Schools out...

Whether you're dreading your house looking like a game of Jumanji, there's no avoiding school holidays. Love it or dread it, juggling work and children can be a stressful two weeks.

Getting a daily plan together before hand can work wonders to help with the pestering of "I'm bored what are we doing today?"

Outings don't have to cost money. We are lucky to live in such a busy region which offers a great range of accessible, fun, free actives to keep people (and kids) entertained. Rain or shine, here's some options you can check out that are FREE and will be running during the school holidays.

Age appropriate from 0-5 years upwards.

Check out the website for the dates and times www.aucklandforkids.co.nz .

• DEMPSEY WOOD Digger Day

• NORTHCOTE Winter Family Day

• CIRCUS FUN at Northwest

• KIDS LEARN TO RIDE Indoors

• TREASURES & TALES Dino Discovery

• MATARIKI WAIPUNARANGI Storytime

• FREE TODDLER Tuesday at Northwest

Or mix it up with some local adventure parks and entertainment centers

• Auckland Zoo

• Kelly Tarlton's

• Kids Kingdom (Rainbows End)

• Chipmunks

• Butterfly creek

There's also the tried-and-tested back-ups like beach and river walks, libraries, playgrounds or parks for free fun and exploring for the littlies. Do a Google Earth look around your neighbourhood - you'll likely be surprised at the number of parks that are close and that you've never even noticed.

It's always good to pack a bit of water, fruit and a few goodies to keep the energy levels from waning. Feed the ducks, chase the seagulls, look for shells or crabs around the rocks or pack a ball, a frisbee, some chalk, a kite, or your bike for even more fun.