Fun Kids Activity: Capturing the world through your kids eyes

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Mika

On Monday the kids were off school early, so we took advantage of the extra “free” time and went to Te Papa (Wellington museum – our favourite hang out when it is cold and windy outside!)

The kids took our new family camera for a test drive. It was nice and light for the kids to use, and they loved walking around the museum documenting their trip by taking photos!

My 5, 7 and 9 year old really enjoyed this, my 3 year old wasn’t too interested – she was too busy exploring! I noticed my 9 year old was particularly excited about being able to take her own photos. (So I made a mental note, that this would be a perfect way to keep her engaged if we ever do something that is gauged towards younger children.)

The children can do many things with their photos!

They can:

email them to grandma and grandad
make a slide show of the photos to view on family night
enter the photo on to KidsClick
make their own photo collages using Picasa
talk about why they took their photo
write about their photos
make their own blog and showcase the photos
print out smaller pictures to stick into their journals
let their mother use them for a blog post hehehe

Lots of car parks to choose from! Bonus!

A cool photo of the ceiling in the foyer of the Museum

A map of constellations on the museum. The kids love skidding on their knees over it for some reason?? (Te Papa is a kid friendly museum...hehehe)

A map of constellations in the museum. The kids love skidding on their knees over it for some reason?? (Te Papa is a kid friendly museum...hehehe)

I still have memories of the fish display from the old museum from when I was a kid

The kids and I checking out the exhibits (Yay! I'm in the photo for a change!)

My son looked up at the ceiling and asked what this was....I said it was the skeleton of a whale...then he asked where the heart was..

(my photo)...then he exclaimed "I know where it is!" and ran to the nearby Discovery Centre, and hopped into the life size model of a whale's heart!

Check out http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz/ to find out more information about our "Colossal Squid"

More interesting sights my kids found

(my photos) We all had a blast!

Can you believe that we were at the museum for 2 hours, and they were spent mainly at the Science Discovery Centre and up by the Stowaways Container!

Reality Check: As soon as we got home it was off to the Parent Teacher interviews. So we had a quick snack before we left, and then a very late dinner. If only we could make time expand!

Good Reads:

Digital Photography School: 13 Lessons to teach your child about digital photography (this is a great article, even adults who are interested in photography would find it useful!)[via Okanagan4kids]

BetterPhoto.com: BetterPhoto for Young Adults (A range of articles to help your child develop their photography skills) [via Okanagan4kids]

Come play at Childhood101 We play link up

Lessons in Motherhood: Do Over!

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Mika

Do you believe in second chances? I do.

I didn’t have the best of days on Tuesday. I now realise I was quite sleep deprived, which hindered my decision-making (that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! hehehe). Basically at the end of the night, I felt I wasn’t as attentive to the kids as I could have been (Have you ever felt like that? As soon as your children’s head hit the pillow you start thinking…ah I wish I did things differently??)

Anyway, the next day I woke up early and was much more alert, and I said to myself, “I’m going to have a “DO OVER”!

To me, a “do over” means accepting that you may have had a bad day the day before, but that today is a new day, with new choices to be made.

The biggest difference to my “do over” day was my attitude. As I kept reminding myself that it was a “do over”, I felt empowered to guide the course of the day with my positive actions.

For me it meant:

being proactive instead of reactive

being showered, changed and ready for the day

starting the day with prayer and inspirational reading

listening to my body and having a rest to recharge my batteries

practicing patience

not going on the computer till after the kids go to bed

and as I mentioned, having a good attitude

My 7 and 9 year old must have decided to have a “do over” as well, because they woke up early and did their chores of unloading the dishwasher and getting the fruit and snack portion of the lunches ready, ate breakfast and got dressed, ALL without being asked!! Heaven!

Fun Kids Activity: Staying connected through letters

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Mika

When I was younger, my grandmother and I used to exchange letters regularly. I loved her handwriting (I can still picture it!), and the pretty paper that she would use.

