Category: Activities for Kids

Easter Craft Ideas

Easter Craft Ideas

Posted on by Rebecca

Easter is around the corner and I think we all have a little more time on our hands to do some arts and crafts with the kiddos.

I have 5 simple art and craft ideas to create some Easter themed artwork to brighten up your days. The key thing you will need in all of them are recyclable items. Egg cartons, toilet rolls etc. From paper crafts to egg decorating ideas​, these Easter crafts for kids make excellent art projects for toddlers, preschoolers, and children of all ages. Some of my favourite Easter memories growing up was sitting around the table painting and dying eggs with my mum, so I want to recreate those memories with my children. Making things special, with everyday items from around the house.

I also have a wide range of non sugar alternatives for Easterto have a read through, with some cute activity and gift ideas.

Egg Carton Easter Bunnies

We first made these about 2 years ago and they have proved a hit ever since. Simply glue two egg cartons together with some hot glue at one end (or tape), and paint. Grab some googly eyes and pom poms for a nose and you have an Easter bunny! Fill the cavity with your favourite mini eggs. You can also make mini chicks by swapping out those bunny ears for feathers.

Carrot Playdough

Make up a batch of homemade playdough, and fill up small icing bags to get a carrot shape. These are perfect treats for the Easter table, or to give away to class mates.

Make your own “Hatch Animals”

These were so much fun to make! Save all your plastic egg shells, they really are invaluable with kids around. I filled a few with mini finger puppets or any collectable style toy, wrap it in some air dry clay, leave to dry and paint/decorate as you wish. The kids aren’t allowed to peak inside the egg before they finish!

Toilet Paper Crafts

Would it be an activity list without these? Last year we made some little bunnies and chicks out of toilet paper rolls, which recently the boys actually asked me to make again. So whip out those pipe cleaners and empty toilet rolls and get crafting.

Toilet Roll Stamps

These were an absolute winner! So easy to make and we had such fun stamping and decorating. Cut up some toilet roll and attach “ears” or “wings” with some glue. Stamp away 🙂

What are some of your favourite Easter themed crafts? I’d love to have a look and get some inspiration ! Drop a comment below .

For more fun idea’s and some great Easter themed printable activities, check out Momsartelier .

School Routine And Themes during COVID-19

School Routine And Themes during COVID-19

Posted on by Rebecca

Following on from my blog yesterday on “At Home Activities” to keep the kids busy during our “social distancing”, a number of you asked about routines and structures. I’ve seen a couple of great timetables around on the internet, but I personally wanted to keep mine as close to our South African school day as possible.

I’ve designed an easily printable version of our typical timetable, this is also scheduled around my usual breaks with work. I can leave them to get on with activities, and then set up a new one when I normally take a break. I think we all have to just learn to be a lot more flexible with this new normal and cherish the time we have together. I’ve also created 5 “themed” weeks, for me personally, this is a life saver in terms of planning. So download and read on, and I hope this can help you in some way.

Weekly PlanDownload

Preparation and Themes

Trust me when I say, this is for your own sanity! With a little bit of forward planning and foresight, your days will be a lot easier. If you can print out activity packs ahead of time (I’ll give you a list of my favourite resources at the end), and prepare any sensory activities or mini worlds the night before. Working with a theme every week helps to tie in an activities, and it assists in learning. I’ve tried to keep mine aligned with a preschool/kindergarten curriculum, however, my eldest is in Grade 1 and he still repeats some of these themes.

Weekly Themes:

1. Autumn

  • Ideas: Create an Autumn leaf sensory tray.
  • Art: Create an Autumn Leaf collage from leaves picked up during a walk outdoors
  • Fine Motor: Grab some paper and some crayons and do some leaf/bark shading
  • Create a “Hand print tree” cutting out (practise those cutting skills) an outline of their hand print on different coloured card.
  • Read: “We’re going on a leaf hunt” by Steve Metzger

2. The Ocean

  • Ideas: Create an Ocean layer sensory tray. Use sensory materials such as rice or jello to depict the different layers of the ocean, and talk about what type of fish and underwater creatures are found at various layers.
  • Art: Create a DIY Jellyfish out of paper plates and string.
  • Re-purpose recyclables to create ocean creatures (plastic bags into jelly fish etc).
  • Sea Salt Art.
  • Create some “trapped fish” in ice and let them work to release the animals from the ice.
  • Create an Ocean scene out of cardboard.
  • Cut out the shape of a fish and using bubble wrap, paint the scales on a fish.
  • Create an underwater sensory bottle.
  • Gross Motor: Practice the “Crab Walk”.

3. Lifecycle of a Plant/ Garden

  • Gross Motor: Go on a nature walk and see how many types of flowers/plants you can identify.
  • Math activities – cutting out flower shapes and using paper clips as leaves, count the number of leaves on the flower.
  • Cut some kitchen roll holder/toilet paper rolls into sections and use them to “layer” different parts of the flower.
  • Fine Motor: Pressed flowers.
  • Grow some seeds.
  • Create a garden potion.

