With the school holidays looming, your ever reliable gang of good folk at the Boundary bring you a rundown of some of the funnest local happenings to keep the kids entertained, as well as some tips on ensuring they that they return to their classrooms well-prepared.
We’re really excited about the collection of workshops being offered for youngsters aged 13 and over at the Corban Estate Arts Centre. On Monday 8 July there’s Bone Carving with Maha Tomo; on 11-12 July, students can sign up for Rap School to learn the ins and outs of this songwriting from international industry professionals; and on the following Tuesday (16 July) teens can craft their own wood cut prints. All workshops run from 10am-3pm, visit ceac.org.nz for full details.
Green-fingered kids aged nine and above should head to urban farm Katrina’s Kitchen Garden (katrinaskitchengarden.com) to learn about the likes of planting seeds, growing food and creating biodynamic compost.
For all the children and teenagers that love the water—and we’re guessing that’s just about all of them—there’s the Free Splash Breakaway Holiday Programme at West Wave Pool in Henderson, nearly two weeks of water safety, aquatic sports, and snorkelling tips. See watersafe.org for more info. Surfers aged 7-17 can learn all about water safety and surfing, while making plenty of good new friends thanks to the Piha Surf Academy Programme—see pihasurfacademy.com for more
details.
In Avondale, Paradice Ice Skating (paradice.co.nz) will be hosting a daily holiday programme from 9am until noon, while Rosedale’s Athletic Development Movement Squad (autmillennium.org.nz) seeks to hone the movement skills of young sports stars aged 7-12. Similarly, the Sporty Kids school holiday programme at Rutherford College on the Te Atatu Peninsula is aimed at 5-14 year olds looking to improve their sporting prowess. Check out sportykids.co.nz.
Endless fun awaits at the super creative Whoa Studios (whoastudios.co.nz) in Henderson by way of their state-of-the-art interactive studios and theatre facilities, with special school holiday events including a workshop with YouTube engineering star Joseph Herscher and a Matariki themed glow in the dark puppet show.
Some holiday film treats at Westcity Events Cinema include the Secret Life of Pets 2, Toy Story 4, and Aladdin.
Good ol’ Kmart stocks heaps of jigsaws and classic games like the Rubik’s Cube and Connect 4 to keep the young ones out of mischief, not to mention family favourites like Monopoly, Twister and Pictionary. The store is also your go-to for all the back to school essentials including stationery, uniforms and sportswear, and lunch boxes, all at unbeatably affordable prices.
