Cool Things to Do with Your Kids in January: The Secret School Holiday List

Cool Things to Do with Your Kids in January: The Secret School Holiday List

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Posted 2012-12-15 by Shannon Meyerkortfollow
Welcome to the eighth edition of the Secret List. A list of fun, different and unusual things to do with your kids each month.

There is something for every family, no matter how old your kids are, where you live, and how much you have to spend.

Why is it a secret? Because if you kids find out about all the things on this list: they will beg you to do everything on it.

%%This month I am releasing it a little early because a lot of these cool school holiday activities need to be booked now so you don't miss out.

Otherwise you might need to entertain them yourself.%%



Happy New Year
If you're reading this you probably have young kids, so New Year's Eve means as much to you as an all-night rave or trekking the Himalayas. New Year's Day though is unavoidable, so here are some cool ways to celebrate from around the world:

  • eat a suckling pig (Austria);
  • get your kids to write letters to their parents and god-parents [presumably to tell you how boring you are for making them write a letter] (Belgium);
  • eat lentils [apparently they bring wealth] (Brazil);
  • break up some dishes and dump them on your friend's doorstep [no, it's a good thing] (Denmark);
  • take a lump of coal to a party at a friend's place [ditto] (England);
  • clean the house and pay off your debts [probably not a bad idea at any time of year] (Vietnam);
  • wear new clothes (Haiti);
  • eat lasagne but avoid other types of pasta [they are bad luck] (Sicily);
  • have a snog (USA).

  • When: Tuesday January 1st, 2013
    Where: everywhere
    Cost: Suckling pig can be quite expensive… stick to snogging



    Premature Bangers
    If you can't wait until Australia Day for your dose of fireworks, head along to the Shelley Beach Foreshore for a New Year's Day Family Concert and Fireworks. The concert includes the bands Rush Hour, Chain Reaction, and Troupadores. Get cracking.

    When: Tuesday January 1st, 2013, 2pm-8pm
    Where: Shelley Beach foreshore Shelley Foreshore between Beatrice Av & Corbel St
    Cost: Free

    Walk Your Own Adventure
    If you fancy a few hours fresh air around the quaint Subiaco area, then consider taking the kids on the Subiaco Children's Adventure Map. Once you have the map, the kids can hunt for clues and discover a secret password. There's no reason why you can't do a little shopping or stop for coffee along the way. A real family adventure.

    When: anytime
    Where: download the map online or pick one up from Lords Gym, Subi Library or Subi Admin
    Cost: free
    Click for more info.

    Get Down, Down South
    If you're mad enough to bundle the kids into the car for a traditional holiday 'down south', consider the Festival of Busselton as a family-friendly destination. This year events include a Teddy Bears Picnic, kid's Treasure Hunt, Skateboard competition and Best Dressed Pirate competition.

    For the oldies there are the Petticoat Lane markets, an antiques fair, pottery and art exhibitions, and a free deckchair cinema. Oh, and the biggie: the closing concert features Darryl Braithwaite followed by fireworks on the jetty. That's the way it's gonna be little darlin'…

    When: Tuesday 8th January to Saturday 19th January
    Where: Around Busselton and Dunsborough
    Cost: mostly free

    Click for more info.



    You Will Never Need To See Your Child Again
    No one can deny that the summer school holidays are verrrrry long. So if you (and the kids) need a bit of space, then consider some of the awesome school holiday programs on offer. There are so many brilliant programs it is impossible to list them all here, but here is a taster of them.

    My tip: BOOK NOW if you like the sound of something. Forgot wrapping the Christmas presents, this is more important.

    RSPCA: (bookings are open now)
    Includes: be a vet, be an inspector, Junior Masterchef, pet paparazzi, puppetry, learning about horses, canine styling plus more.

    Times, locations and prices vary.
    Check website for more info.



    Fremantle Arts Centre: (bookings open December 17)
    There are separate programs for 5-8 years, 9-12 years, 13-18 years and include mosaics, animation, book making, music, jewellery making.

    Times and prices vary.
    Check website for more info.

    1 Finnerty St, Fremantle

    Whiteman Park: (bookings now open)
    Includes crafty camels, Incredibubble, Australian Dreaming, pottery and Boomerang Bonanza.

    Times and prices vary.
    Check website for more info.

    Lord Street, Whiteman

    City of Mandurah: ice skating, mosaics, gypsy dance workshop, hair do and dance party.

    Times and prices vary.
    Check website for more info.

    City of Bayswater:
    Includes hand puppets, Scitech slime show, writing workshop, magic show and decorating t-shirts. Held at the Bayswater, Morley and Maylands Libraries.

    All events are free but require booking. Ages 6 and over.
    Click for more info.

