would take all day to prepare the tent and food and sleeping bags and we would inevitably be in bed before midnight. 
• If you have a sandpit have a sculpting competition. 
• Find 10 different insects in the garden, make shpes from the clouds,
•  bake cakes if you are indoors, or pizza, yum.

The list goes on but with a bit of imagination there is always something to do that doesn't involve the TV or games station.

Different ages need different ideas but by the end of the holidays they will be on a roll and too busy to go back to school.

If you are stuck for ideas check out the events for families and kids in Rochdale and enjoy! they won't last forever.

Let me know what you got up to in your holidays as a kid in Rochdale, I bet they were as great as ours were.