Recently my children have started to exchange letters with the other children in our extended family. When they get a letter in the mail, they immediately start thinking of what to send in return. I have really enjoyed watching their excitement and enthusiasm!

Even though we may not be able to see our family members often, I love that the letter writing is making our families who live far away, seem just a little bit closer.

The older children have been writing letters, making cross words puzzles and drawing pictures.

The younger ones have been decorating paper with stickers, drawing and dictating messages.

There have been candy exchanges too, which are fun to send and to receive!

If I have any scanned pictures of the kids’ drawings, I will print them out and include some of them as well.

Come play at Childhood101 We play link up

5 Great Finds: Jewellery Organiser, Tooth Fairy Bunnies, Art Displays, Berenstain Bears and Bubble Blowers

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Mika

JEWELLERY ORGANISER

Alissa from 33 Shades of Green shares a really easy tutorial to showcase your jewellery (or jewelry as the American’s spell it). I can’t help thinking that after making these lovely organisers, I would feel I would have permission to go out and buy lots of gorgeous pieces of jewellery! (Thanks to Jane from Finding Fabulous for finding this gem of a post!)

http://33shadesofgreen.blogspot.com/2009/11/easy-jewelry-organizer.html

TOOTH FAIRY BUNNIES

Where do you put your child’s tooth after it comes out of their mouth? Ohdeedoh featured Brooke from Inchmark who made these cute and functional bunnies to house the treasures while they wait for the tooth fairy to arrive!

http://inchmark.squarespace.com/inchmark/2010/4/22/tooth-fairy-bunnies.html

DISPLAYING YOUR CHILD’S ARTWORK WITH STYLE

I LOVE these two examples of clustered artwork displays by two talented bloggers:

Diane from The Perfectly Imperfect Life has made a lovely art display in their play room. I love that she has included baby pictures in the display, and the white frames go nicely with the softer coloured art work.

http://theperfectlyimperfectlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/play-room-and-day-bed-reveal.html

Angie from Echoes of Laughter has created this gorgeous art gallery wall in her family room. I love all the bright art work, which seem to really compliment the different array of frames on display.

http://applevalleygirl.blogspot.com/2010/05/finallymy-art-gallery-wall-is-complete.html

BERENSTAIN BEARS ON TV AGAIN (FOR NZ)

You may be familiar with the Berenstain Book series that handle such issues like going to the dentist for the first time or about having a messy room (sooo many great titles). Their TV series has returned to New Zealand television on Kidszone at every day at 9.35am, 1.35pm and 5.35pm. This is a great show to sit down with your children because it all about helping your child learn life lessons through the experiences that brother and sister bear have on the show. I remember recalling to my children one of the episodes to do with swearing when they asked me why people swear. (I think I even borrowed a few explanations that mama and papa bear used!)

http://tvnz.co.nz/content/3485071

BUBBLE BLOWER TUTORIAL

Alison from HowDoesShe features a tutorial to make your very own bubble blower by using every day supplies that you could probably find around the house – plastic bottle, a rag or sock, rubber band and dishwashing liquid. I can not wait to try making nice long bubble snakes with the kids!

http://www.howdoesshe.com/making-bubbles

GRAB A BUTTON IF YOU WERE FEATURED

Fun Kids Activity: Car Adventures

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Mika

Things go grey by Imeus Design @ www.laffichemoderne.com

To combat cabin fever I like to take the kids out for a drive. I recently posted about our drive around the bays and included some links for ideas to do when you are stuck indoors.

The 3 school kids are home sick from school at the mo. Yesterday, after we dropped hubby off at work, my son asked if we could go on an ADVENTURE?!

I knew exactly what he meant.

We sometimes go on “adventures” in the car. It is where I let the kids tell me where to go. They will shout out, “Let’s go down that street!” or I will ask, “Shall we go left or right?” when we get to an intersection.

We look at road signs and I ask the kids what they think it means.

Source: canterburytrails.co.nz

Once it is time to go home, I tell the kids to keep a look out for the road signs with our suburb on it. I get them to tell me the direction the signs are telling us to go. Once they were familiar with where we are, they just rattle off which streets I need to go down to get home.