4. Wildlife

  • Create an “African” themed sensory tray.
  • Identify and separate the animals into herbivores and carnivores (explain the difference). Let your child put the animals into the correct “habitat”
  • Create some binoculars out of toilet roll and hide some animals around the house/garden. Create a scavenger hunt safari where your children have to find the animals.
  • Talk about the Big 5.
  • Make a giraffe hand-print.
  • Make a lion out of paper plates and pasta.
  • Read: How the Cheetah got its tears by Avril Van der Merwe, how the Zebra got its stripes by Justine Fontes

5. The Five Senses – This can sometimes be a long one, so don’t worry if it goes over a week.

  • Hearing – Make your own music shakers and rain makers.
  • Blindfold them and get them to follow a course by listening to your voice.
  • Smell – Scented Paint activity (add oils or juices into different coloured paints)
  • Create lavender or coffee scented play-dough
  • Homemade paint with spices and seasoning (turmeric, cloves, cinnamon etc)
  • Touch – Make some oobleck or slime, talk about how it feels in your hands.
  • Create a Mystery bag, throw some items into a draw string bag and get them to guess what they are.
  • Create a Texture Tray with off cuts of material. Get the children to describe how it feels.
  • Sight – Play a game of I-Spy.
  • Hide Objects around the room and get the children to find them with a magnifying glass.
  • Taste – Create a Mystery taste tray, blindfold them and give them something sweet, salty, sour etc and try to identify what it is.
  • Apple Test – Get 3 types of apple (red, yellow, green) – children should taste them and distinguish the different flavours.
  • Bake something – Bake some cookies or muffins.

To summarise all 5 senses do the “Popcorn” test – “LOOK at the kernals, LISTEN to them pop, SMELL the delicious aroma, use your sense of TOUCH to fill your bag and finally TASTE the delicious popcorn that you made.

There are some fantastic online resources to guide you for activities, and most of them offer free printables. Some of my favourites are:

https://www.twinkl.co.za/

https://theimaginationtree.com/

https://www.preschoolthemes.co.za/

https://playtolearnpreschool.us/

Stay At Home Activities To Keep The Kids Busy During The Corona Virus Lockdown

Stay At Home Activities To Keep The Kids Busy During The Corona Virus Lockdown

Posted on by Rebecca

Its official, South Africa has declared a state of natural disaster and with that our President has released some pretty hardcore regulations for us all to follow to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Schools will be closed for more then a month to see how things pan out and most families will be practising voluntary self-isolation. Queue LOTS of home time and kids climbing up the walls. I don’t think there has ever been a more apt post then this. Save it to your bookmarks and refer back to it, whenever you need quick easy activities to entertain the kids.

One of the central recommendations experts make in order to maintain some sense of security for your kids is to create a schedule. Focus on educational activities for the morning, or arts and crafts for the afternoon. Make sure your kids are getting enough outdoor time.

Start compiling items like sensory activities for younger children and put together baskets full of activity books and games for older kids. Take an afternoon and head to the crazy store and grab a bunch of items to store together.

Create a Scavenger Hunt – hide things around the house or garden and write down a list for the kids to go and find (draw pictures of the objects if they are too young to read)

Create an Obstacle course – a friend did this with the kids when we went around for a visit and they absolutely LOVED it. Send the kids to race to the wall, then hop across the yard on one foot, then skip to the tree etc, you get the picture.

Paint Outdoors

Go on a bug hunt

Make your own bath bombs

Wash the car – never underestimate how much the kids love this.

Build a bird house or make a bird feeder

Have a Pyjama party

Watch the clouds

Play with water balloons

Make a batch of home made playdough

Play Charades

Play Hide and Seek

Build Engineering structures

Good old colouring in

Make a sculpture out of cardboard

Paint on Cardboard

Play some board games

Set up a mini library at home and read books

Do some science experiments

Play Cards

Create something with Beads

Make some story stones – the images on the stones become characters in a story that everyone can tell

Play I-Spy

Plant a garden

Build some lego

Create some some salt art

Download and print some worksheets from the internet

Play catch with your kids – seriously, the power this simple game has is extreme

Have a puzzle morning

Stick some numbers or objects into plastic eggs and hide them around the house. As they open up the eggs they can tick things off the list

Grow some veggies

Play a round of bingo

Grab some paper and crayons and do some leaf and bark rubbings

Create your own stress balls – these are great for fidgety fingers!

Host a pretend cooking show (with the kids of course)

Bake some treats

Build a Fort

Make a Marble Run

Do some crosswords

Do some sensory play

Make your own DIY Jellyfish (arts and crafts)

Make your own musical instruments

Create a suncatcher

Create something with air drying clay

Create a nature weave

Make some paper planes and have a competition to see who can get them the furthest

Make some finger puppets

Play with Foam Paint

Create some egg cartoon creations

Draw on the bricks with sidewalk chalk

Make some slime

Make some science crystals

Try some origami

Make a fairy garden (yes even boys will love this)

Make your own “wizard wands” out of sticks

Paint with bubble wrap

Make your own DIY Flip book

Make some chickpea foam

Make your own fridge magnets

Set up some tin can, carnival style throw games

Make your own water wall

Create a town with a cardboard box

Make some lemonade

Play a memory game

Paint with vegetables – potato or apple printing

Create a Dino Dig

Do some mazes

Do some sticker art

Set up some “bath” stations for your toys

Decorate some T-Shirts

I know its going to be hard for people to feel “trapped” at home. Sometimes I get into a space and cant think of anything to do with the kids and I often end up succumbing to TV if it weren’t for lists like this. So save this, print it out and whenever you need to try to stick to the game plan and turn to something more constructive.

We will get through this, one day at a time. Lets cherish this quality time, it’s the worlds way of telling us to slow down a little. Appreciate the small things xx

Ultimate Lunchbox Tips

Ultimate Lunchbox Tips

Posted on by Rebecca

Whether you are ready or not, the new school year is upon us, and with that approximately 197 lunch boxes to pack! Yep you read right, the average school year had 197 days in it. I don’t know about you, but I always start off the year strong, with a nice variety of options and creativity and then it dwindles with fatigue and exhaustion as the year progresses. Two heads are better then one, so “Mommalikeme” and I decided to get together and write about our top lunch box ideas, some of our store bought favourites and a few hacks to make your life easier throughout the year. Be sure to check our her blog post here.

