Are you struggling by now to keep your kids entertained this summer? Have the choruses of 'I'm bored' kicked in yet? 

Even if you are on a tight budget, here's some activities they - and you - might enjoy.

With another heatwave coming this week, you probably want to check out the local baths or swimming spots. 

Outdoor swimming pools

Hinksey Heated Outdoor Pool - Hinksey Park,Oxford

Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool - Abingdon

Riverside Pool - Wallingford

Woodgreen Leisure Centre - Banbury

Woodstock Open Air Pool - Woodstock

Isis Pool - Oxford

Sunnymead Bathing Place - Oxford

Wolvercote Bathing Place - Oxford

Longbridges Bathing Place - Oxford

The Lido - Chipping Norton

The swimming locations at Port Meadow are between The Perch Inn at one end, and the Trout Inn at the other. Part of the Wolvercote Mill Stream, has received bathing water status. 

Many museums have free entry and often run low-cost or free activities during the school holidays. In Oxford, you could visit the Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers or Museum of Natural History. There's also the Soldiers of Oxfordshire museum in Woodstock, Vale and Downland Museum in Wantage and the Oxford Bus Museum & Morris Motors Museum in Long Hanborough.  

Oxfordshire has some great play parks and if you a fancy a break from the one around the corner, you could try

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Experience Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire Walks have an app featuring 150 walks in the county. Search ’Oxfordshire Walks‘ on your app store. The app guides you around each route, showing your position on the map like sat-nav but for footpaths.

It also allows you to suggest new walks and send feedback (dog friendly, buggy friendly, pub en route etc).

Examples of walks include Chiltern Hills, Henley, Minster Lovell, Uffington White Horse, Chimney Meadow, Abingdon, Christmas Common, Burford, Farmoor Reservoir and the Rollright Stones.

Oxfordshire has fantastic farms, zoos and amazing mazes, in particular Millets Farm. Here's a selection from the Experience Oxfordshire website.

At Crocodiles of the World in Brize Norton you can see different crocodile species and learn all about them – you can even become a keeper for a day!

For younger children, Cogges and Fairytale Farm offer a range of farm animals and plenty of activities. Fairytale Farm is also fully accessible and specially designed with disabilities and special needs in mind. Enjoy a unique sensory experience with their Enchanted Walk – a magical journey inviting you to look, touch, smell and listen along the way.

At Blenheim Palace, the Pleasure Gardens is a joy to visit for all ages; but one thing that will entertain the kids for hours is the adventure playground. With plank bridges, ladders, swings, slides and even a sand pit, it is a great place to unwind after a day at the Palace.

The Story Museum in Oxford is a great educational and also a fun place for children where they celebrate stories and bring them alive in wonderful immersive exhibits.

The Didcot Railway Centre is a museum and preservation engineering site and on special dates, you can even expect a visit from Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, including Duck & Diesel, The Fat Controller, and Sir Topham Hatt.

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You could spend a day in Oxford discovering Harry Potter filming locations and places that inspired the story of Alice in Wonderland.

In Wallingford you can explore the Wallingford Museum, a family friendly local history museum and The Bunk Line, the home of Cholsey and Wallingford Railway Preservation Society. The Corn Exchange is a Grade II listed building dating from 1856 and is home to entertainment in the town – drama, art, music and the latest cinema releases.

The Silverstone Interactive Museum is an immersive visitor attraction where you can discover some of the most iconic cars and bikes that have played a part in the 70-year history of Silverstone and enjoy a great variety of activities from operating a wind tunnel, to climbing into a replica Grand Prix car.

 

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