It’s a great activity to talk about all sorts of things. The seasons, pointing out road works, places we used to visit etc etc.

My son must have enjoyed it because the first thing he told his dad when he got home was, “Daddy! We went on an adventure!!”

Come play at Childhood101 We play link up

Fun Kids Activity: Simple Water Dye Fun

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Mika

Materials:

Empty ice cream & yoghurt containers
Plastic sipper bottles filled with water and a few drops of food colouring

My daughter is a pourer. If she happens to get her hands on two cups, she will spend the next while pouring water from one cup to another. So to extend this, I decided to fill some bottles with the primary colours and let her pour to her heart’s content.

We talked about “what would happen if we mixed yellow and red” or “what would happen if we mixed blue and red”. She loved experimenting and finding the answer herself…”PURPLE!!”

Fun Kids Activity: Fun with LED Finger Lights

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Mika

My daughter received a packet of 4 LED Finger Lights as a prize at school. She decided to give one light each to her siblings…awwww..

That night we had dinner by candlelight and LED finger lights.

And then, armed with a finger light each, we played Hide and Seek in the dark (one of my favourite games to play with the kids…see my other favourite games at Fave Five: Fun and Easy Games)

As people were found, we all helped to find the “hiders” by using our LED lights, which acted like our own mini torches.

Today, the kids got a packet of LED lights for themselves (They can be found at a discount stores. I found these at the $2 store in Wellington. With most things in from the discount stores, don’t expect them long lasting)

We had fun taking photos of the light patterns with the LED lights, using the same techinique I used to get the streaky car lights (increasing the apperature, putting the camera on a hard surface or tripod, and setting the timer)

I can’t WAIT to play Hide and Seek again tonight…it’s already getting quite dark…Yay!!

post edit: tonight we found new ways to play with our LED lights, you can shine them on the ceiling or wall and do shadow puppets. When it gets dark outside you can shine the light towards the window and then dance around to music and all you will see is the light in the window reflection doing all sorts of crazy moves (ok…maybe I just found that one fun! *blush*)

Come play at Childhood101 We play link up

My Goal for this Week: Strengthening my Relationship with each Child

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Mika

I don’t know about you, but something I quite often think about is: “How am I doing in regards to developing my relationship with EACH child?”

We do things to strengthen our family, but what do I do to make sure that individual children are getting what they need from me.

So that has lead me to this week’s goal: Strengthening my relationship with each child.

One of the things I will be doing is making One on One Time more of a priority. It could be an impromptu talk with my daughter while we are having breakfast. Or setting time aside for a different child every night to talk and/or do something they enjoy.

Mixed in through the day will be fun activities, notes in their lunchboxes, more kisses and cuddles, taking a child with me on errands or have them get involved with chores so we can talk alongside each other and of course lots and lots of listening, and increased patience and understanding.

I am looking forward to shifting from “what needs to be done” to “how can I use my time more effectively to be a good mother”. I am also looking forward to hunting out special moments to bond with my each children.

I enjoyed using Twitter last week! (See my twitter progress on the right hand side of my blog) It really did help me with my motivation, so I will twittering my updates throughout this goal!

I’m really looking forward to it! (Feel free to join me!)

Some great links:

How to Bond with your Child

5 Great Ways to Bond with your Children

Combating Cabin Fever!

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Mika

Sometimes children can get a bit of cabin fever when the weather limits you to indoor activities.

At the moment I have a child with a runny nose and cough, so I am getting a bit of cabin fever myself! (Can you tell I’m on day 4 of our “quarantine”??)

To get us out of the house, I took the kids out for a drive today. We talked about and watched the trains go in and out of the station, we went to the docks to see the crates getting lifted by huge machinery, and watched the logs being loaded onto a cargo boat. Lots of exploring from the comfort of our car.

Yesterday, I took the kids for a drive out around the bays. We went right from Oriental Bay to Owhiro Bay, watching the big waves break against the rocks. The surfers in Lyall Bay were certainly taking advantage of it.

