How to Keep the Kids Occupied During School Holidays
Winter is here and with the seasonal change, a range of new ways to enjoy time with family these school holidays and South Africa is a childhood memory making paradise, full of nature, adventure and fun.
15/06/2022
Winter is here and with the seasonal change, a range of new ways to enjoy time with family these school holidays. With all of the busyness and overwhelm that takes place during the course of the year, holidays should be about rest, recuperation and quality time with those most dear to us. Affordability is key too so having fun these winter holidays shouldn’t break the bank. Here are six affordable ways to spoil yourself and your family these school holidays.
Into nature:
Fetch your winter boots and water pails. South Africa has 19 national parks scattered across the country. In winter, the parks light up with beautiful seasonal vegetation like the pale yellow Freesia. The Freesia and other forms of indigenous fauna and flora are preserved and cared for in these conservation sites. Winter waterfalls scattered across our national parks make for great rainbow spotting sites on days where the sun shines in just the right way. For those keen to brave the cold outdoors and head into nature, SANParks offers greatly discounted rates for South African and African citizens and even greater discounts for kids.
Soulful sojourns:
We all remember our first hotel buffet, where mum or dad taught us how to order eggs sunny side up or scrambled and our eyes immediately ate more than our stomachs could. Enjoying a little bit of time away from home and its responsibilities means that parents have the time to reconnect and focus on soulful centering.
Having fun with the kids and reconnecting with ourselves might have to include letting someone else take care of the cooking and cleaning for you for a few days. Radisson hotels across the country have discounted winter deals with up to 25% off stays and meals. These types of deals are available all across the country so shop around for one that suits your location and travel plans. And look out for winter menu specials, too. Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, for example, is gearing up to launch a delectable food and wine pairing for these colder days.
Adventure:
South Africa is an adventure lover's paradise if you know where to look. The entire country is scattered with both man-built and nature-based adventure parks. MiniTown in Durban is a coastal South African city built to the scale of 1:24 of the actual size of city buildings.
For little kids who love playing house, travelling across this small town makes for the biggest adventure. Entrance for kids and adults is under R40. For kids who love the outdoors, visit adventure parks like the Toboggan family park in Cape Town with its 1.25m long slide. Ziplines are also incredibly popular with little thrill seekers and can be enjoyed by kids as young as six years old. These can be found all across the country, so be sure to look into it.
Educational fun:
If you’re going to get the kids learning these holidays make sure it is filled with fun. There are close to one hundred museums around the country of which Gauteng has the majority. They’re fascinating places to learn about so many different topics with the added visual stimulation of objects on display. Transport, art, national history and indigenous culture are just some of the themes our museums represent.
Get cooking
Move along peanut butter on toast, these kids know how to cook. Cooking together is such a fun activity for families staying at home during the holidays. Start off with simple recipes like scrambled eggs, basic yeast-free bread dough or a simple cupcake batter. Remember to place newspaper on all surfaces before you start for easy cleaning up and let them lick the spoon however many times they ask. Across the country, Airbnb Experiences and many local restaurants also offer affordable family cooking classes with set menus, so these would be great to try if you’re keen on someone else doing the teaching part
Enjoy your own backyard:
If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor space,
the children will be able to make the most
of the school holidays. Children of all ages
will have fun making bird feeders and it will
teach them about nature to fill these with seeds
during the cold winter and get them outdoors and
excited to be doing something.
Not
everyone has a garden that is child-friendly but
it won't be difficult to get the garden cleaned
up. If you don't have the time to do it
yourself, look at hiring SweepSouth’s outdoor
services that you can book via SweepSouth app.
They offer a garden cleaning service that will
have your outdoors ready for child-like fun in
no time and make it an enjoyable space for the
whole family.
Another nature-friendly
activity that the children would enjoy is to let
them establish their own vegetable garden where
they can learn how to grow their own produce.
Whether your kids are after a little
adventure, learning or fun make sure to treat
them to something that will make memories for
years to come this winter.
