Moonstone, our Crystal and Mineral shop,
depends much on seasonal trade so we tend to be busiest during school holidays. As
a result I carry a subtle constant feeling of guilt that my children are
missing out! I’m sure this is the case for many parents. This holiday we have a
Gem and Mineral Exhibition in Menlyn Shopping Centre in Pretoria .
My daughter will be jolling with
friends but my six year old son will be with me most of the time and even
though I’m going to be busy, I’m making a point of creating a holiday survival
strategy which makes everyone happy!
H. P.O.A. (Holiday Plan Of Action)
-Stick to his usual
bedtime. Its so easy to let this one slip during holiday time but I so often end
up with a thoroughly uncooperative young individual on my hands.
-As children are most energetic
in the morning hours, I plan to focus on exciting physical playtime early, right
after breakfast. Previously I would have tried
to pack work in before he wakes up and end up attempting to distract him with things
to buy myself time. My kids have always been great at keeping themselves
entertained but I’d like to make this holiday fun without overcapitalizing on
impressive distractions or making them feel marginalized. So you’ll find us
cycling, walking the dog, playing hide and seek and treasure hunting in the
garden between 7 and 9 in the morning for the next 2 weeks!
-Organize indoor free
play for afternoon down time and make sure there’s always music playing as this
will increase his concentration span and feeling of contentment. I'll let him choose as this increases his involvement and affirms that he has a say. He has discovered Bob Dylan recently! Audio books are a winner in my
house, and it’s cool to get them to illustrate the story they're listening to.
-Google 'crazy animals' together
and select one clear picture to print out everyday with the name for him to
copy in detail and then put in an Awesome Animals of the world file that he can take to school first day to show teacher.
-Keep a picture
journal of the holiday, each day gets one drawing of the day's events and I may add photos later.
-Sending him off into the garden with a
camera is a great way to ensure hours of new discovery outdoors.
-Kitchen time- I’ll be
encouraging him to make a side dish for dinner, popcorn, gluten free banana
bread, date balls and co. Also we’ll have a lunch decorating competition daily
where I’ll chop a bunch of veggies and other edibles into slices, squares and
rounds for him to make funny faces on rice cakes sandwiches, we’ll take photos
of them, and he’ll help select the best one at the end.
-Get him to choose the
toys that go with when he has to go with to work but give him enough time to select
carefully and include books that he enjoys looking through. Where’s Wally is a
winner!
- Pack healthy snacks
for when we leave the house to prevent crazed starvation buying!
-Find some cool kid’s
events to go to as a treat. This will be easy for us as Plettenberg Bay
Happy holidays
everyone. May the next two weeks find you bonding with your kids, keeping your sanity and not too happy to see it end!
No comments:
Post a Comment