I came across two really distinctive building on our drive around the bays. I was amazed that they actually looked lived in!

Later on I found out they are owned by some people who rent out “The Lighthouse” and “The Keep”. What an original idea!

Since it looks like my son will need to stay home from school tomorrow as well, I went searching online for some more ideas to combat cabin fever. I found two articles with suggestions that are right up my alley. I can’t wait to try some of them!

Parents Connect: Cabin Fever and Rainy Day Activities for Kids

Babble: 25 Ways to Fight Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever and Rainy Day Activities for Kids

Rediscovering the lost arts

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Mika

There is something really Jane Austen-ish about doing needle work don’t you think?

That’s what I caught myself thinking as I looked up from my cross stitch at my 9 year old daughter who was sitting next to me concentrating on her cross stitch project.

Times have certainly changed.

Like the fact that often, sewing is done more as a hobby than out of necessity. My mother used to sew our clothing because of lack of funds. She ran a sewing class out of our home while she was pregnant, in order to earn money for a new (old) car. But now, we can easily pick up an apron or a skirt and it will cost next to nothing!

I’m coming to realise that getting started with sewing isn’t cheap! I emptied out all of my pocket money today at Spotlight in order to establish a sewing kit. The next step is saving and purchasing a sewing machine…but for now I will be borrowing my mother’s. Thanks mum!

Another difference that we face today is that we are time starved. Back in Jane Austen’s day, the richer folk had plenty of time to pass, so they would take up needle work, paint, learn the piano forte, languages and travel. Now we have so many things that fight for our attention!

I’m not sure why these arts are lost to some and so alive with others. Is it because they always loved it while others had different interests? Or perhaps you needed a mentors who always had their hands busy with some craft projects, and you couldn’t help but to learn from them?

Maybe you can enlighten me, but for now, I am enjoying re-teaching myself how to do some of the crafts that were taught to me a loooong time ago. What’s interesting is that my daughters are really enthusiastic about learning as well!

I almost feel like I am turning back the clock and returning to the 60s as I work away on the sewing machine making a new headband for my girls, or the 70s as I crochet a beanie or the 80s as I knit myself a scarf or the 1800s, as we work away on our cross stitch projects like today.

Lessons Learned:

Since I haven’t done any of these “lost arts” regularly enough to remember how to do a lot of it, youtube and online tutorials have been FANTASTIC. If you don’t know the next step, you are bound to find out how to do it online!
By late 8 or 9 years old, my oldest daughter could work independently on most things, but just needed me there when she got stuck.
By late 6 or 7 years old, my second daughter needed careful instruction, close support and encouragement when things went wrong.
Baby steps with knitting: For both my 7 & 9 year olds, I would knit one row, and then the kids would knit one row. That way I could check for any mistakes.
Baby steps with cross stitch: For my 7 year old, she would do a row of diagonal stitches, and I would do the crosses. My 9 year old could do both. My 3 year old wanted to have a go, so I would put the needle in, and she would pull the needle and thread through to the other side.
Sometimes I worry that I am not teaching them the “correct techniques”, since I am teaching them from memory, or from what I have interpreted from reading online instructions. When that thought pops into my head, I have to remind myself to enjoy the learning journey, just as my daughters are. (Gosh, can you imagine the odd things that are going to be passed down from generation to generation from now on?!?!?)

More School Holiday Fun in Wellington

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Mika

Just because I am housebound, doesn’t mean that you have to be

Here is a list of activities that are currently running during the school holidays in Wellington. Enjoy!

TRANZMETRO – $2 DAY (thanks Ula for mentioning this)

You can get out of the house, and go anywhere each day on the Hutt Valley, Paraparaumu and Johnsonville lines, for a tiny $2 dollars per day. (Excludes Wairarapa services)

Date: Tuesday, 12 April, Wednesday, 13 April and Thursday, 14 April

Time: Between 9am and 3pm

Location: Hutt Valley, Paraparaumu and Johnsonville Lines

THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE – KID’S SHOW (thanks Cara for letting us know about this)

Join The Improvisors in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice for their first ever improvised show for kids – it’s interactive, great fun and hilarious! In under an hour and with the help of the audience we’ll take you on a magical journey, which is limited only by your energy and imagination.