    Armadale School Holiday program :
    Includes pool-side storytelling, making your own clay tablets, digital photographic books.

    Check here for more info.



    Fremantle School Holiday Guide:
    A mind-boggling array of goodies including pottery, puppetry, art camps, photo-journalism, skateboarding workshops, rock school, urban art, and making jewellery out of bike chains.

    Times and prices vary.
    Check website for more info.

    How are Zoo Today?
    School holidays = a trip to the zoo. It's a tradition. It's practically law. If you visit the zoo between the 7th and 25th (weekdays only) there will be free live pantomines and storytellers.

    On January 14th to 16th the zoo offer the 'Zoo Crew' program for kids aged 8-13. Mums! These are full days (9.30am-3.30pm) and include visiting the animals, going behind the scenes, making treats for the animals, being fed to the lions, crafts and games. Just checking you're paying attention. Cost: $70 per child per day.



    Also, if you're the type to plan ahead and you have a littlie (2-5 years) registrations for 'A to Zoo' open on January 7th online, where kids learn about a different animal every week through storytelling, music, craft and dance. The 8 week term starts mid-Feb (after the biggies are back at school) and cost $50 for the whole term.

    Where: Perth Zoo, Labouchere Rd, South Perth

    Click for more info about A to Zoo .

    Click here for more info about Zoo Crews .

    Must We Go To The Musty Museum?
    They're not really musty. They are very cool and the three Perth/Fremantle Museums are offering some great school holiday programs. Costs vary and normal entry fees still apply.

    WA Museum (James St, Perth): From Monday 21st to Feb 1st (not including Jan 28th) let your kid become a 'Time Traveller' from the Olden Days. Make paper dolls, have a paper doll wedding, make wooden peg dolls, play knucklebones and jumping jacks, walk the heritage trail.

    West Australian Museum, 9.30am-4.30pm, activities cost between $1 and $3, suitable for kids 5 years .

    Maritime Museum (Victoria Quay, Fremantle): From Monday 21st to Friday 25th and from Tuesday 28th to Friday 1st Feb, the museum is running their Wild Antarctica program, full of crafts (make a wild Antarctica pop-up landscape) and games, and include a games chill zone. Get it? Antarctica. Chill zone.

    Maritime Museum, 10am-2pm.

    Shipwrecks Galleries (Cliff Street Fremantle): Go on a pirate treasure trail to track down stolen loot and get your piece of eight (a silver piece, at any rate), and play pirate games and craft.

    Shipwrecks, daily, suitable for age 4 years , activities range from free to $4.

    When: during the month of January
    Where: various museums in Perth and Fremantle
    Cost: small fees apply in addition to normal admission fees
    Click for more info.



    Once A Jolly Aussie Sat And Watched Some Fireworks…
    Australia Day. It means something different to everyone, but at the end of the day (literally) all of Perth look towards the sky.

    Just some of the Aussie Day celebrations being held include: Mandurah; Aussie BBQ breakfast hosted by City of Cockburn at Coogee Beach; Australia Day BBQ Claremont; and the Combined Councils Oz Day celebrations in Peppermint Grove.

    Alternatively, you can stay home, get the paddling pool out, light the BBQ, fry some snags, play some cricket, watch some sport on the telly, chuck a Frisbee, ride your bike and fight with your siblings. Oh, and drink some beer (or a nice shandy).

    There are also more fireworks than you can poke a flaming stick at, and include: Ashfield Reserve, Bassendean; regional fireworks in Armadale and Bunbury; the 'Indian Ocean Skyshow' in Fremantle; and the biggie – the City of Perth fireworks.

    When: Saturday 26th January, start times vary
    Cost: Free
    Where: look up
    For more info check your local papers.

    Run Away and Join The Circus
    How's this for something different: the Margaret River Circus Festival run by Lunar Circus. Three days of everything circus, from midday to midnight (that's a lot of clowns). If you're afraid of clowns (and who isn't) then you can be wowed from circus performers from around the world, performing circus skills you have never even heard of before.

    Big and small, ground based and high-wire, new shows and award winning shows, funny shows and sad shows, long and short, shows for kids and shows by kids- all of them are mind-blowing. And not a clown to be seen.

    When: Saturday 26th January to Monday 28th January
    Where: Karridale, Margaret River
    Cost: family of four (weekend pass) $220 includes free camping, single day adult ticket $50, child day ticket (3-16 years)$30

    Click for more info.

    #western_australia
    #school_holidays
    #school_holiday_activities
    #learn_something
    #kids
    #fun_for_children
    #free
    #family
    #january
    #lists
    %wnperth
    210605 - 2023-06-16 06:29:30

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