I also have two other Articles that you can refer to for inspiration, find out all about my original lunch box inspiration here and check out some healthy options here.

My kids tend to “snack” more, and between all the playing at break time, bento style boxes work better for us, so most of my boxes are smaller portions with more options.

Daily Lunchbox Inspiration

Monday

  • Pesto Pasta – I list this every year but it really is a winner with us. If your child prefers warm pasta you can buy those nifty flask type containers that keep your food warm as well.
  • Nectarine
  • Yoghurt Pot
  • Biltong Strips

Tuesday

  • “Deconstructed Pita” – Basically Pita Bread with some Meatballs, Hummus and Cucumbers served separately.
  • Grapes and Berries
  • Carrots
  • Nut Muffin

Wednesday

  • Cheese Quesadilla (I toast two tortillas in a pan with melted cheese in the middle and cut into 4.
  • Served with Avo (I have one that likes Avo and another that cant stand it, so I may omit the Avo as well)
  • Strawberries
  • Yoghurt Choobie (Yoghurt tubes from woolies)
  • Trail Mix – My kids love the one with little yoghurt drops in from woolies

Thursday

  • Chicken and Cheese Roll up Wrap
  • Watermelon
  • Mozzarella String Cheese
  • Banana Muffin – you can view my recipe for banana muffins here.
  • Berries
  • Carrots/Sugar snap peas

Friday

  • Egg Muffin Cup
  • Cheese and baby tomato skewers
  • Granola Bar
  • Apple
  • Chocolate Covered Raisins as a treat

We’ve designed an easily printable “cheatsheet” list for you. Allowing you to quickly pick out options from each of the suggested food groups to create a healthy lunch box. Grab one thing from each category and you are good to go!

Click here to download and printDownload

Store Bought Favourites

Now lets look at some of my store bought favourites. These are lunchbox fillers that I buy to make my life easier. Some friendly on the pocket, and some are definitely more of a splurge so it just depends on how we are for the month 🙂

In no particular order:

  • Oven baked munchies (salt crackers)
  • Playful Penguins (South Africa’s answer to goldfish)
  • Granola and Nut Bars
  • Biltong/ Dry Wors
  • Yoghurt covered rice cakes
  • Cheese flavoured rice crackers
  • Fruit Bites
  • Kiddylicious Cheese Straws
  • Kiddylicious Coconut Rolls
  • Kiddylicious Fruity Bakes
  • Happy Kid Banana and Chocolate Bars
  • Trail Mixes
  • Nature Valley Granola Bars
  • Chocolate covered raisins
  • Laughing Cow cheese cubes
  • Mozzarella Cheese String
  • Yogi Choobes
  • “Oh My Goodness” Moon Melts

Lunchbox Hacks

Lastly here are some of my personal lunchbox “hacks”. Things that I do to make my mornings run as smoothly and as quickly as possible (and this is still a huge work in progress).

  1. Get your kids to “pack” their own lunches; “make a snack station”. Okay okay, my kids are a little young still, but this was a responsibility that I had from the age of about 12. So what I do is have a “snack shelf” in the pantry, where the kids can pull out their “store bought favs” from. Easily accessible they can choose what they would like to pack. If you are a little more organised then me, you could sort these into categories like proteins, fruits etc.
  2. Prepare what you can before hand– Pack all fruit, yoghurts etc the night before ready to go and on a Sunday night I normally prep what I can for the week ahead. For example; I will cook a whole bunch of drumsticks and sausages, ready to pop into lunchboxes when needed.
  3. Use Drinks as Ice packs – Freeze your water bottles and it will double up as an Ice Block in your cooler bag.
  4. Compartmentalise – if you don’t have a bento style lunchbox, use silicon muffin cases to hold and separate your foods.
  5. Use Skewers for small meats or cheese – Presenting things in a smaller, prettier way makes it more appealing for the kids to eat. I got some super cute skewers from Lily and Lace.
  6. Use Cookie or Sandwich Cutters (But don’t waste) – My pet peeve about using cookie cutters to shape bread is the amount of bread it wastes. Cloud and Co stock some awesome shapers that almost fit to size, ensuring that you don’t waste alot of the bread. I have my eye on the rocket ship!
  7. Make Use of a thermal flasks – again, Cloud and Co sell some super cute Thermal flasks which will increase what you are able to pack as lunch options.
  8. Send a little love note – Make use of pre-printed stickers like the ones from Tower Labels.

There you have it! I hope you have found these helpful and you use them in your daily planning. Don’t forget to head over to Mommalikeme for some more lunchbox inspiration!

5 Ways to Play with Salt – Creating Art with Salt

5 Ways to Play with Salt – Creating Art with Salt

Posted on by Rebecca

Remember the old age saying, “don’t play with your food”? Well here I am encouraging you to get messy with your kids. It is the most fabulous base for a number of activities, but we have picked our top 5.

Lets start with making your own coloured salt/”sand”, it couldn’t be easier. In fact, you could even make that an activity in itself!

How to make coloured sand

There are two ways – the first takes a little longer but is really fun to get the kids involved. That’s using chalk. Take a sheet of card and place it on a baking tray. Pour some fine salt over the card, and rub the chalk through the salt, grinding it up. As it mixes with the salts the colour will transfer, and you will end up making a pretty picture on the sheet of card as well.

The other way takes about 5 minutes of prep time. Pour salt into some glad seal bags . Pour some food colouring or paint into the bags and mix, mix, mix. Pour the coloured salt onto a tray to dry.

Sensory Play with Salt

The options are truly endless here, and we have only just started exploring ways to play with salt. It makes the most incredible base for sensory play and we have used it often in our mini world play.

Watercolour raised salt painting.

This is a great Science based activity for kinds, allowing them to see how colour spreads through the salt. Do it with plain uncoloured salt for maximum effect. You can do this with salt rocks/sea salt as well as fine iodized salt. Draw a pattern with glue onto some card and pour the salt onto the glue and let it dry. Taking some watercolours, or a dropper/pipette and dab it onto the dried crystals. Watch as the colour spreads!

Salt Tray Writing

This is a great activity for older kids to practise their writing skills, and younger kids to learn cause and effect. Its literally like “writing in the sand”. It’s great for encouraging creativity and is actually a proven “calm down” method. Who doesn’t love a “zen garden”? Use a paint brush to practise pincer grip or simply let the kids use their fingers to trace in the sand.

Coloured Salt Jars

This is a fabulous activity for concentration and these little jars make perfect DIY gifts. Simply fill any small clear jar with different coloured sand. I love the contrast of using plain white between. It gets the kids scooping, funnelling and they will be amazed by the different layers once its complete. You can also turn these into the most incredible candles, but that’s a different blog post all together.

Coloured Salt Painting.

Similar to raised salt painting, but using coloured salt from the beginning. You can create the most glorious art pictures. We tried to do some Rangoli art (not very successfully), but I used it as a lesson to teach the kids about the Diwali festival. I’m definitely going to use this in our Ramadan art this year.

Create your own bath salts.

We have been making our own bath salts for a while and recently I’ve been experimenting more with adding essential oils into them. An easy recipe is as follows, you can choose to add in an essential oils if you wish:

  • 1 1/2 cup of Epsom Salts
  • 1/2 cup of Sea Salt
  • 1/3 cup baking soda

So there you have it! 5 ways to “play” with your salt ! Have you tried any other ways to incorporate salt into your sensory play or art? I’d love to see your works of art, if you are on Instagram, please tag me at @inthesestilettos !

Looking Back at 2019 – SA Blog Awards

Looking Back at 2019 – SA Blog Awards

Posted on by Rebecca

WOW WOW WOW, What a year 2019 has been. Highs, lows, changes, babies, houses… At the end of each year I always like to look back on all that I have achieved and how we have grown as a family. Its so important to take a step back to recognise how far we have come.

On the blog side I have hit so many of my personal targets and worked with brands that I used to dream about. I am so incredibly grateful to you, my readers, for allowing me to grow on this journey with you. So THANK YOU THANK YOU, for supporting me and helping me to reach my dreams. I hope you have found inspiration and guidance when you needed it the most.

Once again, I have decided to enter the SA Blog Awards. I know many people have various things to say about the Blog Awards, but these awards are decided by you, the public. Its all of you who get to vote and decide. I have big dreams planned for my little happy space, and hopefully, together, we can get there. Please support me in this, by clicking on this link . I have entered into two categories, both are full of absolutely incredible bloggers and content creators, so even if I just made an appearance I’d be happy. Once voted, you will receive an email to verify your vote, which takes about 15 seconds – please do so, otherwise your vote is not verified. You can also vote by clicking on the badge on the right hand panel my home page. Voting ends on 31 December and it would mean the world to me to have your support.

Looking back at this year, we certainly received our greatest blessing with a healthy beautiful Raya Maryam being born into our family. She has completed our puzzle and is everyone’s absolute favourite being. The calm to our chaos. We have conquered and climbed the initial breastfeeding mountain and are comfortably in a routine now with solids and feeding. Mamas – the first 3 months are hell, but hang in there! It does get better! Incredibly grateful for all the support we have received and for the beautiful baby shower held by my Megan.

Aadam successfully completed grade R, and moves on up into the world of “grades” next year. He has been absolutely amazing to watch this year. From the tears and separation anxiety we battled in the beginning of the year, to literally running into school each day, he even asked to stay on for aftercare! Such huge milestones that we so quickly forget about. He excelled in his cricket and swimming and is an absolute joy to watch as he learns to write and read.

Our little Yusuf is as cheeky as ever, at 4 years old he thinks he is the boss of everyone, and if he could, he would live off cakes and sweets. Even though he acts all tough and confident, secretly he is the one whose confidence I need to build the most. He needs his mama so much still and I have tremendous guilt for not spending enough one on one time with him. He has learnt to swim like a “big boy” now, and gets hugely frustrated if his brother does something that he cant do yet.

On a personal note some of my highlights were working with some of my favourite brands, on campaigns close to my heart. Walking down the runway at 7 months pregnant with Jet; focusing on “self-love” and embracing women of all shapes and sizes. I also got to brand rep for my favourite maternity brand, Cherry Melon whose clothes I am STILL wearing, 8 months post partum! The boys got to do some “modelling” (kind of) for Keedo, a proudly South African brand that is VERY close to my heart. I am eternally grateful !

I managed to juggle the work-life thing…sometimes failing but mostly swimming. I realized that I will never be the “stepford wife” but that’s OK. It’s OK to forget things from time to time. The fact that I remembered P.E. and swimming days, what costume is needed when, charity days and afternoon activities MOST of the time, is enough for me. As long as my babies know how much their mama loves them, and as long as I raise kind, generous, hard working children – my job as a parent is done. We kept crafting this year, and had a bigger focus on more educational experiences. Learning behind what we “played” with. Some of my favourites were the “Dino Dig” Sensory tray, “Lifecycle of a frog”, Crafting with Cardboard, Outback Aussie and the collaboration we did with House of York.

We grew, not only in the number in our family, but as individuals as the boys become their own independent kids. We baked (a lot), from collaborations with Pillsbury to cookies with M&M’s we certainly got creative (and a little fatter). I also fully embraced my Instant Pot, I literally use it several times a week and enjoyed getting creative in the kitchen again!