Date and Time: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April, 11am and 1pm. Saturday, 17 April 11am

Cost: $10

Location: Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki St, Wellington

ROBIN HOOD AND THE LOST CROWN

With singing and dancing, this new and very different version of the Robin Hood story is brought to you by the writers and producers of Little Bo Peep and the Cabbage of Doom.

Date and Time: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April, 11am and 1pm. Saturday, 17 April 11am

Cost: $10, groups 10+ $9

Location: Gryphon Theatre, 22 Ghuznee St, Wellington

HANSEL AND GRETEL

In this tale of blended families gone horribly wrong, Hansel and Gretel try to outwit their mean stepmother, when she abandons them in the forest, but their hungry tummies land them in big trouble.
Hansel & Gretel need all the help they can get to escape from the wicked witch with a taste for pudgy boys and find their way home!
A cautionary tale of the dangers of too many sweets! Call 04 385 0292 to book.

Date and Time: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April, 11am and 1pm. Saturday, 17 April 11am

Cost: $10, groups 10+ $9, Under Two FREE

Location: Tararua Tramping Club, 4 Moncrieff St, Mount Victoria

CAPITAL E: THE FARM AT THE END OF THE ROAD

Join woolly sheep Matilda and Duchess, Henry and Henrietta the free-range chooks and ragamuffin sheep dog Buck, as they follow a moon-lit road to help Farmer Mac find a new home. Age 2-7

Date: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April

Time: 10am and 11.30am

Cost: $12 per person. $44 for a group of four. $10.00 per person for groups of 10 or more. Under two FREE.

Location: Capital E McKenzie Theatre, Civic Squre, Wellington

FARMYARD MASKS

Down on the farm there are a host of wonderful animals to play with — see the Capital E National Theatre for Children’s performance of The Farm At The End Of The Road and then join us in the playground to make a mask of your favourite farmyard animal to wear home. Age 2+

Date: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April

Time: 9.30am-1.30pm

Cost: $2 per mask

Location: Capital E Playground, Civic Squre, Wellington

CAPITAL E: MASQUERADE

There is nothing more exciting and mysterious than the art of mask — they’re fun to make and wear and for thousands of years they have been used to entertain and disguise. Come and explore the world of mask at Capital E’s Masquerade. Change your own face in our fun virtual booth using facial recognition technology, see an interactive display about masks and all their uses, then get hands-on and make two masks of your very own to take home and continue the fun. Age 4+

Date: Monday, 12 April – Saturday, 17 April

Time: 10am-4pm

Cost: $5 entry, $8 with entry to Commedia Dell’Arte workshop (see details below).

Location: Main Floor, Capital E, Civic Squre, Wellington

(Over at Chez Lee there is a lovely blog post & photos of their daughters enjoying making masks)

CAPITAL E: COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE PERFORMANCE

Come and meet Arlecchino, Pantalone, Scaramuccia and their friends. At this performance you will learn about the art of Commedia Dell’Arte, a form of mask theatre that evolved in Italy, influencing early clowning and ballet. The same masks and characters have been used for hundreds of years. Amazingly all these characters will be performed by just one man, Ralph Johnson, how does he do it? Through the magic of Mask of course! This fun, interactive workshop will give you a taste of this amazing art form. Age 4+ Adult Suprvision required

Date: Monday, 12 April – Saturday, 17 April

Time: 10am-4pm

Cost: $8 includes entry into the Capital E main floor Masquerade

Location: Main Floor, Capital E, Civic Squre, Wellington

MAD HATTERS FUN AT THE MUSEUM OF WELLINGTON & SEA

Make a Mad Hat! Come to the Museum these school holidays and make your very own ‘mad hat’. For just $2 kids can get creative and decorate their hat and go into the draw to win one of 10 children’s passes to SkyCity cinemas. You may even want to bring a picnic and have your very own Mad Hatters Tea Party!

