survival guide to school holidays - momsmatterchristmas activities a survival guide to the school...

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☺ Christmas Crafts ☺ Christmas Activities ☺ Science Experiments ☺ Pictures to Colour-In ☺ Dot-to-Dot Activity ☺ List of Durban Libraries ☺ Outdoor Activities ☺ Scavenger Hunt List ☺ PlayDough Recipe ☺ Home Secure Checklist ☺ Road Trip Games This publication was produced for Moms Matter by

Don’t forget to visit www.MomsMatter.co.za for the most comprehensive online resource directory loaded with holiday activities, places to go and things to do for you and your family. Enjoy the holidays!

Survival Guide to

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS www.MomsMatter.co.za

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

Make your own Wrapping

Paper

Go the extra mile and personalize your wrapping paper!

Metallic paints add a Christmas feel...

• Using a white wax crayon draw some snow flakes, stars etc... all over a large piece of paper. Then get some watered down craft paint and paint the whole page.

• Paint your whole page a plain colour, then using potato stamp (cut designs out of pota-toes) and a different colour paint stamp de-signs all over the page.

• Paint your whole page a base coat of me-tallic colour. Then randomly paint a second colour of regular craft paint over the metal-lic paint. While the top coat is still wet, using a fork or comb or anything else have some fun drawing patterns into the paint.

Use your wrapping paper with a nice ribbon to cover a present making it very special.

...Add an extra-special

touch with matching Gift

Tags

Compliment this wrapping paper with match-ing Gift Tags!

Glue a piece of home made gift wrap onto folded cardboard.

Decorate the card using any small embellishments or you could make your own using a paper clip shaped into a star or circle.

Project compliments of: Crafting Kids

Christmas Cards that the

Kids can make

With Christmas around the corner, www.home-dzine.co.za decided to look at some of the absolutely gorgeous home made Christmas cards - to inspire you to make your own this year. Save money and have a great time too!

Encourage the whole family to get in on the fun this Christmas by designing several home-made Christmas Cards for every member of your family and friends.

You may like to purchase prepared craft ac-cessories, or get the kids involved with a pair of scissors, some old magazines and the ‘stuff’ lying around the house!

Literally anything can be used... As well as pictures, you can use some craft materials to add a 3D effect. Look for fleece, cotton, rib-bons, even faux fur!

Or tear up different coloured tissue paper and roll them into balls. Glue the balls onto pre-printed pictures or make your own picture.

Bring Out the Artist

Using an old paint brush and some craft glue let your child paint a picture with the glue. Then, using coloured sand, coloured mielie meal or glitter... sprinkle over the picture for a funky effect.

A Survival Guide to the

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS Together with www.MomsMatter.co.za

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES



Reindeer Cupcakes

Make some rein-deer cupcakes using a cupcake ready mix and some fun extras.

Make your cup-cakes according to the instructions on the ready mix pack (or buy some un-iced queen cakes).

Now all you need is some:

• Chocolate butter icing

• Silver balls/ small sweets for eyes.

• Small cherries/ Astros for nose.

• Plain pretzels for antlers.

Ice the cupcakes with the chocolate but-ter icing and decorate as in the image above. Use the silver balls as eyes just above centre. Put small cherry/red Astro for a nose, and the pretzels are pushed into the cake just above the eyes as antlers.

Rudolph Craft

You will need:

• Empty toilet roll • Pair googlie eyes • Small red pompom • 2 Gold pipe clean-ers

• Green ribbon • Brown koki

What to do:

Shape the pipe cleaners into antlers

Cut 4 “door way” shapes for Rudolph’s legs.

Glue the eyes and nose in place then use the koki to make a mouth, hooves and eye-brows.

Finally using cellotape, stick the antlers into the inside of the toilet roll on the top.

Santa’s Reindeer Word Search

North Pole www.northpole.com is the hub of Santa’s activi-ties! Send Santa a letter and he’ll write you back, read stories about Santa, the elves, and reindeer, Print stories & color the pages and countdown to Christmas with more fun activities.

Elf Yourself www.elfyourself.com will help you create a fun Christmas clip this year. Watch the magic as you are transformed into Dancing Elves!

Personal Video Message www.portablenorthpole.tv will let your loved ones receive a personal message from Santa Claus, sent directly from his village in the North Pole.

Visit Santa’s Village www.claus.com will take you around Santa’s vil-lage, full of fun things for both kids and parents, including lots of new things this year.

d a s h e r a n d z

f c d o n n e r o u

r s c o m e t e v r

u h o l p d h b i d

y p t j c a r l x h

k l r w u n m i e m

l o p m p c k t n q

r d y p i e c z n r

z u n t d r z e a m

p r a n c e r n d v

Words can go across, up and down only. rudolph blitzen dancer

prancer comet dasher

Vixen cupid donner

SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Color Wheel

Pour 1 cup milk into a bowl.

