As the summer holiday begins, JO HAYWOOD garners timely tips on how parents can survive.

SUMMERTIME and the living is easy. Unless you are a parent facing the prospect of six weeks at home with your kids.

While children tend to look forward to the school summer holidays with undiluted glee, parents are often less enthusiastic. After all, finding enough activities to fill a weekend is one thing, but finding enough to keep a child out of trouble and tantrum-free for six whole weeks is something else entirely.

But it doesn't have to be an organisational feat on the scale of a military operation (with a budget to match). With a bit of imagination, flexibility and forward planning, your summertime could be considerably easier.

To give you a head start, we asked three York people who work with children for their top tips for hassle-free holidays.

Name: Carole Holliday, Foxwood childminder

Children: three sons, aged nine to 13, and eight additional children, aged four to 12

Attitude to summer holidays: "I really look forward to them because it means I don't have to do the school run. During term time I yo-yo backwards and forwards to nurseries and schools, but during the holidays I'm based at home all day. It means I can actually plan activities and outings."

Best day out: "I'm a member at Harewood House, so we go there quite a lot. Membership is about £65 for the year, and this means that me, my husband, my kids and any of the other children who are under five get in for free. I worked it out that we only have to visit twice a year to break even, but we got a lot more than that. It's great because Harewood House put on a lot of children's events during the summer and we either get in for free or get a good discount."

Best day in: "Building blocks and colouring - kids still love the basics."

Splashing the cash: "I try to arrange one outing a week. One of the most popular is to Eureka (children's hands-on museum) in Halifax. It appeals to all the children, right across the age range, and it really is a full day out. It takes about an hour to get there and you can spend a good three or four hours looking around. Then, once you have had your picnic, it's time to head off home again."

Cheap as chips: "You can't really beat the National Railway Museum. It's on the doorstep, it's free and the children always enjoy it. All you have to pay for is juice and biscuits."

Top tip for a stress-free summer: "Listen to your kids. You might have planned a day out at the seaside, but if they have had a bad night's sleep and are feeling a bit droopy, it could turn out to be a bit of a nightmare. Make plans, but be prepared to change them."

Name: John Chapman, Heworth childminder

Children: Five, aged 15 to 32, three grandchildren, plus several additional tots

Attitude to summer holidays: "I get myself organised. If you don't look through the paper and see what's on, all you'll hear is 'I'm bored'. After six weeks, that gets very boring."

Best day out: "Murton (Yorkshire Museum of Farming) is great for all ages. I've got a yearly pass, which means we can go whenever we feel like it. It costs £25 and covers two adults and four children."

Best day in: "I sometimes let the children download pictures of their favourite CBeebies characters off the internet and colour them in. Otherwise we go back to basics and get the building bricks out or the cars."

Splashing the cash: "Eureka in Halfax is difficult to beat. The station is next door, so you can still go if you haven't got a car. Another favourite is Scarborough because of the Sea Life Centre."

Cheap as chips: "Tropical World in Roundhay, Leeds, or the gardens at Burnby Hall in Pocklington are both hidden treasures. If you take a picnic, you can really make a day of it."

Top tip for a stress-free summer: "Always ask the kids what they want to do. Give them a few options and let them decide. We always have a show of hands - this is a democracy after all."

Name: Anna Semlyen, chairwoman of York Playground Action Group

Children: Two-year-old daughter

Attitude to summer holidays: "Most of the playgroups and activity groups are term time only, so even though my daughter is not at school, I still have to think about the holidays. The key is to use your imagination and to make ordinary things such as shopping, cooking and gardening fun."

Best day out: "You can't beat going to a park. Rowntree Park is particularly good now that the caf is back in action. Parks are free, fun and usually have lots of activities on offer throughout the summer."

Best day in: "Don't stay in, even if it's raining. Go swimming or go to a museum instead of staying in and watching the television. The Castle Museum is always a popular choice, or the Yorkshire Museum - the Walking with Beasts exhibition is great for all ages, although my two-year-old was a bit scared of the woolly mammoth."

Splashing the cash: "I don't have a big wage or any transport, so I tend to use my imagination more than my money. The key is to find something that will be a special treat for your child, like a horse-drawn trip around the city."

Cheap as chips: "Make use of your own garden. I've just dug my own sandpit and my daughter and her friends love it. Give your children their own patch of earth and let them grow something, let them splash some water about or give them some chalks and get them to create their own mural."

Top tip for a stress-free summer: "Arrange outings with other children or invite other children round to play. It's tempting to invite your friends round and hope the children get on, but it doesn't always work out like that. Instead invite children round that your child actually likes and you'll soon find that they will entertain themselves."

Updated: 09:10 Saturday, July 19, 2003