The summer holidays are fast approaching, and we at blue{shift} want to provide you with some great out-of-school activities that will entertain your child all summer! With these five ideas, your little programmer can keep learning — and having fun — throughout the long break.

1. Download Creative Apps

Your family may be travelling this summer, and trains, planes, and cars all require some child-friendly entertainment these days! We have gathered some fun apps to download before your next trip. For iPads and iPhones, your child can bring their drawings to life with Doodlecast for Kids or learn about famous artists while practicing their animation skills with PlayArt. If they want to keep coding even during their journey, download Scratch or Scratch Jr.

2. Get outside!

Who says coding can’t happen outdoors?! Balance screen time with active playtime. Get inspired with a generator different activities ranging from limbo to dancing with the NHS’s Change for Life Fun Generator. Or learn to play anexciting group game: If/Then will have your little one learning conditional statements through running and playing. (By the way, if you need advice balancing screen time with your children this summer, check out our founder Heather Lyons’s article, offering a parent’s perspective on managing screens and phones.)

3. Explore Somewhere New

You’ve probably thought about taking your kids to the Natural History Museum and the British Museum this summer, but this time why not make your trip a little different? THATMuse creates treasure hunts around London Museums, making your trip energising and increasing your little ones’ curiosity about the objects and art they’ve seen in the museum. Treasure hunts can be done in teams as small as two (so it’s great for a family day out) or, if you’re feeling competitive, you can even battle it out against other families!

Why not show your kids that learning about science and maths is not all about sitting in a classroom. One option is to take them to the Wonderlab at the Science Museum. With 50 new interactive exhibits, we’re sure kids wouldn’t mind spending the whole summer here! Time Out called it the “the best thing you can currently do in London with kids” an attraction not to be missed!

4. Utilize STEM Media Outlets

No time to take the kids out this summer? There’s still plenty of options to keep them occupied: Podcasts are a great way to keep kids learning during the long journeys on summer holidays.The podcast Wow in the World uses a dose of comedy to get children ages 5 to 12 excited about science, technology, discovery and inventions. Don’t worry about feeling left out though, this podcast is designed for ‘curious kids and their grown ups’!

If your kids are keen to get experimenting this summer take a look at the Royal Institution’s ExpeRimental website where there are tons of videos showing children age 4 to 10 how to do fun, easy and cheap to do science.

Want to get the kids reading this summer? Take a look at our list of books to get your children excited about STEM.

5. Go to Camp!

Why not have your child learn a new coding language (or build upon what they know) in one of our blue{shift} coding camps this summer? Whether they’re a Mini Coder or a Python pro, we have a camp that suits their interest and ability and bring their creativity to life. This summer we even have three new camps! DIY Girls, a female-only camp where girls can learn to create wearables, 3D print jewellery, and make apps with friends. Video Star, a music editing and video production course, allows your child to see the code behind their favourite videos, and lastly Virtual Reality enables your child to build another world through advanced computing.

If you’re interested in learning more about blue{shift}’s camps, join our newsletter or check out our website!