We went farming, it wouldn’t be a year without it 🙂 From Dairy Cows to Strawberry picking, nothing makes me happier then being outdoors and in nature with the kids. We also explored the Drakensburg for the first time and I’m already yearning to go back. (Full blog post coming soon)

I ramped up our “What to do in Joburg” Series with a focus on FREE entertainment. With the economy in South Africa being the way it is, we all need a bit of relief from all the spending, and I updated our ultimate list of places to go with the kids for 2019 . As a mom to young kids these are invaluable, I know I certainly am always on the look out for new places. The latest one is on my festive entertainment guide for 2019.

Lastly, I focused a bit more on beauty (as I try to gain some of my youth back). I started exploring collagen more, and tried drinking it in a shake! I took care of my body with Bio-Oil and Natralogic and focused more on what goes into my skin, using products from Dermalogica and Skin & Tonic. I also took back my hair (take that post-partum hair loss) 🙂 Allowing myself to splurge a little is OK if it makes me feel good. Nicho from XOXO Studio certainly knows how to give my hair that va va voom. Invest in yourselves mamas, every little bit helps.

It certainly was a jam packed year and one that holds the best memories. Life is about making the most of EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. Making an impact on every single person you meet . It’s too short to be spent unhappy or complaining. Embrace the positive around you and be grateful for all that you have. That’s the main purpose of this post, Gratitude. For all the opportunities I have had, and all the new connections and friends made. For all the lessons I have learnt (some tough), and all the future that lies ahead. I also have big plans for this little blog of mine, and I hope to continue to grow and learn. If you want to , please take a look at the SA Blog awards, but more importantly; THANK YOU, for being a part of this parenting community. If there is any other content you would like, or advice you need let me know, I value you more than you know!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Festive Guide To Gauteng 2019

Festive Guide To Gauteng 2019

Posted on by Rebecca

Its that time of year !!! I cannot actually comprehend how quickly this year has passed, and it is literally one year to the day since I last wrote my festive guide. This time next week, my eldest will officially be on school holidays, which means, i’ll be left thinking of ways to entertain the family, trying to think of places to go. We have another “staycation” upon us this year, so I’m trying to get creative and explore new areas. If you have any suggestions, lay them all on me as we road trip around as a family of 5.

If you are looking for activities to do at home with the kids, have a look at my “Activities for Kids” tab on the website. I have endless activities and ideas to entertain your kids.

For a full list of my favourite places to take kids (of all ages), have a look at my Keeping Kids Entertained in Joburg Article.

Now onto December specific events and places:

Festive themed events

The Lion King live in concert

I’m plugging this into “festive themed” because there is no better way to kick of the holiday season then by taking in this epic production. The advert literally gives me goosebumps! Accompanied by the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, this will be a movie experience unlike any other you have had before. This is the perfect family-fun filled activity to get your holiday spirit going! It will be on at the Sun Arena – Times square from Tuesday, 10 December 2019 – Thursday, 12 December 2019. Tickets available through Computicket and start from R150.

Destination Christmas with Melrose Arch

The lights are officially up so I can declare festive open in Gauteng 🙂 Melrose Arch always has the prettiest light display. Go early to avoid the crowds and book a table somewhere after for dinner.

Garden of Lights – Emperors Palace

The return of the Garden of Lights – one of my favourite festive season events – and this year, it promises to offer even more fun for the whole family. Featuring a winter wonderland, light extravaganza and yuletide adventure, all rolled into one. The event will set Gauteng skies alight in the picturesque gardens the five-star Peermont D’oreale Grande hotel at Emperors Palace. It runs from 29 November 2019 to 05 January 2020 and opens from 19h00 – 22h00.

Joburg Zoo Festival Of Lights

1 December 2019 to 5 January 2020

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, lets face it, everyone loves fairy lights. They hold so much magic and beauty. The festival of lights at the Zoo is expected to be their biggest yet and features a collection of illuminated life-size animal characters with classical, harmonious performances, food and craft markets for visitors. Take a stroll through the zoo on a designated illuminated route away from the enclosures and under the captivating, lit up trees.Get there early in December to catch a classical performance of the Nutcracker by Joburg Ballet who will perform in the bandstand from 1 – 8 December. It opens from 7pm until 10pm each night and tickets are R60 for kids and R120 for adults.

The Nutcracker’s Winter Circus

11th of December 2019 – 5th of January 2020.

The Nutcracker’s Winter Circus returns exclusively to Sandton City and its bigger, better and back for another spectacular season. Without a doubt, this was one of my highlights last year and it was watched by nearly 22 000 people! This year’s adventure includes creative master puppetry, set to bring a host of fun and fantastical characters to life, with the Parade of the Animals, adding a captivating new dimension to the show.

There are four performances daily at 10h30, 12h30, 15h30 and 17h30, seven days a week, (excl. Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill and New Year’s Day). Tickets are available from www.ticketpros.co.za at a cost R20 online (with no charge for children under three years) or by visiting selected Edgars, CNA, Jet, POSTNET stores. Tickets are also available at the door for a R30 fee. This is a a fairy tale fit for the whole family.

Peter Pan on Ice

6 December 2019 – 11 January 2020

Oooohhhhh but my boys are excited for this one! They watched the original movie the other day at home and we drive past the billboards every morning. There is no getting away from watching it!

Take a journey to Neverland in this classic tale of magic and make-believe, spectacularly staged on real ice. The show included a whopping 23 former World, European and National Championship-level skaters. Collectively, the entire cast holds more than 250 competition medals and will bring their athletic and artistic talents to retell J M Barrie’s well-loved story of Peter Pan. It will be held in the Teatro, every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday for the duration. Tickets range from R150-R475 pp and are available through Computicket.

