Make the most of the last days of summer

Even though August is drawing to a close, you can still make the most of the last few days of summer and survive the remaining days or weeks of the school holidays with help from Play and Stay.

Visit play-and-stay.co.uk for the Six Weeks of Summer guide – with a new activity to enjoy with the kids every day.

Here are Play and Stay’s top five ideas to try today.

Evening Picnic in the Park: Make the most of the last of the warm weather by having dinner in the park. Picnics are fun and the evenings are still long enough for taking your family for a picnic after work. Think open chicken sandwiches, sparkling apple juice and cherries!

Take them on a day out to Chessington Zoo: Chessington Zoo is a great place to take the children, as it’s a theme park and a zoo rolled into one. A highlight is the tiny new Pygmy Marmoset Monkeys – the smallest monkey in the world along with the Red Handed Tamarins and Goeldi’s Monkeys. Play and Stay (www.play-and-stay.co.uk) offer excellent deals on ticket and hotel packages for families.

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 - you could even wrap the night up by watching Pirates of the Caribbean.

Go for a hike. Take advantage of the last few weeks of the good weather and introduce your children to hiking. 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.

Have a videogame 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!