The Kent County Show and Iwade Rock become the latest on Our Kent Family's hitlist

When your Google search history contains requests for ‘vitamin D consumption in children’ and ‘things to do inside this summer’ you know the weather has been pretty shoddy.

In fact I think I feel like we’ve lived June and early July in something akin to a monsoon, taking the car, wellies and raincoats back on the school run and losing any form of normal routine for the children, having been keen to abandon whatever we were doing and dive outside the minute the sun has decided to shine even for a second.

It has meant letting the kids be knee-deep in the Whitstable sea in their underwear come 7pm on a Sunday evening because the sun only decided to come out at 6pm or shirking a ‘proper dinner’ in favour of sweets and ice cream in the park after school mid-week because it feels like it might be the only chance we would get before school breaks up.

But then mid-July came, the sun came out, and we finally got outside too.

We tackled the Kent County Show earlier in the month where there is more to see and do than it’s possible to get round in a single day and where the kids can go from climbing walls and motorcycle stunt displays to prized animals and tractors all in one place.

It’s an incredible opportunity to get hands-on with so many activities from animal encounters to craft activities while also really opening all of our eyes to exactly what Kent has to offer families like ours in terms of tourism, things-to-do and life in general on our doorstep.

Not to mention a pretty good array of refreshment stalls and funfair rides which, let’s be honest, will get anyone’s vote in good weather.

And this weekend we took our mini-ravers to Iwade Rock Music Festival near Sittingbourne.

Oscar and Liv love any form of outdoor festival – our slightly wild, hippy chick in particular.

This festival-in-a-day is a fab event raising money for Demelza House, the school and local football team and involves pitching a spot, enormous picnics, a good programme of bands from lunch until late while the kids dance, play with their friends, chill-out among the grown-ups or enjoy the associated stalls, inflatables and other attractions on offer.

It’s the first time we’ve been to Iwade Rock and we’d definitely go again.

Armed with their ear defenders from summers at Camp Bestival (more on how we found that brilliant family festival here) they had the most fantastic time.

It wasn’t loud enough to need the ear defenders making it the perfect environment for families with babies and children of all ages, ticket prices are reasonable as are the refreshments and attractions available inside and it all feels very safe which is so important with little people running around.

And while I think we’d have had a great time just the four of us, bringing friends along for the kids (and grown-ups!) makes it all the more enjoyable.

And perhaps if it had been just the four of us, the children would have become fed up long before they actually did and not had the memorable experience it turned out to be.

As it was we were dragging them away at 8pm and they were still awake at almost midnight chilling with their friends in the exceptionally warm weather, which probably makes it a pretty perfect start to the school holidays.

No pressure now weather… *starts new google search for things to do outside*