Winter school holidays are just around the corner, and with it inevitably comes three weeks of your children sitting at home complaining that they are ‘bored’ and being unable to play outside because of the cooler temperatures (especially inland) . Bored children tend to bicker with their sibling or end up being mischievous. The winter chill is unfortunately unavoidable but the boredom that comes with it can be sidestepped completely. Before cabin fever hits your home, and you start counting down the hours until the start of third term, try one of our boredom buster activities – they are all not only kid but Blue Bird Aupair approved! 

1. Holiday Diary – Buy a note book and cover it and encourage your child to write in it every day. If your child is younger than 8, get them to draw pictures, paint or colour their days. They can get creative as they want and stick in photos, do check-lists of activities they want to do and draw pictures to remind them of the ‘winter holidays of 2018’.
   
   
2. Gardening – Checkers’ mini gardens have given children (and their parents!) green fingers overnight. Use the holidays to get the children in the garden, planting, weeding and watering! It brings a new dimension to messy play.
   
   
3. Make sock puppets by gluing wool on the top of an old sock and using a permanent marker and scraps of material to make eyes, nose and a mouth, then put on a puppet show.
   
   
4. Have a tea party with the little ladies (and gentlemen) in your home. Encourage them to dress in their ‘Sunday best’ for the occasion. Don’t forget dust off the good cutlery and crockery!
   
   
5. Visit the library. Municipal libraries are packed with books which will the entire family’s imagination FREE! Just take along your most up-to-date municipal bill, complete the forms and choose from a plethora of books (and DVD’s).
   
   
6. Bake your favourite biscuit or cake recipe and let your child decorate their creation as they please. You supply sprinkles, icing and sweeties and let them do the rest.
   
   
7. Make your own non-toxic play dough by mixing together half a cup of salt, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar, mix in a cup of boiling water and a few drops of food colouring.
   
   
8. Board games. Dust off the old Monopoly or Snakes and Ladders set and revive the old-fashioned fun of playing a game that does not require a battery or TV screen. Or, try teaching your children the lost art of chess or backgammon! 

Remember, that young and enquiring minds need to be stimulated and engaged or boredom and the inevitable unruly behaviour will be sure to present itself. With a bit of imagination (and patience) winter holidays can not only be bearable but enjoyable for the entire family!     

Press release disseminated on behalf of:

Blue Bird Aupair Agency
By:Carmen White
Sam Watt Marketing Communications
Phone: 081 260 4011
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Blue Bird
Since inception in 2017 Blue Bird has matching local and international families with responsible, passionate young South Africans! At Blue Bird Aupairs our client’s children are our Number One priority! You see, our ‘Blue Birds’ aren’t just ordinary girls, they are strong, responsible young woman who are passionate about the health, wellbeing and education of our client’s precious gifts. For more information go to: https://bluebirdaupairs.co.za

Following a record sold-out run in 2016, the “Imagine! Family Magic Spectacular”, South Africa’s BIGGEST magic show returns to dazzle Capetonian families at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town on Saturday 3 June, 2017 at 2:30 pm.  

The Spectacular will feature a charming ensemble of more than 50 of the nation’s top children’s entertainers, illusionists, jugglers, mimes, clowns and more and will once again be presented by the College of Magic, the Mother City’s only magical arts organisation.  

An afternoon of incredible illusions and dazzling magic awaits audiences at this magical extravaganza unlike any other. This wondrous escape into a world of fantastical make believe is guaranteed winter family fun for the young and young at heart!  

The College of Magic, the only organisation of its kind in the world, has been teaching the art of magic and its allied arts as well as vital life-skills to children and adults alike since 1980.  

“We were astounded by the success of the Imagine! Family Magic Spectacular last year and the audience’s desire to see the impossible made possible! We look forward to entertaining you with a bigger and even better show in June”, says College of Magic director David Gore.  

Proceeds from the show will be used in aid of the organisation’s Umlingo Outreach initiative which provides holistic life skills to young people in need.  

Tickets for the “Imagine! Family Magic Spectacular” at the Artscape Theatre on Saturday 3 June, 2017 are vanishing quickly. Tickets are available from R160 with discounts for family bookings. Book yours TODAY at Computicket.  

For more information about the show and the College of Magic, please visit www.collegeofmagic.com or call +27(0)21 683 5480.