Christmas Festival With The Lipizzaners

Every weekend from the 9th December through to the 22nd.

Held at the Lipizzaner Centre in Kyalami, these beautiful “dancing” horses are historic in Joburg. A wonderful outing for the whole family, this is a magical morning.

Walter Sisulu Wonderland of Lights

1 December 2019- 4 January 2020

There was a bit of a hiccup earlier in the year with their winter light set up, but lessons learnt and this promises to be one for the whole family to enjoy. There are a number of Carol nights lined up, so keep an eye on their facebook page for more detail.

T

Theatre

I actually don’t know where to start, there are some incredible shows on. If your in the mood for something a little more cultural, why not take in one of Joburg’s holiday shows?

I’ve already mentioned Peter Pan on Ice that will be showing at Monte Casino until 11 January – that’s top of our list, but here are a few more, locally produced shows that you should try to check out.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr.

2 November 2019 to 22 December 2019

The People’s theatre brings this childhood favourite to life. Based on the beloved film version of Ian Fleming’s children’s book, with a score by the Sherman Brothers (Mary Poppins), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior. is a family-friendly blockbuster filled with stage spectacles and Academy Award-nominated songs. Fun for the whole family. Tickets from R149.

Jack and the Beanstalk

It wouldn’t be Christmas without something from Janice Honeyman. It is a tale about a poor country boy, Jack, the family cow, magic beans, an unfriendly giant, an enchanted goose and an enormous beanstalk. It is showing at Joburg Theatre and tickets start at R115.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Runs until 22 December

My boys adore the Johnny Depp movie (as well as the book), so its a no brainer we are going to try and watch this classic. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a theatre adaption by Richard George based on the original classic by Roald Dahl. The entire production is smoothly tied together by an energetic and personable Narrator. It’s on at the National Children’s Theatre in Parktown and tickets start at R70.

Mall Entertainment 

I know everyone always makes fun of Jo-burgers and their love of malls, but seriously, there are some epic line ups this festive season.

I’ve already mentioned Sandton City, with their Nutcracker circus, but they aren’t the only ones with a great December line up.

Mall of Africa – Dino Adventure Park

7 December – 5 January 2020.

Mall of Africa is always on the forefront of great kiddies entertainment. This year they have chosen to go with a Dinosaur theme! Waterfall Park will be transformed into an adventure dinosaur playground to be enjoyed by the whole family

Cresta Shopping Centre

Cresta has been going all out with entertainment for the family over the past few years, and this year proves no different. There is a huge selection of things to do and activities to keep the little ones busy, including:

FESTIVE CRAFT STATION 14-24 December 2019 – Situated at the Castle Play Area in the Banking Court. There will be a variety of festive crafts for kids to choose from including making their own decorations such as Christmas baubles. Entrance is absolutely free with the option to pay for some of the more bespoke crafts if desired. Don’t forget to take a pic with Santa at R30 a photo.

They also have several workshops being hosted through the Jata Holiday Club and Young Engineers throughout the December holidays. Visit Cresta’s website for more information and individual pricing options.

Silverstar Casino – Beach festival

5 December 2019 to 11 January 2012.

  • Sand castle building competitions
  • Tug of war competitions
  • Hoola hoop competitions
  • Ice-cream eating competitions
  • Inflatable waterslide
  • Face painting
  • Beach volleyball

Cradlestone Mall

5 December – 5 January 2020

The kids had an absolute blast at the activation at Cradlestone last year, and I’m sure this year will be no different. If you are out that side of town on a day trip (there is a bunch of stuff to do in the area), it’s worth stopping by to let the kids play. The theme this year is “Santa’s World Of Wonder”.

Family days out

National Military Museum

OK, it may not take a whole day out but when paired with the Joburg next door it can be! This is one of our favourite places to take the boys and it doesn’t cost a fortune. The history is incredible and the kids will love playing on the old plane and jeep in the play area.

Gold Reef City

Still one of Joburg’s top family attractions. 16 thrill rides, 14 dedicated rides for the kiddies, Jump City Trampoline Park, there’s fun for all ages here!

Hartbeespoort Dam

Click here for a full blog post on all the things to do in Haarties. It’s WELL worth a day trip!

Sun City

Always a life saver when it comes to holidays and close enough to go for the day. Spend the day at the Valley of the waves or book in overnight. There are a whole range of kids activities from mini golf to a bird park and steam train rides.

Animal interactions

Lets face it, these are particularly popular with little kids and toddlers. They’ll be delighted to be given a chance to touch and feed the rabbits, goats, chickens, ducks and more. Be sure to take some animal feed with or you may purchase at the venue as well. For a full comprehensive list check out our favourite activities to do in Joburg.

Bird Garden – Monte Casino 

We have been going here since the boys were small. The only bird park of its kind in Africa and perfect for all ages! Take a stroll through the gardens and aviary and see a wide variety of bird life, reptiles, and other exotic animals. It also has a café and a cute kids play area.

Crazy Kids Farmyard

A diamond in the middle of a bustling city. Crazy Kids has also recently had a bit of a refresh with some new animals (including another pony and a friendly pig). It is literally smack bang in the middle of a residential area in Randburg. It has a huge variety of play equipment for kids, a ton of bikes to ride around and an epic sandpit. This is a winner, everyday of the week.

Old MacDonald’s Farm Yard (The Fat Olive Restaurant)

This is a true hidden gem. Home to the Fat Olive restaurant and a Beach bar, Old MacDonald’s has free roaming Zebras, geese, duck and a whole mini farmyard for kids to feed/interact with. Hop on a Canoe and row around the lake with the kids.

Lori Park Zoo

Holds a nice variety of crocodiles, predator birds and of course lions/ leopards – though I do feel for the bigger cats as their enclosures are very, very small.

Crocodile City

Crocodile & Reptile Park where the visitors interact with a variety of reptiles. The boys got an educational talk on crocs, on how thick their skin is and got to hold and observe their eggs. They also house a number of reptiles and much to my horror my boys lined up to hold the snakes. When you are done, why not zipline over the crocs?

Willow Feather Farm (Pretoria)

Originally started off as an Indigenous tree farm, Willow Feather now hosts a nursery, tea garden and awesome Farmyard for kids. They have a number of interactive activities for kids and the number of animals in the Farmyard is exceptional. Alpacas, pigs, bunnies, cows. Kids can get up close and personal to the animals and of course participate in feeding. There’s also a wonderful kiddies play area to keep little ones busy while mums’ can enjoy hot tea and scones.

Rhino and Lion Park

Joburgs’ nearest”far away” place. The Rhino and Lion Park is a fantastic family day out. Take a “safari” through the nature reserve (Its actually a proper reserve unlike some other lion parks in the area), try and spot their newest baby Rhino or visit the baby cubs at the breeding center. Enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Thatch Cafe while the kids ride up a storm on their incredible bike track. End your day with the ever popular feeding of giraffes for some special family memories.

Have I given you enough ideas? I dont want to hear anyone is “bored” over the holidays in Gauteng :).

There are a whole lot more places featured in my keeping kids entertained article such as Roll Egoli, Adventure Golf, Acrobranch and Bounce, so be sure to check that too.

Happy Holidays!

A Weekend In Hartbeespoort

A Weekend In Hartbeespoort

Posted on by Rebecca

We love exploring and adventuring and over the past two years we made it our mission to explore local surroundings as much as we can. With young children, anything within 3 or 4 hours as a maximum is considered. Thankfully “haarties” is only an hour away! There is so much to do in this area, we have stayed over weekends, and done day trips as well but I would really love to to go back and just have a solid 3 days there.

Here are some of the places we have explored as a family, that I would recommend, and a few that we haven’t had the chance to get to yet.

French Toast Koffie Kafee

If you cant afford the real deal (or just don’t have the time), a quick trip to “Paris” is always a good idea. This place is always packed on the weekends, so make sure to get there early for a good table and photo opportunities. The service may not be the quickest, but it’s worth the experience.

Haarties Aerial Cableway

The boys loved going up and down in the cable cars, the view is glorious and we were plesantly suprised by the quality of pizza at the top, a welcome reward, should you choose to hike the trail 🙂 Kids will delight at the awesome play area at the top and the views are truly spectacular.
This is such a great family excursion.

Elephant Sanctuary

It’s been on our bucket list for a while, but with the steep price, it’s got to be a special birthday experience or anniversary of some kind to justify it.
The Elephant Sanctuary offers an interactive elephant experience, including hands on educational interactions; elephant back riding; and even overnight accommodation.

Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary

The Monkey Sanctuary sanctuary is one of several sanctuaries in a group, including the elephant sanctuary; that provides for orphaned and abused animals. It is right alongside the Elephant sanctuary and it provides an environment where monkeys (primates) can be given their freedom in a natural environment It’s one of only eight free-release primate sanctuaries found globally. These are animals that have sadly been raised as household pets, or bred for the pet trade. They are given the chance to reside in as natural and environment as possible with thick, rich vegetation.

Jasmyn Farm Stall/ The Windmill Restaurant

It’s unlikely that you would have passed through Haarties without catching a glimpse of this iconic landmark, the Dutch-style windmill and thatch-roofed farm stall are hard to miss. Established in 2004 this market offers a treasure trove of treats, from organic goods, farm produce, cheeses (from Jasmyn’s own factory), fresh breads, dairy products, baked goods, meats, imported treats, flowers, curios and gifts too..

Van Gaalens Cheese Farm

Van Gaalen is open six days a week. A tour around the farm is a must (offered on a Wednesday and Saturday). Watch a demonstration of cheese making and tasting as well as a slice of cake and tea/juice. They have an in house restaurant and a farm shop that stocks a wide range of their cheeses, as well as preserves, souvenirs, Dutch favourites, sweets and other goodies. Picnics must be booked a day in advance but there is no better way to spend a day then by relaxing along the river banks. You can also get permits for the Skeepoort trails to go hiking, birding, mountain biking.

The Strawberry Farm

Pack a picnic blanket and spend a glorious morning picking organic strawberries straight from the ground. It’s a fully working farm which offers strawberry picking during spring. The small restaurant serves breakfast on weekends and public holidays, while I haven’t eaten there, I have had the decadent strawberry milkshakes and they are to die for! Seriously THE best I have ever had. It’s a family run, working farm, so don’t expect top class amenities. But, if you are looking for a day out picking fresh berries in season, I would highly recommend a visit.

Seasons Resort and Spa

A golf course, a fabulous water play area, accommodation and a superb spa. What more do you need? We would rate the accommodation as a 3 star, however the spa, is 5 star! The golf course is beautiful and whether you play or not, it’s wonderfully therapeutic with buck walking along the greens. The water play area is perfect for younger children with a shallow pool and small slides.

Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre

There is a no interaction/touching policy as the centre focused strictly on conservation and their animal well-being is of highest importance. However, you can still book a tour and go and see some of the animals they rehabilitate such as vultures, cheetahs, wild dogs and caracals.

Sunset Cruise

Whether you choose a sunset cruise or a slow Sunday brunch on board there is something magical about being on the water, surrounded by the hills. There are a number of different operators to choose from so take your pick and enjoy the view!

