If you’re in need of something to do on a rainy day, a novel idea for a birthday party or just want to challenge yourself (and your friends), then here are some DIY activities that you can do over the holiday.

[Related: Not so DIY? Try our Culture Edition or Active/Outdoorsy Edition!]

1. Hold your own colour festival. For those of you who wanted to attend the Color Festival at Splott Warehouse but were too young or couldn’t shell out the £45 asking price for a ticket, then do not fear for we at TheSprout have the solution for you! Why not host your own mini-festival in your own back garden and as far away from your house/pet/white objects as possible? Get your parents’ or caretaker’s permission first (and then they can help you order the paint cheaply online… make sure it washes away and is non-toxic first), put on some old clothes that you don’t mind getting ruined, set up some music and snacks (far away from the paint), and hey presto, your own budget mini-festival. Also, great for a unique birthday party idea!

2. Do your own reading challenge. Whilst most of you readers may be too old to take part in the libraries’ official reading challenge, if any of you booklovers out there want to stretch yourself past the age of 11, there are plenty of challenges that you can download online, or alternatively, you can devise one yourself, such as books from every continent, every pulitzer prize winner, etc. Bustle have some good suggestions to start from here.

3. Host your own mini-Olympics. As mentioned in our Active Edition, the various parks around Cardiff have fitness equipment and large green spaces perfect for friendly competition, or just a casual play-around. However, if the weather is bad or your enthusiasm for sport is minimal yet you have a competitive streak, then you can have your own indoor Olympics, incorporating everyday objects into feats of skill and prowess. Whether it is the teabag hammerthrow or the remote control relay, there can be an event for every type of skill. For some event ideas, here are some good suggestions from the BBC, the Guardian and Tania McCartney (whilst these are mainly for children’s parties/offices, this are easily adjustable to the home environment). Just make sure not to leave anything easily breakable/valuable in the “sporting” arena!

Why not try an old school egg and spoon race? Image credit: Pinterest here

4. Do a ‘Diff-related doodle. For all you artistic sorts, why not use some of Cardiff’s wonderful (and free) sites to inspire your next masterpiece? You can start off at the National Museum Cardiff, where you can find some inspiration from their eclectic collection of modern art gems, followed by sketching some of the specimens on display. Alternatively, you can sculpt your own creatures for a Bute Park Animal Wall-inspired wall decoration, do a Doctor Who inspired photoshoot down the Bay or paint your own vision of Roath Park. We’d love to see some of your work, so find us on Twitter and Facebook and use the hashtag #diffdoodles.

5. Try the £10 challenge. If you are a budding fashionista or just in need of a new outfit but on the skint side, then this is the challenge for you! The amount is adjustable, but you have to take £10 around secondhand shops and such and see if you can make an entire outfit with just that budget. Good places to try are the Indoor Flea Market and around the Albany Road area, which has an abundance of charity shops at your disposal. 

6. Host your own murder mystery. If you fancy yourself as the next Sherlock or just have a taste for the dramatic and want to spice up your dinner, a murder mystery is the ideal time killer! All you need to do is:

• Download a plot online from places like here (or for you creative sorts, you can devise your own plot)
• Gather some friends and pick your characters (and therefore costumes)
• Try to figure out whodunnit!

7. Do a review for TheSprout! If you fancy yourself as a writer, then why not review something for us* as we love to hear from you and you can help your fellow Cardiffians know what’s good and what’s not. Also, you don’t just have to write reviews as you can write anything that you think is worth talking about or over which you are passionate. Here a few random, varied examples of previous work we’ve had:

• Zingo Bottle Review
• Resurgence Of Sci-Fi
• How Online Fraudsters Can Target You
• Dawn Chorus For The Somme
• Potential Brexit Impacts On NATO

If you have any questions or requests for us, contact us here or reach us on Facebook or Twitter, where you can also send us images of you putting all these ideas into action!

These are just a few suggestions, but here at TheSprout, we are all about hearing from you, and if you have any of your own suggestions, post them down in the comments below! Also, for the all arty types out there or the sporty explorers, check out our Cultural and Active/Outdoorsy Editions of things to do!

Related:

Cheap Things To Do In Cardiff This Summer: The Active/Outdoorsy Edition

All reviews

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Cover image credit: Steven Gerner via flickr cc.