Part II: School Holiday Activities

Last week we had a special guest on the blog, Marika, who goes by the moniker Nanny McTreehugger. Marika is a fellow nanny based in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and has her hands full each day with three rambunctious children whilst endeavouring to keep a busy family organised. She’s popped up on the blog before when she gave us the run down on life as a Modern Day Nanny.

As fellow nannies, we got talking recently (when we met for coffee) about the looming school holidays. We were both like, “ermahgerd what are we going to do with the kids for three long weeks”. Throw in children at different ages and you’re definitely in for a wild ride! From there, conversation pretty much went along the lines of, “oh hey, so you know, you should totally write another piece for Nanny Shecando about surviving the winter school holidays”…

So here it is, Part II: Out + About In Sydney With School Holiday Activities of The School Holiday Survival Guide. If you missed Part I: The Cost Of School Holidays, you can find it here. So Marika, once again, over to you.

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Nanny McTreehugger, guest blogger
Hiya, I’m not sure about you, but we’re already into the 1st week of school holidays here. Friday last week saw it all begin and I’m still getting geared up for it. Luckily one went off to a playdate and the rest of us explored the dollar shops in an effort to keep the costs down. School holiday savings tip #1 tried and tested!

When it comes to school holidays, the tricky thing for us is that we’ve all got different interests. Plus, the parents have certain expectations in terms of activities and achievements. So today I thought I’d share some activities that we like doing during the holidays. Activities that will hopefully keep you (and the kids) entertained, busy, and sane!

Activities From The School Holidays Survival Guide

Note: these activities have been selected with the parents wishes and expectations in mind.

* A Visit To Sydney University

No, we did not go to the school of medicine’s cadaver lab (despite Mr 6’s wishes). We did the next best thing and went to the Nicholson Museum. The Nicholson Museum has free entry and boasts the most breathtaking LEGO model of the Acropolis in Greece. A must see by any super keen Lego architects!

Oh, and Sydney University looks like Hogwarts! Need I say more? Also, there was nothing cuter (or more fitting against the backdrop of the medieval-style architecture) than watching Mr6 brandishing his plastic sword against an imaginary opponent on the perfectly manicured, velvety quadrangle lawn. Naturally the girls and I enjoyed a picnic and the one-man show!

* A Day With The Animals: Taronga Zoo

An outing to Taronga Zoo is one of the best activities to do with the kids. Taronga Zoo is for the wild! They get to learn key information about the survival of particular species, they learn of the responsibilities and what goes into caring for animals and get a taste of the difference between living in the wild and captivity. What’s more, after a day spent trekking up and down the seemingly mammoth hills at zoo between the seals and the elephants, you can be assured they’ll sleep well that night! Just remember to pack your own picnic lunch if you’re looking to keep the expense of the day to a minimum.

* Sydney Sea Life Aquarium

The kids love going to the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve been there already, each time we visit, it’s always a full day of eventful activities. The aquarium offers numerous interactive and educational activities for the kids to partake in as they make their way through the centre. In fact last visit, we particularly enjoyed learning about the habitats of sharks and of the need to protect our whales. The Sydney Sea Life Aquarium now offers children ‘a day in the life of a marine biologist’.

* Debating

This is suitable for kids of all ages with basic literacy and reasoning skills. However a more structured debate is better suited to kids aged 8 and over. You can get them to choose their own topic, but as my charges argue for up to two hours over stuff as trivial as the week’s ice cream rationing, I throw democracy out the window and choose a suitable topic for them.

I figure why not! Because if they insist on arguing with each other as a holiday pastime, I might as well put it to good use. Plus, debating is similar to most kids’ other favourite pastime of putting on a well rehearsed “show” for the adults.

* Play Dates

One thing that kids really miss over the break is their friends. So having someone from “outside the family” is an excellent distraction and helps to reduce the risk of your kids killing each other with boredom. The advantage of the guest usually being on their best behaviour also means that the dynamic works well. Provided there are no huge age gaps between the siblings of course. Plus, the presence of a friend is generally sufficient enough to make the kids less picky and argumentative about the day’s planned activities. Which of course means you can get away with taking them to easy-breezy places like the beach, the park or the movies.

* Putting The ‘Fun’ Back Into Chores

Now hear me out, this was a very happy accident that occurred one summer. The kids had been required to clean out the car after leaving it in a state of disgrace due to what I like to call “Teflon Hands Syndrome”, a chronic condition whereby food wrappers slip uncontrollably out of kids’ hands the second the food is extracted. Because it was a hot day, they got into their swimmers and had a ball with the hose. Not only that, but the kids from across the road joined in the fun and helped out! Miraculously the car itself got cleaned, a great time was had by all and even more miraculously, I got to sit back and simply supervise.

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So there you are fellow nannies, moms, sitters and even you grandparents out there harbouring kids these holidays. I hope I’ve inspired you a little and given you a little shot of optimism.

The School Holiday Survival Guide
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1. School Holidays: 10 Things The Kids Are Looking Forward To
2. Part I: The Cost Of School Holidays
3. Part II: Out + About In Sydney

P.S. if you’d like to support me in raising awareness to the “Teflon Hands Syndrome”, you can email me on NannyMctreehugger@gmail.com

images: Sydney University | Taronga Zoo | Sydney Sea Life Aquarium | MPMK

This post is linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.