Date: Mon 12, Tues 13, Wed 14 April

Time: 10am-1pm

Cost: $2

Location: Queens Warf, Jervois Quay, Wellington

KIDS CLASSES AT CONFIGURE EXPRESS, QUEENSGATE, LOWER HUTT

Configure Express Queensgate is holding special Kids Classes. The Class which runs for an hour involves fun, games and group fitness. Class costs $5 per child and is for children aged 6-10 years of age. Bookings are essential, please phone 04 576 0941.

Date: Monday, 12 April, Wednesday, 14 April and Friday 16 April

Time: 10.35am-11.35am

Cost: $5

Location: Configure Express, Westfield Queensgate, Lower Hutt

LACE UP A LENGTHY LOVE BEADS NECKLACE AT TE PAPA, WELLINGTON

Date: Tuesday, 13 April

Time: 11am-12pm

Cost: $2

Location: Te Huka ā Tai, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

POMPEII AT PLAY FAMILY DAY AT TE PAPA, WELLINGTON

Kids, enjoy a fun-filled day of games, stories, crafts, and talks – and learn all about the bustling ancient city of Pompeii, buried in a cataclysmic volcanic eruption.

Date: Wednesday, 14 April

Time: 10am-5pm

Cost: Free entry to Te Papa & Discovery Centres. $2 for craft activity

Location: Discovery Centres, Level 2 and 4, Te Papa, Wellington

TE PAPA EXHIBITION: A DAY IN POMPEII

Experience the beautiful city of Pompeii – and its tragic destruction – in this blockbuster exhibition.

Date: Now until 25 April

Time: 10am–5pm every day, and until 8pm on Thursdays

Cost: Adult $15, Child 5, Under Five FREE

Location: Visa Platinum Gallery, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

CRANK UP THE RECORD PLAYER AT TE PAPA, WELLINGTON

Date: Thursday, 15 April

Time: 2pm-3pm

Cost: $2

Location: Inpsiration Station, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

A LIST OF OTHER GREAT ATTRACTIONS AROUND WELLINGTON

WOTZON.COM

CRAFT/ART CLASSES

CRAFT HOUSE, HUTT ROAD, THORNDON

ARTSIGHT, ABLE SMITH STREET, WELLINGTON

VILLAGE BEADS, JACKSON STREET, PETONE

____________________________________________________________

You may also be interested in:

FREE School Holiday Events for Young Children in Wellington

FREE School Holiday Events for Young Children in Wellington

Posted on April 10, 2010 by Mika

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail

11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina

11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland

1pm: Monty’s First Birthday

10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail

10am: Kids DIY Clinic

10.30am: Brooklyn Library Fun

11am: Tawa Library Fun

11am: Cummings Park Library Fun

11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina

11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland

1pm: Monty’s First Birthday

10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail

10.30am: Newtown Library Fun

11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina

11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland

1pm: Monty’s First Birthday

2pm: Kilbirnie Library Fun

10am-9pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail

10am: Kids DIY Clinic

10.30am: Island Bay Library Fun

11am: Johnsonville Library Fun

11am: Karori Library Fun

11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina

11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland

12pm: Storytelling with Dick Weir

1pm: Monty’s First Birthday

2pm: Miramar Library Fun

3pm: Khandallah Library Fun

10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail

11am: Wadestown Library Fun

11am-12pm: Become a Fossil Expert

11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina

11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland

1pm: Monty’s First Birthday

10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail

10am: Kids DIY Clinic

10am: Emergency on the Waterfront

11am & 1pm: WotWots

IT’S MONTY’S FIRST BIRTHDAY AT WESTFIELD QUEENSGATE, LOWER HUTT

Swing on down to Westfield Queensgate during the school holidays for heaps of birthday giggles and tonnes of fun for everyone. There’ll be some really cool entertainment and I’ll be there every day to have a laugh, play or cuddle.

