Five of the best family days out

Children can be pretty demanding, and when it comes to the summer holidays it can often require a bit of creativity to prolong the dreaded moans of 'I'm bored'. But what about the good old-fashioned traditional family day out, like the ones you may have enjoyed when you were a child, without a gadget in sight?

There are all kinds of fun days out that children will enjoy, satisfying their curiosity for knowledge and starving off their boredom. Such traditional day trips don't have to cost the earth either, so no matter the size of the family or the age of the children, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

So what are the best educational days out? Here are some of our suggestions:

A trip to the zoo
Zoos are a great place to take your child. They are designed with families in mind, and are full of animals that will have your child transfixed.

They are also a great place for children to learn while having fun with information on all the animals in the zoo provided on signs and in leaflets, as well educational performances from zookeepers.

Why not set a challenge to see how many animals your children can find, whilst grouping them by their animal type? Asking them to write them down, with a small description for each, will develop their vocabulary and spelling skills too.

Farms
A trip to the zoo is always a great day out, but if your children prefer something a little more hands-on, or you are looking for a cheaper alternative, a visit to a farm is a great idea.

Whilst not all farms will be open to having children running amuck, many farms are now designed for visitors to come and learn all about them. There are also specific children's animal farms where the whole family can get involved.

Your children will learn all about looking after animals, how farms work and where we get our fresh food from. A perfect day if you don't mind getting a little mucky, and your kids will revel in pretending to be a farmer and meeting some of the animals.

Museums
The majority of museums are still completely free to get into. So get you and your children to a museum as soon as possible, where you can spend time together, have fun, and learn a lot. Free museums can be found all over the country and the majority cater for children whilst making learning fun.

Visit a castle
There is no better way to teach your children about the history of Britain than a trip to one of the many castles dotted around the country. Many of them are well preserved or have been restored, so you can really see history in action.

Often castles will offer all sorts of activities that children love. These include tours designed for children, activity workshops, and play areas. Your children will be having so much fun they won't notice that they are, in fact, learning at the same time. It's also possible to get season tickets that cover a number of different heritage sites, so if you plan to make a few trips this could help you look after the pennies.

A day at the park
Have you visited your local park recently and explored all it has to offer? Some larger parks have fabulous children's play areas and boating lakes. On a windy day you could buy a kite and take it to the skies, or even spend the morning creating your own before giving it a test-fly in the afternoon. Alternatively, sometimes there is nothing nicer than a family picnic.