33 Free Doncaster Things to do This Summer

Stressed out about summer? Running out of ideas for the kids? Trying to manage your money? Look no further than our list of 33 free things to do in Doncaster this summer!

Meet the Doncaster Things!

They live in Doncaster and are the experts in all the things you can do right here with your family and friends! You may remember them from our 100 things to do before you’re 11, but this year they’re being money savvy and sharing their top FREE things to do in Doncaster.

The Things joining our adventure this summer are:

  • Active Thing
  • Adventure Thing
  • Learning Thing
  • Creative Thing
  • Outdoor Thing
  • History Thing
  • Perform Thing

Each Thing is knowledgeable in their own field of choice and this year we have an extra special thing joining the team… GREEN THING.

Green Thing is an expert on the environment and making the space in Doncaster cleaner and greener!

You can download the worksheet below to keep track of all the Things you’ve completed this summer.

33 Free Doncaster Things to do This Summer Worksheet

33 Free Doncaster Things Worksheet

33 Free Doncaster Things Worksheet
Download (474 KB - PDF)

Let’s discover what Things you can do today!

Follow the Doncaster Things page on Facebook where we will be posting free things to do in Doncaster everyday! 

Green Things

Green Things There is no planet B, so let’s look after the one we’ve got!

  • Be a Litter Picking Hero: Visit your local park this Summer and pick some litter with your friends to become a Litter Picking Hero! See how much litter you can pick in ten minutes or whether you can clear a patch of grass to look lovely and green! You can request free litter picking equipment for free from the council by emailing communications@doncaster.gov.uk.
  • Create a Wildflower Journal: There are lots of lovely walks to go on across Doncaster, whilst you’re out in the wild- or even in urban areas- why not keep track of all the beautiful wildflowers. See if you can spot any of our local native wildflowers and keep a flower journal! Write down what the beautiful flowers looked like, where you saw them and draw or paint a picture of the wildflower once you’ve spotted it!
  • Hunt for Mini-Beasts: Have a hunt around your garden or local park and see what insects you can find and take some pictures! Can you count how many legs they have? Do they have a spotty back? Have they got wings? See if you can find five different minibeasts in your garden or local park! Be very careful around the mini-beasts and make sure that they aren’t disturbed so they can make themselves at home!
  • Spot some of our woodland creatures: Visit your local woodland this summer and see whether you can spot some of the local wildlife. Can you hear an owl twit-twooing in a tree? Is there a squirrel running for some nuts? Find your local woodland on our woodlands page.  
  • Explore the Trans Pennine Trail: Take a cycle, have a stroll or run down the newly improved trans Pennine trail and see what you can explore along the way!
  • Go Geocaching at Lakeside: Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunting game. All you will need is an adult’s phone and the geocaching app. Track down the hidden cache and follow the clues to find the treasure! Don’t forget to write your name in the log book to say you’ve found it and put it back in it's hiding spot so that other people can hunt it down as well! Remember, if you take a piece of treasure from the geocache, make sure you leave something in return!
  • Create Your Own Recycled Paper: All you need is: -
    • All your used paper
    • A blender
    • A bucket of water
    • A mould and deckle (available from most craft suppliers)
           Watch this video for a step by step instruction of how to make your own recycled paper! 
  • Create pebble art: Make your very own pebble art to decorate your garden with- why not create a rock version of the creatures that you can spot in your garden? Or, paint the wildflowers that you can find?
  • Make your own compost: Collect all of your old food scraps from fruit and vegetable and place into a compost bin. Use your compost to help flowers grow in your garden!
  • Make seed balls: Seed balls are a great way to plant wildlife in your garden, you can follow these steps from the National Trust on how to make them. What you will need... • Flour • Soil • Mixing bowl • Water • Wildflower seeds How to make the balls • Step 1- Mix 10 parts soil to 1 part flour. • Step 2- Slowly add water and mix (slowly) until the mixture becomes sticky like dough. • Step 3- Roll into a golf-ball size ball. • Step 4- Fill a tray with wildflower seeds. • Step 5- Roll your mud balls around until covered in seeds. • Step 6- Leave to dry for a day or two and then they're ready to throw in your garden.
  • Collect rain water:  It may be raining but don’t worry! You can collect that rain water to water plants or filling up a birdbath! Pop a bucket outside when the rain begins and see how many centimetres of rain you can collect! 

Adventure Things

Discover all the adventures waiting just passed your door step!

  • Camp out or in! Camping in your back garden might seem boring, right? Not if you treat it like a real camping trip! Help an adult cook some burgers or sausages on a BBQ, try making some glow stick lanterns, roast marshmallows or make smores with an adult, and anything else you can think of! If you don’t want to go outside, why not turn your living room into a fort! Create a scavenger hunt around the house, complete with maps of course, and sleep on the floor!
  • Climb the Crags in Conisbrough Head down to Denaby and explore these north facing-slopes. These rocky outcrops were once used for local transport, communication and defence. Explore the Crags and see what you can find. 

Creative Things

Let’s get creative and messy!

  • Make a lady bird: Here is a list of 20 different ways to make a ladybird. Choose your favourite and get creating. Share a picture of your work to Instagram using the hashtag #DoncasterThings 
  • Create a peg aeroplane and see how far it will fly! Peg aeroplanes are fun and exciting to make. Here are some instructions on how to make your own peg aeroplane. Then, take it outside and see how far it will fly.
  • Bake buns: Baking is a great activity to practise cooking skills such as measuring, mixing and following a recipe. Here is a recipe from BBC Good Foods which is great for children. Bake your buns with an adult and then have fun decorating and tasting your creation. Take a photo of your buns and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #DoncasterThings 
  • Recycle old clothes into something new: Having a summer clear out? Why not transform something old into something completely new! Old t-shirts can make the perfect beach bags and are really easy to follow along. Check out the video tutorials below and share on socials with the hashtag #DoncasterThings. If you're a beginner, here's an easy way to make the perfect beach bag. Fancy a challenge? Give this recycled craft a go! 

Outdoor Things

Discover the great outdoors of Doncaster!

  • Bird spotting & feed ducks: Birds are one of the many beautiful creatures in nature. Go exploring and see what birds you can spot. Visit RSPB’s ‘Go Birdwatching’ page for information on what you will need and tips for spotting the birds. Places to go bird spotting, in Doncaster, could be:
Why not feed the duck’s while you’re out there! Please remember that bread can be harmful to ducks, so try some of these alternatives: Sweetcorn, Lettuce, Frozen Peas, Oats, Seeds and Rice. Find more places to feed the ducks in and around Doncaster.
  • Cress heads: Cress is a great way to foster interest in plants with little effort needed. Taking as little as 10 days to grow, this is a brilliant way to engage with plant life and really watch the difference a day makes. Visit Persil’s webpage Growing Seeds: Cress Heads for a simple guide on how you can grow your own cress heads.
  • Plant your own flower patch: Keeping a flower or vegetable garden is a great way to foster responsibility and can be a very rewarding process. Here is a link to the Better Homes & Gardens website for a guide on starting your own garden. You could also take a picture of your flower garden, every so often, and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #DoncasterThings 
  • Pond dipping: Pond dipping is a fun activity for everyone. Beneath the water there are all sorts of wildlife ready to be discovered. Head to the RSPB website for some additional information on pond dipping.

Learning Things

Learning isn’t just for school (and it doesn’t have to be boring either).

  • Learn how to sign your name: Sign language can help when it comes to expressing yourself. Research has shown that it speeds up speech development, increases parent-child bonding and can reduce frustration. Visit the CBeebies Using signs and symbols to communicate page to learn more about the different types of sign language and how important they are to give everyone a voice. See what signs you can learn.
  • Learn how to say hello in other languages Language learning has been proven to boost skills such as memory, concentration and listening skills. Visit the CBeebies The Lingo Show page for videos to support language learning. You can also visit BBC Bitesize for language learning resources for KS1 students to learn some German, French, Spanish or even Mandarin! 

History Things

History Thing Be part of the heritage of Doncaster!
  • Follow the town centre timeline: Why not take a step back in time and see what Doncaster was all about years ago! Explore the Town Centre Timeline on Doncaster High Street to see what you can learn about the Town.
  • Visit Doncaster Minster: The Doncaster Minster is a great destination to go to experience the magnificent building and learn about the culture and history of Doncaster. The Minster is located on the same site as the Roman Fort of Danum. As part of this, you can find the 18 metre stretch of the fort wall which can be viewed at the North East end of the grounds. Head down to the Minster to learn about Doncaster’s history.
  • Visit Danum Gallery, Library and Museum: The new Danum Gallery Museum will be a dynamic central hub that inspires creativity, informal learning and innovation.ItwillbeagreatplacetovisittolearnmoreaboutDoncaster and its history. Some of the things you can get involved in, in the museum, include: 
    • Art Gallery full of impressive works some loaned from the likes of the British Museum.
    • King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum
    • Rail Heritage Centre showcasing memorabilia from the Doncaster Grammar School Railway Collection and two locomotive engines - No.251 and Green Arrow
  • Create a time capsule: Time capsules are a great way to preserve some objects to be found and opened in the future. Find a box and put anything that you want in it. It could be paper notes, pictures, letters, toys, anything you like! Make sure that it is in a suitable container and then find a place to keep it, whether you hide it somewhere or bury it. Make sure you put the date on the box so whoever finds it knows when it is from!

Perform Things

Perform Thing To Thing or not to Thing, that is the question.
  • Make your own musical instrument: Making a musical instrument from scratch can be really fun. Simply get a box, as big or small as you like, and fill it with rice. Use some cello tape to close the box and there you have it! You could also decorate your box however you like. Once you are happy with it, shake away!
  • Learn and perform a magic trick: Magic tricks are a wonderful form of entertainment and a way to inspire creativity. They can boost self-confidence, expand imagination, improve communication and presentation skills, develop problem-solving skills, develop motor skills and coordination as well as boost self-discipline. In short, magic tricks are lots of fun! Here is a list of 13 Easy Magic Tricks for Kids. Take a look through the list and find some of the tricks which you would like to learn to perform. You can also take a video of your magic trick and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #DoncasterThings

Active Things

It’s time to get active this summer!

  • Discover what’s on at Lakeside! Crazy golf, ping pong, weekly cinema! Lakeside are hosting a range of fun, free and active activies throughout summer to get stuck into! And they even have a beach! Find out more here.
  • Design your own family sports day! Have a go at designing your own sports day for your family to take part in. Pick your favourite sports that you can do in your back garden, or make them up! You have complete freedom to make up your own rules and get moving with a bit of competition added in. Visit the Youth Support Trust website for tips on designing your own family sports day.

 

 

 

Last updated: 26 July 2021 13:36:09

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