Harties Horse Trail Safaris

You don’t need riding experience to take a ride through the African bush surrounded by wildlife. Rides are typically between 1 and 2 hours and
children from the age of 6 can join. Ride between Giraffe, Wildebeest, Zebra, Kudu and Nyala to name a few. Romantic picnics can be arranged as well.

Segwati Quad Bike Safari Trails

If horse riding is not for you, why not take in nature on a quad? I was pregnant when we went with a group of friends to do this and was so sad I didnt take part, I definitely need to go back and do this trail. 650 hectares of beautiful, unspoilt views of the mountains and open plains. An experience that is totally different from your luxury lodge or resort.

GOG Kids Harties

One of the newest lifestyle and adventure destinations, GOG Kids opened up last year in December is is located inside Chameleon Village. The venue plays host to party venues, a play area a pool and a great “Spray Pad” with no less than eight spray features and a safe, non-slip and porous rubber flooring. This is a welcome relief, especially if you are visiting during the summer months. Haarties gets hot!

Lion and Safari Park

While this isn’t technically “in” Haarties, its 10 minutes outside, so I am including it (and it used to be before they refurbished). Kids under 12 are free on all guided and self drive game drives. They offer Giraffe and Ostrich feeding, a crocodile enclosure, cheetah/cub interactions and guided tours. They also offer river rafting down the Crocodile River!

The Upside Down House

Possibly the weirdest thing you will encounter in Haarties, but one that will leave you laughing (and possibly quite dizzy). The upside down house is literally – a ‘world’ turned upside down…. You need to go and experience the magnificence and spectacular engineering of a ‘house’ turned on its roof, and of course take a picture in every room!

Image taken from website

These are just a few of the area’s that we have been to when we have visited. There are a number of lodges in the area and some fantastic self catering houses as well. If you are planning a “staycation” these summer holidays, why not book a few days in Haarties to explore the area?

Have you visited anywhere else? I would love to hear your recommendations for our next trip!

Small World Play – Aussie Outback

Small World Play – Aussie Outback

Posted on by Rebecca

It’s no secret we are pretty big fans of small world play in our house. One look at my Instagram page and you’ll see a number of different “mini worlds”. They fuel mamas need for creativity and they meet the boys needs to play, make a mess and learn 🙂

Whether its styled more as a sensory tray set up, or a more structured mini world, I always try to tie in a little story or learning to it, and you would be surprised by how much knowledge kids absorb while “playing”. We have done a number of themes over the years including Pirates, The lifecycle of a frog, farmyard play with chocolate mud, swamp life, the Artic, and Dinosaur land .

Small world play allows children to act out scenarios (scenes from real life, stories they have heard and/or from their imagination) in a “mini world” created with small figures and objects from around the house. I’ve seen my kids start slowly first we learn about the “theme”, and then I stand back and give them space to play. Once they tucked into this Aussie Outback for example, they soon became “adventurers” and “zoo keepers”, they played for about an our and eventually the playdough “Uluru” rock was cut up and became “lion food”. They are the ideal platform for nurturing children’s imagination from a young age. This play provides them with an opportunity to explore new materials, act out scenarios from real life and gain an understanding of the world. Small world play is often used in play therapy as well by providing children with opportunities to re-enact certain experiences, you are helping then to reflect on feelings and events in life, in a safe “world”.

So how do you start?

Choose your theme – I often will base a theme on the time of year or an important event, or if I have recently bought a really cool figurine set 🙂 next decide on your base layer – whether its artificial grass, felt, rice, gloop or sand start by “laying the foundation”.

Select Accent Features – bits and bobs from around the house or garden that could tie into your theme.

Add your characters – lastly add in your “main act”, your characters or figurines. I then call in the kids and before I “let them loose” I explain what the “world” is, and all the different characters. I’ll often sit with them for about 5 minutes to describe or explain anything, and then its free reign 🙂

For the Aussie outback; I first made up some easy cloud dough and added in a bit of cinnamon to make it brown. I then coloured some sand with red food colouring and made up some orange playdough to form the Uluru (Ayers Rock). Some grass bits, leaves and rocks were found in the garden and I scattered around some brown lentils to add a little more interest.

It really is that simple! My youngest son has designed his own one to do next weekend, and its going to involve lots of slime and jello so have a look out on my stories on Sunday for a gloopy mess 🙂 Until then, happy playing !

Chickpea Foam – Taste Safe Sensory Fun

Chickpea Foam – Taste Safe Sensory Fun

Posted on by Rebecca

Aquafaba, its been around for years; I certainly haven’t created anything new here but I personally only discovered it recently and what an incredible eye opener! Aquafaba is often used in vegan cooking and baking. This super cool substance mimics the functional properties of egg whites in cooking, and can be used as a direct replacement, including meringues and marshmallows.

With baby around now I have to start becoming more conscious of some of the sensory play we do with the boys, and in a few short months I will start introducing her to our wonderful world of play! I was researching edible slime and foam recipes when I stumbled across this Chickpea foam, and in all honesty, it really is the best foam, in terms of consistency, that we have made.

Easy to make

It could not be easier. Simply strain a can (or two) of chickpeas into a bowl and beat on high until it starts to fluff up. Add in a tablespoon or so of Cream of Tartar to really stiffen the peaks, and add in food colouring of your choice. Ill be honest, at first the smell is a bit much, so I chucked in a tiny bit of rose essence to lighten it up.

It foams up better than shaving cream and keeps its form for longer. We made up a rainbow batch that the boys played with all afternoon, making potions and soups for us to sample. Kids adore sensory play and the texture of this foam will keep them busy for hours, just make sure you have some good chickpea recipes on standby for the week to use up the tins 🙂

Have you got any other super fun taste safe sensory play ideas? Id love to hear about them!