Holidays are great but sometimes a new idea can be really handy to fill in the time with the kiddos.
NB with some of these ideas you will have to do some research as to where they are available in your local area.
Airport Scavenger hunt
Kids love airports and planes, and even things like going through security can be fun….. so how about taking them to the airport for the morning and give them a scavenger hunt list of things to track down. Have a cup of coffee, watch some planes take off and land and be jealous of all those people who look like they’re going somewhere fun. Items on the scavenger hunt list could include:
- find the number of a flight from Melbourne, Sydney, New Zealand etc
- What is the number of the departure gate furthest away from the entrance? (will take up some time 😉
- How much is a cappuccino at the airport?
- How many baggage claim carousels are there?
- Get a signature from a pilot
You get the drift. Maybe they could even get a selfie with an air hosty, just be careful not to ask them to do anything that will breach airport security.
Robotics or coding workshop:
No doubt some of you will be familiar with this from your child’s school, but robotics and coding are becoming very popular in education at the moment. Why not give your child a head start or peak their interest with a school holiday coding workshop? It’s not just a bunch of kids sitting round nerding it up. Coding these days usually involves some pretty cool robotics as well, as a way of making it more fun and interactive.
Circus class:
If your children have ever told you they want to run off and join the circus, one of these awesome school holiday workshops may be just up their alley. Circus skills include tumbling, juggling, acrobatic balance, unicycle, stilts and much more, and apart from being loads of fun also help children to improve balance, coordination and self-confidence. Courses are usually divided into age groupings to suit children’s various developmental levels, and begin with fun classes for preschoolers right up to workshops for teenagers and adults.
Local Environment Centre:
Last holidays we took our kids to the Osprey House environmental centre in Brisbane’s North and it was awesome. Most capital cities and some regional areas will have an environmental centre usually run by their local state parks authority and some of them are really well set up for kids and visitors. Osprey House had binoculars available for identifying birdlife, kids worksheets to help identify and tick off the birds, Indigenous Art rubbing squares on the boardwalk for kids to colour in, and a whole lot more activities specifically aimed at engaging visiting children and school groups. They even had this big nest on top of a pole with an eagle’s nest. It flew in and out on occasion bringing in fish to feed on and give to it’s young…..very cool!
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Plant a vegetable garden:
Spring is a time of growth and we all know a very busy time in the garden for animals and plants (particularly flowers). It’s also a great time to plant vegetables and it is a school holiday project that will occupy the kids and help them to eat their vegetables at the same time. You might even find your child enjoying Brussels Sprouts if they knew they came from their own garden……..I did say might?