Date: Monday, 12 April to Friday, 16 April

Time: 1pm

Cost: Free

Location: Ground floor, Queensgate, Lower Hutt

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AT NORTH CITY PLAZA, PORIRUA

It’s party time with Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter and The White Rabbit! Join them as they get their tea party started with dancing and singing. Anything can happen in the magical land and crazy tea party Alice has found herself at.

Date: Monday, 12 April to Friday, 16 April

Time: 11am and 2pm daily

Cost: Free

Location: Centre Court, Ground floor, North City Plaza, Porirua

DEAD PRECIOUS FOSSIL TRAIL AT TE PAPA

Collect a trail sheet from NatureSpace or outside the Te Papa Kids Store. Follow the clues to find facts about the fossil treasures that have been found in New Zealand. Enter your completed sheet into the entry box outside the Te Papa Kids Store – and be in to win a fossil prize pack!

Date: Now until Sunday, 18 April

Time: 10am-6pm

Cost: Free

Location: NatureSpace Discovery Centre, Level 2, Te Papa, Wellington

ZAPPO AND ZAPPOLINA’S MAGIC FRIEND’S SHOW AT JOHNSONVILLE SHOPPING CENTRE

Come and meet Zelda the Magical Dinosaur, Adelaide the singing Dodo Bird and see Zappo and Zappolina in an all new magical, musical show.

Date: Monday, 12 April to Friday, 16 April

Time: 11am and 1pm daily

Cost: Free

Location: Near the Food court, Johnsonville Shopping Centre, Carpark entrance on Broderick Rd & Moorefield Rd, Johnsonville

SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMME AT LIBRARIES AROUND WELLINGTON

Make sure you’re at a branch near you for entertaining, interactive stories, or mad-hatted activities and a chance to show us your artistic flair.

Date: Tuesday, 13 April to Friday, 16 April

Time: Variety of time

Cost: Free

Location: Variety of locations

KIDS DIY CLINC AT BUNNINGS WAREHOUSE, PORIRUA

Workshops are free for children over the age of 5 and must be accompanied by an adult.

Date: School Holiday DIY Clinics: Tuesday, 13 April and Thursday, 15 April

Weekend DIY Clinics: Saturday, 17 April and Sunday, 18 April

Time: 10am

Cost: Free

Location: Bunnings Warehouse, 9 Heriot Drive, Porirua

STORYTELLING WITH DICK WEIR AT TE PAPA, WELLINGTON

These holidays, be spellbound by famous tales from Ancient Greece, India, China, the Pacific, and beyond. Master storyteller Dick Weir tells of tricks played and lessons learned.

Date: Thursday, 15 April

Time: 12pm-12.45pm

Cost: Free

Location: Wellington Foyer, Level 2, Te Papa, Wellington

NATURESPACE DISCOVERY HOUR – BECOME A FOSSIL EXPERT AT TE PAPA

Kids, explore the strange and amazing plants and animals that flourished in New Zealand millions of years ago. Got a fossil of your own? Bring it in for Te Papa’s palaeontologist (fossil expert) to identify.

Date: Friday, 16 April

Time: 11am-12pm
Cost: Free

Location: Nature Discovery Centre, Level 2, Te Papa

WOT? WOT? THE WOTWOTS!

Come and meet the wonderful WotWots. Join in as SpottyWot and DottyWot sing and dance to their favourite animal songs.

Date: Saturday, 17 April

Time: 11am and 1pm

Cost: Free

Location: Ground floor, Queensgate, Lower Hutt

EMERGENCY ON THE WATERFRONT

Come along and participate in this fun filled, action packed interactive day. See Fire Engines, Ambulances, Police Vehicles, Helicopters, Coastguard and Live Rescue demonstration and much more!

Date: Saturday, 17 April

Time: 10am-3.30pm

Cost: Free

Location: Waitangi Park and Chaffers Marina Waterfront

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Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail

11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina