holidays

articles

• Heritage day weekend and holiday activities
• Private school holiday activities in Gauteng
• Zoo holiday programs & kids life skills workshops
• Holiday camps, shopping malls and shows
• Mooikrans Equus, a horse farm worth visiting
• Holiday programs and sleepover camps this coming week
• Dog Walk, Barnyard Theatre and Holiday Calendar
• Holiday and Easter weekend activities
• Holiday camps and day trips in Gauteng
• Midterm holiday break and cooking workshops
• Holiday entertainment, programs and camps
• Survivor and action parties plus sleepover holiday camps
• School holiday camps and day programs
• Kids holiday activities – daily programs
• Father’s day and holiday camps
• Working mom’s plea for all day holiday care
• Planning Christmas holidays

If you haven’t discovered it yet, Jozikids.co.za is the most up to date and detailed resource for parents in the Gauteng region to find what you need including events, activities, venues, parties and lessons. You’ll also find us on your cell phone, twitter and Facebook.Many private schools are on holiday now and we reckon you need help. Here are some ideas.

Shows

The Purr Factory , SA State Theatre, Aug 14-Sep 2.  The Purr Factory, created by Corinee Farber, is an upbeat, toe-tapping rock musical aimed at children of all ages. The Purr Factory is where all the purrs for the kittens graduating from Suzie Swishtail‚s Academy for Kittens get produced. But disastrously, the purrs go missing just before graduation day. The kittens are distraught when they find out about it, as are Suzie Swishtail, Big Bottomed Bertha (the Academy chef) and all the teachers at The Academy. Vincent B Mouseander, the CEO of The Purr Factory is also beside himself with worry but he decides to hire Norris Norton Nackered, the greatest cat detective in the world.

Holiday Activities

Juniper Sandton, Aug 13-17, 20-24, 27-31, Sep 3-7.  Exciting Holiday Care Program. Our daily program focuses on team work based activities with old school style play such as gymkhana sport, craft and themed activities. Aug 13-Sep 7 

International Tennis Academy, holiday clinics, Craighall Park, Aug 13-Oct 5
Mini tennis: 8-9.30am., 3-6yrs
Half-day Clinic: 9.30am-1.30pm , 6-16yrs

Pirates Junior Cricket Clinic, Greenside, Aug 13-16, 27-30. For 7-18yr olds, 9-12pm.  Pirates Junior cricket is running a cricket clinic for young enthusiastic Cricketers.  The clinic aims to be fun,entertaining and highly beneficial with the following focus:

Batting, Bowling, Fielding, Video Analysis, Speed, Agility, Coordination and Balance Training, Specialised coaching from a Level 4 cricket coach and Sport Scientist.

Parenting and children’s workshops

Kidsdecor Workshop – Fourways Design Quarters Aug 24-25. Join us and learn how to decorate your kids’ rooms and nurseries. Sam Scaroborough, author of 3 decor books, her latest Baby Rooms & nurseries, talks to moms and decorators about how to get creative with their kids rooms

Worry Workshop, Wegger Warriors, Orange Grove, Aug 22, 8-12yrs. 3:30-5pm, R375 can be claimed back from medical aid. The Wegger Warriors Workshop will be a fun and creative session where kids will learn to identify worry, stress and anxiety and develop coping skills for dealing with worry. Kids will receive a workbook to take home and continue working on the skills that they learned with their parent or caregiver. Cost includes all materials, drinks, snacks and a workbook

Johnsons Baby Sense Seminars - Aug 25, Sep 15
Pregnancy, birth and newborn- all day from 8am-5pm – Workshops throughout the day focusing on issues such as feeding, sleeping, birthing options, massageAugust seminar is in Pretoria. September in Sandton.

by Mia Von Scha, Transformational Coach, motivational speaker, children’s author, student to two Zen Masters (aka kids), avid cloud watcher and lover of life. Find her at Jozikids or follow her on Facebook.

Winter holidays are here, which for some of us means lazy mornings in bed, hot chocolate with movies, and… shopping with the kids. Now, if you’re anything like me, you’ll usually attempt to do any form of shopping while the little ones are safely at school, far from the checkout aisle at Woolies or the colourful insides of ToysRUs. What parent doesn’t dread that constant “I want… I want… I want…”. We’ve all been there and the temptation to become Mr. or Mrs. No-Sayer is all too strong.

The trouble is that it is natural to have desires, so how do we deal with this without squashing our kids’ ability to dream and to create their realities as they would like them to be, AND without turning them into little spoiled brats by buying them anything they want?!

The secret lies in the wishlist. Invest in the sacred bit of magic called the pocket notebook. Trust me, once you discover its secrets you will never again attempt another shopping trip without it. When “I want” rears it’s ugly little head you can say, in a very understanding voice: “I know… isn’t it a wonderful x, y or z, I totally get why you would want that, so let’s add it to your wishlist”. And out comes the magical notebook, the item is added, and believe it or not… there is no whining to follow.

