SCHOOL’S out!
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
However, it may be back in already depending on which side of the border you live.
My five nieces and nephews south of the border are back in school this week as are many of our family friends.
For those with kids at schools on both sides of the state border, you’re both in and you’re out right now – in proper Katy Perry style. (It’s like you get a mini break from packing their school lunchboxes but not a sanctioned holiday! It’s more like a staycation!!)
For now, my brood is collectively out of school.
They’re also collectively wearing a path between the pantry and the television and the pantry and the study and the pantry and their bedrooms.
Suddenly we’ve skipped straight from summer to winter, just in time for the two-week autumn break.
Everyone is ravenous.
Everyone wants to watch movies. The same few, over and over again.
No one wants to leave the house because that might mean getting out of their unicorn onesie.
Here’s some ideas to navigate the NSW school holidays without travelling too far out of their comfort zone.
1 Let people come to you
- All of our Victorian friends have already visited us in their school holidays. We dipped our toes in the Murray River down by Noreuil Park when the weather was better and topped it off with a trip to MAMA on a Thursday night. Can’t recommend Thursday night at MAMA enough. It’s more fun than late-night shopping and much more affordable (free entry). Our girls love to check out what’s in the half a dozen peepholes around the place. A new family-friendly exhibition Material Sound runs through until April 29.
2 Movie marathons
- Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights during school holidays are movie nights. Highly recommend Wonder, The Greatest Showman and Charlotte’s Web (2006) for old-time’s sake. Our girls were surprised to learn that August Pullman’s sweet mum (Julia Roberts) was also the literate spider in Charlotte’s Web.
3 Let them eat cake
- Suddenly the weather is super conducive to baking and eating. We can’t get enough of lime and coconut cake, which is perfectly moist and just sweet enough. With Anzac Day around the corner, it’s timely to bake a batch of chewy Anzac biscuits with the kids. We’ve been making the same chewy version for the past three years. If the kids can bake scones and quiche, they should be able to survive university.
4 The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge is back
- Border libraries stock gazillions of books on the challenge’s reading lists. Even if your child is not doing the challenge, the reading lists are a good guide to age-appropriate and well-crafted Australian stories.
5 Hello crafternoon
- Pull out any craft kits previously unopened because the kids weren’t old enough to tackle them without only a little bit of help. It’s pointless if the kids delegate the whole hand-sewing project to you. Loom bands are manageable at most school ages. It’s also good to have a portable craft if the kids are tagging along with you.
6 Walk your dog
- If you don’t own one, borrow a child-friendly one from a friend or neighbour.
Happy staycation! It will be over before you know it!!
RELATED CONTENT:
