Page last updated on 27th April 2026
Sustainable summer activities to keep the kids busy and energy bills down
With school now out, or nearly out for summer, families are eager for new activities to keep their children occupied and their energy costs down, so we have teamed up with Helen Skelton and The Wild Network to create a list of 42 sustainable activities - one for each of the summer holidays. Here are our top ten:
1. Make a time capsule
See if you can something in it every day to create a memory box of an unforgettable summer.
2. Conduct a sunlight experiment
Find out how plants will grow in darker spaces compared to sunlit places, like on a windowsill. Choose two different environments and track your progress over the rest of the holidays.
3. Become an energy waste detective
Organise a family scavenger hunt to find unused appliances in your home that can be unplugged to save on energy waste.
You can also monitor how much energy different items in your home use with a smart meter. Find out how people across Great Britain are using their smart meters.
4. Make a temporary dam
If you have a stream nearby, collect twigs, branches and stones to stop the flow of water. Just remember to remove the dam afterwards. No stream? Improvise at home.
5. Send a haiku postcard
A haiku is a Japanese poem made up of 3 lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. Send it to someone you are missing over the summer.
6. Make a domino rally
Use everyday objects to build it and start an epic chain reaction!
7. Become a street artist
Why not try painting some stones and leaving them for others to find?
8. Make your own pinwheel wind farm
Put your craft skills to the test and build some paper windmills. All you need is paper, scissors, a stick and a pin!
9. Go foraging
Local woodlands are perfect for encouraging the inner forager, so go and explore! If you can't forage outside, try playing a foraging style scavenger hunt at home.
10. Learn some sign language
Learn how to introduce yourself - and then challenge a friend to do the same.
What next?
Check out the full list for more eco-friendly ways to have fun this summer.
Request your smart meter
Just by having a smart meter installed you're helping to upgrade Britain's energy system.
Simply type your energy supplier into the box below and we'll connect you.
You may also be interested in...
How smart meters can help you reduce your carbon footprint - what's the link between smart meters and a greener future?
Take the #EnergyFreeHour challenge - more sustainable activity ideas from grandparents Heather and Frank. Can you go without using electricity for an hour?
Top tips for families to be greener at home - we teamed up with Michaela Strachan to bring you tips on how your family can make small changes at home that lead up to big changes for the environment.