Add three drops of red food coloring at the edge of the bowl at the “12 o’clock” position; add 3 drops of blue food coloring 1/3 of the way away at the “4 o’clock” position; and add 3 drops of yellow food coloring 1/3 of the way away at the “8 o’clock” position.

Be careful not to move the bowl at this stage!

Squeeze a drop of dish washing liquid (such as Sunlight) into the centre of the bowl.

Watch as the soap, which won’t mix with the milk, floats on top of the bowl and spreads across the surface. As it moves it grabs the food coloring, and as it moves it forms new col-ors!

Change the Colour of Celery

Put 8-10 drops of red food coloring in water in a large glass.

Cut the end off the bottom of a celery stalk, leaving the leaves at the top, and place the celery in the jar of red water.

In about 12 hours, you’ll be able to see the red water has been absorbed into the veins of the stalk and the leaves!

Egg in a Bottle

How can a boiled egg fit into a bot-tle with a narrow top? You will need:

• peeled hard-boiled egg (or soft-

boiled, if a yolk mess interests

you!)

• bottle or jar with opening slightly smaller

than the diameter of the egg.

• very hot water (adult supervision please!)

Sit the boiled (and peeled) egg on the bottle. Run the bottle under very hot tap water and place on the counter.

Warmed air will escape around the egg, then as it cools, the softened egg will be sucked into

the opening!

Creating Crystals

Fill a jar with boiling water. Mix in borax 1 tablespoon at a time, for a total of 3 table-spoons per 1 cup of water, until it settles on the bottom of the jar and won’t dissolve. Add bright food coloring.

Bend a pipe cleaner into a star shape, tie it to a pencil with a piece of string, and sus-pend it over the jar so that the star pipe cleaner is in the borax solution but not touching the bottom or sides of the jar.

Watch as crystals form on the star. Let set overnight. In the morning, remove the star and allow it to drip dry.

Twisted Bones

Take some thin chicken bones and drop them in vinegar for a day. Take them out and they'll be soft!

Now you can tie them in a knot, just like a piece of string. Or leave them sitting out on the table and they'll get hard again!

Make A Lava Lamp

Mix some water and baby oil with a few drops of food coloring in a plastic bottle and watch a lava lamp in action!

• Water • Baby Oil or Vegetable Oil • Food Colouring • Clear Plastic Bottle with Lid (Small)

Fill a bottle 3/4 of the way with vegetable oil. Then fill the rest of the bottle with col-oured water, and close the lid tightly.

Turn the bottle on its side – watch as the colour moves through the oil in funny shapes and blobs.

The water and the oil do not mix because the water has more density than the oil.

Sources: www.kids-science-experiments.com

www.chemistry.about.com



TOBY TOWER FUN

WIN a R300 hamper from Toby Tower Visit www.MomsMatter.co.za for more details



Simply visit www.MomsMatter.co.za and enter online for your chance to WIN A TOBY TOWER HAMPER — Fun for the kids, with R300 worth of fantastic Toby Tower products.

DURBAN LIBRARIES

Amanzimtoti Civic Centre 031 311 5883 Montford 031 404 9247

Asherville 031 208 7766 Montlands 031 462 8265

Kingsburgh Hall 031 311 5886 Umhlanga Lagoon Drive 031 561 6433

Klaarwater 031 706 3662 Umkumbane Cato Manor 031 261 4961

Kloof 031 764 7543 Umlazi AA 031 909 4731

Kwa Dabeka 031 707 7497 Umlazi (W540) 031 907 2710

Kwa Makutha 031 905 3750 Waterfall 031 763 3231

Kwa Mashu 031 501 1977 Westville Civic Centre 031 311 6591

La Lucia 031 572 2986 Westville North 031 311 6601

Lamontville 031 400 7808 Windermere Centre 031 312 0416

Malvern 031 311 2522 Woodhurst 031 403 0700

Marian Ridge 031 703 1839 Wyebank 031 707 2201

Adams Mission 031 905 3137 Merebank 031 468 2948

Athlone Park 031 311 5885 Moorton 031 404 2870

Austerville Percy 031 461 1180 Motala Heights 031 700 2741

Bayview 031 400 4666 Mpola 031 703 2358

Beach Seaview 031 337 7600 Mpumalanga 031 771 0603

Isipingo Civic 031 311 5887 Umdloti Beach 031 568 1746

Dassenhoek 031 706 2680 Reservoir Hills 031 262 5035

Firwood 031 564 0961 Sparks 031 208 4881

Glenashley 031 572 5885 St Wendolins 031 706 3588

Grosvenor 031 466 2888 Stanmore 031 539 3654

Hammersdale 031 736 2306 Stonebridge 031 539 1124

Inanda 031 519 0487 Umbilo 031 205 3875

Isipingo Beach 031 311 5888 Umbogintweni 031 904 2289

Caneside 031 505 3710 Mt Edgecombe 031 502 3552

Cato Crest 031 261 1096 Musgrave Centre 031 201 6646

Cato Ridge 031 782 1632 New Germany 031 311 6476

Cato Manor Extension 031 264 1002 Newlands East 031 577 2161

Chesterville 031 264 0945 Newlands West 031 578 1121

Clermont 031 707 3812 Pinetown Centre 031 311 6333

Croftdene 031 403 0331 Prince Edward 031 306 0404

Havenside 031 400 1933 Tekwini 031 311 2410

Hillary 031 464 4769 Ntuzuma 031 507 5144

Hillcrest 031 761 5830 Thornwood 031 703 2359

Durban North 031 564 2142 Shallcross 031 311 2578

Durban Libraries Please contact your local Library to see what holiday activities they have planned.



TOBY TOWER FUN




Simply visit www.MomsMatter.co.za and enter online for your chance to WIN A TOBY TOWER HAMPER — R300 worth of fantastic Toby Tower products. Fun for the kids!

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES �1 x Flower

�1 x Living Thing – e.g. ant

�1 x Dried Leaf

�1 x Stone

�1 x Coloured Leaf

�1 x Blade of Grass

�1 x Something Soft

�1 x Long thin Leaf

�1 x Something Hard

�1 x Dried Stick

�1 x Ball

�1 x Marble

�1 x Paper Napkin

�1 x Sock

�1 x Clothes Peg

�1 x Sheet of Paper

�1 x Pencil

�1 x Children’s book

�1 x Shoe

�1 x Comb

�1 x Paper Clip

�1 x Green Leaf

�1 x Roll Toilet Paper

Scavenger Hunt

Print a list of some things your child could find in your garden and in your home. Then arm them each with a bag and the list, and send them to collect all the things on the list. For younger children use pictures on your list instead of words.

Grow Something

Plant a flower bed. Sunflowers are great favorites with young kids and relatively easy to grow.

Water Play

Fill a tub with water outside and add some bubble bath or liquid soap to it to make bubbles.

Give your kids straws and various pouring containers and let them play!

Outdoor Chef Nothing beats good old fashion mud pies!!

Get the hose out and add some water to a sandy patch in the garden. Dress the kids in their cos-tumes or some old clothes and let them make mud pies.

Once they have finished making their pies, en-courage them to hunt for flowers, stones and leaves in the garden. Then let them get really creative and use the flowers etc... to decorate their gourmet creations.



OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Camp Out

Take advantage of warm summer nights in Dur-ban. Let the kids to invite some friends over and spend a night under the stars!

Toast marshmallows, lie back and look at the stars. Use this opportunity to talk about the con-stellations of stars in the universe.

Sprinkler Fun

On a nice hot day , get the kids in there cos-tumes, cover them in suntan lotion and switch on the garden sprinkler.

This will do two things: 1. … water your garden, 2. … give hours of fun to your kids!

For extra fun arm each child with a water pistol or squirter and let them play.

Pavement Artist

Give your child some chalk and let them draw on the pave-ment, fence or brick walls. Once they have had enough of drawing give them a bucket and cloth and set them to work cleaning the pictures off.

Help your kids draw a hopscotch design on the paving, give them some small stones and they can be busy for hours.

Ball Skills

Balls are a wonderful way for your children to get rid of some energy!

A game like Swing Ball can give kids hours of fun either on their own or with a friend.

Play soccer using stones or shoes (or anything that is handy) to mark out goals and have turns shooting into the goals.

Bubbles

Make bubbles using some dishwashing liquid and water. Shape an old metal coat hanger into a circle and dip and blow gently!

Parks and Nature Reserves There are a number of beautiful parks and

nature reserves in and around Durban where

you can take a picnic and the family to en-

joy a fun day outing.

Botanic Gardens 031 322 4000

Burman Bush 031 312 4466

Pigeon Valley Park Trail 031 205 1919

Seaton Park Nature Reserve 031 563 6777

Hawaiian Forest Nature Reserve 031 566 4018

Virginia Bush Nature Reserve 031 563 6777

Paradise Valley Nature Reserve 031 702 3443

Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve

031 469 2807

Silverglen Nature Reserve 031 404 5628

Palmiet Nature Reserve 031 203 7067

Krantzkloof Nature Reserve 031 764 3515

New Germany Nature Reserve 031 262 8239

Roosfontein Nature Reserve 031 203 7067

Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve

031 561 4257

Bluff Nature Reserve 031 469 2807

Beachwood Mangroves 031 274 1150

North Park Nature Reserve 031 469 2807

Jamieson Park 031 303 2275

Japanese Gardens – Durban North

031 563 1333

Mitchell Park 031 303 2275

Reunion Park/Isipingo Mangroves 031 902 6072

Hazelmere Nature Reserve 032 533 2315

Phezulu Game Park 031 777 1000

Tala Private Game Reserve 031 781 8000

What’s happening in

Durban these holidays?

Visit www.MomsMatter.co.za to discover

the most comprehensive online directory

for you and your family in Durban!



La Lucia Mall —

Fe

stive Sea

son Act

ivities

FREE GOODIE BAG WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR PHOTO TAKEN WITH SANTA Have your photo taken with Santa and receive a pair of these reindeer horns! (while stocks last).



La Lucia Mall —

Fe

stive Sea

son Act

ivities

FREE ACTIVITY SHEETS FOR KIDS at every Coffee Shop & Restaurant throughout La Lucia Mall this Festive Season! (while stocks last)

Normal trading hours 8.30am—6pm weekdays 8.30am—5pm weekends / thurs 16 dec (day of reconciliation)

Extended trading hours 17 dec 2010 to 2 jan 2011 Fri 17 dec thur 23 dec (weekdays) 8.30am 7pm Sat 18 dec sun 19 dec (weekend) 8.30am 6pm Fri 24 dec (Christmas eve) 8.30am 6pm Sat 25 dec (Christmas day) optional trading* Sun 26 dec (day of goodwill) 8.30am 2pm Mon 27 dec (public holiday) 8.30am 5pm Tue 28 dec thurs 31 dec 8.30am 6pm Sat 1 jan (new year’s day) optional trading* Sun 2 jan normal trading resumes 9am 5pm *certain retailers are open. Please call Centre Management on 031 562 8420

ACTIVITIES THROUGH THE MALL… SPCA TREE OF LOVE: 10-24 December From 10-24 December (in Foshini Court) place a dedi-cation to your favourite pet on the SPCA Tree of Love for a small donation to the SPCA.

GIFT WRAPPING SERVICE: 16-24 December From 16-24 December (in Red Square court) you can have your gifts wrapped for a small donation to CHOC—the childhood cancer foundation SA.

SAND ART: 10-24 December Daily from 10-24 December in Exclusive Books court from 10am to 4pm.

LINDT GARDEN ACTIVITIES: 15-24 December Daily from 15-24 December from 10am to 6pm in the NWJ court with loads of giveaways.

FREE ACTIVITY SHEETS FOR KIDS: 10-24 December Daily from 10-24 December, ALL coffee shops and res-taurants have activity sheets for the kids to enjoy daily (while stocks last).



MAKE YOUR OWN PLAYDOUGH

Make your own PlayDough

With the school holidays coming up I'm sure that many moms will be looking for ideas on how to keep the kids entertained. Play dough is a classic childhood toy everyone can have fun with and it's so easy to make at home you may never want to buy again!

You will need:

2 cups flour 2 cups warm water 1 cup salt 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon cream of tartar Food colouring Disposable gloves

Here's how:

• Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes.

• When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the centre, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle. Keep stirring and cooking until the dough is dry and feels like play dough. *If your play dough is still sticky, you simply need to cook it longer!

• Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or glass board and knead vigorously until it be-comes silky smooth.

• Divide the dough into balls for colouring. Pop on the disposable gloves and make a well in the centre of each ball; add food colouring. Fold the dough over, working the food colour through the body of the play dough. Work the dye through, adding more as nec-essary to achieve your chosen colour.

• When you're done, store your play dough in an air-tight container.

Notes:

If the play dough begins to dry out, you can knead a bit of water in again to soften the

dough back to use ability. Once it's dried past a certain point, however, you'll just have to

start over.

If the play dough gets soggy, you can re-heat it to drive off the extra water the dough

absorbed overnight.

Make Your Own Christmas Tree

Decorations

You can also make your own Christmas ornaments with your playdough!

Simply cut out shapes using your favorite cookie cutters, and leave then bake on low heat in the oven until completely dry. Then paint or decorate the surface, and enjoy your very own hand-made Christmas decorations!

Project supplied by www.home-dzine.co.za



TOBY TOWER FUN




Simply visit www.MomsMatter.co.za and enter online for your chance to WIN A TOBY TOWER HAMPER — R300 worth of fantastic Toby Tower prod-ucts. Fun for the kids!

GOING AWAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

HOME SECURE Checklist:

Everybody loves to go on holiday, but none of us want to arrive home to find we have been burgled. In the rush to get away, it´s easy to forget the simple steps that can help keep your home safe and secure beyond just locking the door.

Burglars target homes that look empty, so make your home appear busy and lived in. It is a good idea to get help from neighbours or family, let them know your holiday plans and when you expect to return. You could also ask them to collect post, open and close cur-tains and put your rubbish bin out on your driveway to give your home that “lived in” feel.

(source: ADT website)

� Ensure that all ground and basement windows are fitted with locks and make certain doors have dead bolt locks.

� Secure sliding glass doors with a metal bar or wooden dowel placed in the door track.

� Leave curtains slightly parted so your house doesn't have an empty look, but don't leave valuables or electronic equipment where burglars can see them through win-dows.

� Never leave an answering machine message indicating you're not home. Simply say that you cannot take the call at that moment.

� Never leave door keys under a doormat or plant pot outside.

� If you have a monitored home security system, make sure it is working properly and has been properly tested at least 4 weeks before you go away. If you do not have a monitored alarm, consider having one installed because they are an effective deter-rent.

� Use timer switches to turn lights on and off, giving your home the impression it is occu-pied. They are inexpensive, easy to operate and can be obtained from good DIY stores.

� If you have a Neighbourhood Watch in your area, let them know your plans so that they can help keep an eye on your property.

� Remember to cancel deliveries such as milk or newspapers. Uncollected mail acts as a signal that a house is not occupied.

� Avoid discussing holiday plans with strangers, you never know who they might pass the information on to.

� Secure important documents and valuable items in a safe place within your home or deposit them in a bank.

� Put your home address on a piece of paper inside your suitcase and not visible on the

outside. If you are flying, don´t put the labels on your luggage until you get to the air-port check-in.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Not only is ADT SA’s leading security company but through our net-work of Community Security Schemes our local on-the-ground knowledge and ability to protect your suburb and neighbourhood is second to none.

SA’S LEADING SECURITY COMPANY: ADT is the largest security service provider in South Africa, with more personnel, vehicles and resource than any other security company - ADT is 'Always There' for you.



GAMES FOR THE ROAD TRIP “I’m going on a trip”

This is a memory game where each person in turn tells what he's taking on a trip. The first person thinks of something that begins with the letter A, the next person the letter B and so on. Each person has to remember and re-cite all the things that have been mentioned thus far.

For example, “I'm going on a trip and I'm tak-ing an anvil.” “I'm going on a trip and I'm tak-ing an anvil and a button.” “I'm going on a trip and I'm taking an anvil, a button and my cat.”

There are lots of possible variations to this game. Try “I'm going to the supermarket” or, for older kids, the book shop, the music store or the nursery.

He is, she is...

This game is great for playing on car trips. Look at the car next to yours and make up stories about the lives of the passengers.

Challenge kids to be outrageously creative. What do they do? Where do they live? How many pets do they have?

The ABC game

The objective is to complete the alphabet from A to Z. As you see the letter on billboards and signs you shout out the letter and point. You can either play competitively, or see how quickly you can get to Z working together.

Number plate games

Make an interesting or funny three word phrase from the letters of the number plate. So if the letters are VWK, you might come up with Very Crazy Kids or Voracious Cannibals Knit. An alternative is to make a word that uses all three letters in it. To make it harder, you might introduce a rule that the letters have to be used in the order they appear on the number plate.

TRAVELLING GAMES - FOR THE ROAD TRIP

Car Cricket This is a classic car travel game.

Nominate one family member to have their turn—they are the batter. They get one ‘run’ for every car that go past in the opposite direction to you.

A bakkie is worth 2 runs, and a truck is worth 4 runs. The batter is out when a black car drives past and the total number of runs is compared with the next batter’s score.

Spot the Cars

This game is similar to Car Cricket, but more suited to younger children who may not be able to keep up with the additions required.

Each person chooses a different colour and then starts counting. First person to get to 20 / 50 / 100 - is the winner.

Are we there yet?

Photocopy the relevant map page for each child. Show them how far you have come, how much further there is to go and let them mark it with a crayon.

Every time someone asks "How much fur-ther?” let them see for themselves!



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