For once in your life you get to experience being the yes-sayer, your child feels that their desires are being heard and acknowledged and shopping trips don’t turn into temper tantrums.

It is worth occasionally buying them things that are on their wishlists – for birthdays or Christmas – so that they can see their desires manifesting, but trust me, they won’t remember everything on the list.

The wishlist simply shows kids that you respect them and their desires; that you take them seriously and are not always trying to brush them off. They feel that they are worthy of your time, and that their desires are important enough to write down.

If there is some behavior that is driving you nuts in your child, remember that a wise man (otherwise known as Carl Jung) once said, “If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves”.  A small change in adult behavior can go a long way. Try the wishlist and prove me, and Dr. Jung, right!

Enjoy a tantrum-free holiday and be the change you want to see in your kids.

If you haven’t discovered it yet, Jozikids.co.za is the most up to date and detailed resource for parents in the Gauteng region to find what you need including events, activities, venues, parties and lessons. You’ll also find us on your cell phone.

FAMILY SHOWS

Le Grand Cirque Adrenaline, Joburg Theatre, May 29-Jun 17. This is a jaw-dropping visual feast of the most dangerous, entertaining and thrilling Cirque acts combined with physical comedy routines and feats of skill and agility. Featuring a hand-picked cast of 35 extreme athletes from around the world, including Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, UK and USA

FreeMe Talk & Slideshow, Botanical Gardens, Roodepoort, Jun 9 at 9am, FreeMe is a Rehabilitation Centre for injured and neglected animals. It is amazing to see how this organization has managed to survive on public donations for many years. FreeMe played a vital role in the rehabilitation and release of the juvenile Roodekrans Black Eagle after its nest injury during 2010. Come and listen to fascinating stories about animal rescues

Home & Aquarium Expo at Emperors Palace Jun 8-10, 10am-6pm
Home: This show has everything a home owner needs under one roof, plus loads of free giveaways, entertainment, free workshops and 3000 goodie bags distributed over the first two days of the expo.

Aquarium: an event to satisfy all of your needs and questions about keeping an aquarium – Weather you are a beginner or experienced aquarist. Come see all the exciting new trends, products and equipment for the home aquarium. There will be some exquisite livestock on sale, that would make an excellent addition to any tanks

121st Young Artist’s Concerto Festival, Joburg, Pta, Jun 9-10.A concerto is a musical piece written for a solo instrument with orchestralaccompaniment. The soloists in this festival range from 5-13 years old and they will be performing works by many well known composers including Mozart, Vivaldi and Haydn on a variety of instruments including the piano, violin and flute. As a result, this concert promises to be very special and inspiring and an opportunity not to be missed.

HOLIDAY SLEEPOVER CAMPS

Here are a few camps that start towards the end of June that need to be booked in advance if you are interested.
Sugar Bay (7 dys) Camps, KZN Jun 24-Jul 1, Jul 1-8, 8-15.
Happy Acres (7 dys )Holiday Camp, Magaliesberg, Jun 23-30, Jun 30-Jul 7
Kidz Fishing (3 dys) Camp, Vaal, Jun 26-28, Jul 3-5, Jul 10-12

PONY CAMPS
BBk Adventure Pony Camps (8 dys), Waterval Boven, Jun 24-Jul 1; Jul 1-8.
Camp Nelu )Sleepover Camp (4 or 5 )dys, Hekpoort, West Rand, Jun 25-Jul 2.
Esperanza (5 dys) Riding School Mooiplaats, Jun 25-29, Jul 2-6

Next week  we will give you more information about holiday programs, camps and care during July.

Schools holidays start for most schools on Friday. If you want to send your child to a sleepover camp or a day program, nows the time to book. For We have a list of at least 10 different  sleepover camps on offer – many start on October 2, 3, or 4th. Here’s a sampling of what you will find.

CAMPS
Camps- Sleepover
Mazz Riding Club pony sleepover camp, Centurion- 5 days.
Jod’s Riding school- 6 days
In the forest  in Eikenhof- 5 days
Kids Fishing sleepover camp, Vaal- 3 days
Flip Flop Basecamp SA, Harbeespoort- 4 days
Sugar Bay, Zinkwazi beach, KZN- 7 days
Esperanza, horse riding Mooiplaats Pta- 5 days
Immaculate Equestrian, Vaal- 4 days
Adventure n Beyond, Krugersdorp- 5 days
Kambi Kids Bush Camp, Muldersdrift- 7 days
Shepherds Fold, Elandsdrift – 3days

Then there are holiday programs which take place during the day that focus on certain disciplines like:

DAY PROGRAMS
Drama
musical theatre workshops – one in Heidelberg and another where the venue is still to be confirmed.

Science/Tech
Technolab holiday club :Learn about some of the inventions and inventors that changed the world for grade 3-6, robotics for grade 7-12 in Auckland Park.

Sports
You’ll find tennis, horse riding, soccer programs in Joburg and the East rand.

Tuition services
Finally this is a crucial time for anyone writing matric and we have loads of tuition services on our site that are offering holiday matric revision :
Master Maths in Randpark Ridge and Pretoria,
Study Doctor Tutoring has a day workshop on October 1 in Randburg,
KipMcGrath in Rosebank offers a 4 day course.

You’ll find a long list on Jozikids – just visit the tuition section on our holiday activities page.

Remember you can find more ideas of what to do with your family in the Gauteng region on www.Jozikids.co.za on your computer or your cell phone.

By Zoë Harper, PA to Marketing Exec and loving mom to only child, 11 year old and Type 1 Diabetic, Catherine

As a working mom with limited leave and a child who seems to be on a constant spate of school holidays (especially after the 5 weeks school closure for the World Cup last year) I am always looking out for holiday programs or child care facilities during these periods.

I have gone through most of the suggested holiday activities listed on the site (as I do when any holiday / term break is on the horizon) and found that many are only half day (morning or afternoons only) or only run for part of the holidays or are completely out of my neighborhood . Whilst this may be great for full time mom’s or half day mom’s, they aren’t really much use to me and I’m sure thousands of other mothers with similarly limited time. The Kid’s Village Day camp option looks great but is way out in the sticks which would means either setting off at 6am to be able to get there timeously and back through the traffic to be at the office for 8am and leaving work early to get there by closing time of 5pm for the entire two weeks of March / April holidays. Let’s not even talk petrol costs and stress levels here!

I really feel schools need to make more of an effort to arrange facilities (summer school / holiday programs) for children as we are left with very few alternatives. Not all of us can afford au pairs / full time maids / have freely available grandparents etc. And yes, I’d be willing to pay for them (and we don’t even get a reprieve of cutting school fees during these breaks).

I wish there were facilities whereby you could leave your children in good, safe hands in major centers (community centers / libraries?) during school holidays where they are stimulated, educated and entertained whilst taking a break from the usual school routine (at a reasonable fee too – from my mouth to God’s ears).

I think it’s a good business idea to get into but unfortunately I don’t have the resources or contacts to set this kind of thing up and obviously it’s only during certain times of the year.

I guess I’m just venting and sadly wishing away the time to when my child is old enough to be able to fend for herself at home – but that would probably still entail sitting in front of the tv all day or getting up to mischief

In conclusion – if there are such programs and I am unaware of them – please kindly direct me to them.

by Charmaine Viljoen, Project Manager when she has to earn the money, mom to 3 kids, social network addict, compulsive runner (to keep sane), still waiting to marry well and co-founder of  Alex and Alexa, a children’s clothing range.

Firstly I would like to make it clear that I am not the world’s most organised mother and neither does our life run as smoothly as it is going to appear in this blog post! However, with three children under the age of ten I have to combat my normal personality tendencies of ‘lets just see what happens’ and attempt some type of planning to prevent lurching from disorder to chaos.

This year we have decided to continue with some sort of schooling throughout the holiday and so the children have selected books that they want to read (Reader’s Warehouse in Broadacres Centre in Dainfern is fantastic for inexpensive children’s books) and are taking turns to read stories to the others. My youngest is just six and cannot read yet but can spin a good yarn if given a picture book story book. My kids also enjoy learning phonics and reading at www.starfall.com which has a lot of free stuff. We are also registered on www.ixl.com for math practice (mathletics is also a good website for this) and they all enjoy getting their certificates emailed for each math level that they achieve.

Since I am very determined that each child will play a musical instrument that forms part of our normal daily routine as well. I do dream up novel and interesting ways to make music practice fun and there is a lot of simple music available off the internet so that the four of us can harmonise through Christmas Carols (harmonise does range in meaning…)

I have had an interesting year financially, definitely looking up now but it does mean that there is not a lot of money to spend on presents or holiday experiences. Without scaring the children (I hope!) I have explained this to them and we have decided that we will have one outing which they can decide upon – they are currently debating between artjamming in Lonehill or going to see a play at the Children’s Theatre. It has been very interesting to watch them go through a decision making process that is still not finalised! (We use the JoziKids website for any social happenings that we want to attend)

We are also working on sorting out clothing and toys that they no longer use. These will get repaired and cleaned and wrapped for delivery to our local children’s home. (I am not allowed to go because I tend to come back from these expeditions with another baby…my mom takes them instead!)

A new exercise for us this holiday season is that we have decided, as a family, to learn to speak a different language. After much debate we decided on French and I have found a fantastic audiobook that we all listen to and have a lot of fun seeing who can remember the most. The kids were hoping that I would not be able to focus on this and that they would be able to speak to each other without me understanding them and I think that this is still the secret driver that is in play. Luckily I have a bit of a commute to work and an iPod. Languages such as Spanish or French have a wealth of materials to support children and make this engaging and fun.

We are not a regular TV watching family so every few days in the holidays we do go to the local DVD shop and catch up on kids movies as a treat.

And of course, because we have the best weather in the world we get to do lots of cycling, swimming and going to the park.

Have a happy holiday season!