WE'RE all going on a summer holiday, fun and laughter for a week or two - or is it really tantrums and tears for a mammoth six weeks?

Every child across Worcestershire is now basking in the glory that alarm calls are of no consequence and school is a long distance away.

The lead up to the holidays is an exciting time, with the anticipation of long lie-ins, holidays away and a general relaxation exercise to forget all about learning and have some fun.

Days of staying in and watching endless summer holiday television are upon us. The chance to drive down to Weston-super-Mare to enjoy a walk along the pier and proper fish and chips is around the corner.

Or maybe a spur of the moment visit to the Commandery, Warwick Castle or other visitor attraction is beckoning holidaying children.

All of these sound very inviting, but if parents are lucky enough to have been able to afford the costly summer holiday abroad in the first fortnight, there are still at least four weeks to accommodate other activities.

In the news this week were figures of an average £100 a week in childminding/playschemes. It is hard to imagine how an average family of four can afford to spend the holidays without spending too much.

Do parents spend as much as they can keeping the kids out of their hair but count the cost as they return to school?

Or do they try to be as thrifty as possible but run the risk of being driven round the bend?

While I endeavour to have the solution to every problem I ponder, I feel I have to back down from this one.

It is a problem I have only encountered by being on the receiving end.

Summer holidays for me when I was a teenager involved Guide camp in the first week of the holidays followed by five weeks of going stir crazy.

If my sister and I were lucky we got a week away in Cornwall as well.

My parents would always try to get us involved in activity weeks but at low cost and would inevitably tear their hair out when anything they suggested was knocked back in their faces by two children.

I always enjoyed Guide camp because it was an opportunity to try new activities.

Whether it was abseiling, canoeing, windsurfing or orienteering, there was something to wear us out.

Last weekend marked the start of the summer holidays, and as I drove up to Snowdon in deepest north Wales it was apparent that lots of people had the same idea.

Mount Snowdon is the highest peak in Wales and is an easy enough mountain for anyone to climb - if the weather is right.

On Saturday as our group of walkers - reunited from an Iceland trek last year - made the steady descent in the pouring rain we came across a group of what could only be described as miserable youngsters.

The youth group were starting their holidays with a typical British day out, but I'm sure they eventually appreciated conquering a mountain.

Exploring the outdoors is one way of being able to get children to use up their bottomless energy levels.

It need not be a three-and-a-half-hour trip to Snowdon either.

With the great Malvern Hills on our doorsteps there are countless opportunities to get out into the open and get walking.

And if that is not enough then why not go to Sport Martley and try out the indoor climbing wall?

There are lots of things to do around the area without looking too hard.

I could go on for hours talking about the delights of walking along the Severn Way, discovering local history, playing football in the parks and even feeding the local swans.

There are lots of ways of entertaining without spending a fortune - but most rely on a house parent.

I'm sorry I can't provide the answer to what to do this summer but all I would say is stay safe.

Happy holidays everyone - I'm staying at work to avoid the madness of children everywhere!