By Marylyn Broomhall

Short family Trips are easy to put together. My favorite time to spend with the family has always been on the weekend. When my children were growing up we were notorious throughout the neighborhood for our fun adventures and usually ended up with 1 or 2 extra neighborhood kids in the back of the car.

These days I am always going off on little adventures much to the pleasure of The Poppit (my granddaughter).

Entertaining kids on the weekend hasn't really changed that much over the years.

The recipe for a great day out is...

* Fresh air
* Playground equipment and climbing frames
* A Frisbee or soccer ball or cricket bat and ball or perhaps all 3
* Good wholesome food, either pre-prepared or cook there on the spot
* Lots of cold drinks and
* Plenty of hot water for that ever invigorating cuppa

We manage to find the most incredible stuff out there exploring what is in our own local area. Local Parks and Gardens, Heritage preserved buildings, bicycle trails and unknown playgrounds are just a sample of what we have turned up in our own backyard. This in itself has helped create a bond, akin to olden day explorers.

The thing is that the quality time spent on entertaining kids on weekends with these Short Family Trips sets the scene for the rest of the week ahead. Believe me the adventures that you go on will always be remembered.

For example...

Last Monday we took off on a last minute short break to a park that I had been meaning to visit for almost 12 months. Here we discovered a great playground, tons of natural bush walking paths along the Yarra River and spotted several kangaroos grazing in the open grasslands.

We were entertained by the aboriginal storyteller and musician Gnarnayarrahe Waitairie. The Poppit was introduced to the Didgeridoo and a spiritual Aboriginal Dreamtime meditation. Amazing and all this was free.

Several weeks prior to this we had taken off on another impromptu short family break, hitting the freeway and driving all the way to the end. There we threw a couple of snags (sausages) on the barbie (BBQ), chucked them into a buttered roll with lashings of tomato sauce and with a can of cola hit the foreshore.

2 hours later, a plastic bag full of beach gems we headed on back home to prep our finds and then make up one of our famous family collages

Simple pleasures usually afford the best family memories and in this day and age keeping it simple is the best way to go. Cheap family fun is easy to achieve just look around in your own local area. Pack a picnic, round up the kids and head on out the door.

Parks and Gardens are great places to throw a Frisbee or kick a football around and beaches make great places to explore for shells, driftwood and sea glass, however always be mindful of others using the area and check the by-laws.

A Tip to involve all the Family

Place a few different ideas into a hat and get the kids to take it in
turns pulling out a short family trip suggestion eg, picnic in the park, local movies, go-carting, local pools or the beach. Set the day, the time and off you go on your short family break which is sure to entertain and cement more of those much needed deep family ties.

As a life long resident of the Melbourne Region, Marylyn Broomhall (SuperNan) uses her extensive knowledge of the area writing about fun family getaways and anything else to do with this popular travel destination.

Marylyn's passion and nomadic instinct takes you on a unique journey of discovery throughout her website, http://www.family-getaways-melbourne.com. SuperNan provides you with up to date tourist information facts and an opportunity to share your own thoughts, http://www.family-getaways-melbourne.com/westerfolds-park.html

Article Source: EzineArticles.com