04
Dec
Holiday actives with children
A. Thompson from Christchurch writes, “Holiday actives with children. Go to another school’s playground.”
Category Archives: Kids
13
Oct
No-cost family activity
An oily rag family from Northland has written to us about their no-cost family activity. Grandma and four kiddies packed a picnic lunch and had a great time at their local reserve. The kids each made a stick raft from dried flax flower stems, which they dropped off a bridge for a race down the […]
04
Oct
School holiday activities
Caron from the Waikato has responded to our recent column about low-cost school holiday activities with some great ideas of her own. “I was in charge of my grandkids recently and was determined that they would not be glued to their devices the whole time. I went to my local Spotlight store and bought some […]
06
Jul
Low cost kids party?
A reader has written in asking if anyone has ideas for fun, no or low-cost activities for a child’s party. If you have some ideas, new and old, that will make for a memorable kids’ party then let us know. We like the idea of themed parties, like a mad scientist theme, where kids dress […]
22
Sep
Bored? Try board games.
We recently came across a chest full of well-used board games. We had a great time with the grandkids playing Battleship and other classics. Many of the great board games can be found in garage sales at really good prices. Games can be both educational and entertaining, and encourage participation and active communication (like shouting!). […]
22
Sep
Find the missing shoe
A reader writes, “We wanted to play Happy Families but not having the cards we gathered shoes, divided them up between us, and then had to find the matching one. We hid behind sofas/chairs in four corners of the room with our little collection and peeped out to ask for the missing shoe we were […]
11
Sep
The kids’ garden
The garden is not only a wonderful place for kids to be kids, but at the same time they learn about growing healthy and fresh food. They also get the message about the benefits that come from putting in a little bit of effort. While some children may be disappointed to learn that toffee apples […]
30
Jul
A OS, Wellington.
I have recently been trawling galas, garage sales and op shops for Christmas pressies for the kids. You can buy fantastic gifts at very reasonable prices. I have bought all my nieces and nephews puzzles and games of their favourite cartoon characters for 20c each and they are still in almost new condition. My nieces […]
30
Jul
A OS, Wellington.
My three year old has been very busy all year making Christmas gifts. We bake and freeze throughout the year and save our large tin cans for him to paint and pop plants into them for the gardeners in the family. We also make him decorate all our labels (for homebrew and chutneys) and because […]
30
Jul
SMP, Whangarei.
The local refuse center has been a great place to buy books for our daughter. I have purchased Margaret Mahy, Lyn Dodley, Maori language books for 10-20 cents each. Some books I’ve seen in book stores for $20-$40.