It’s School Holidays Again?

Its school holidays again (boy, do they come around fast!) so I thought I might share some of the freebies and competitions I have found lately for my grandkids.

One of the best local ones is Kidspot (www.kidspot.com.au). Just click on the link ‘Things to Do’. If your girls are into Frozen (like my granddaughter) or your boys or girls into Lion King here is another site with colouring pages they might enjoy – www.disneymovieslist.com/colouringpages. It’s spring now so it seems a good idea to get the kids outdoors as much as possible to enjoy the warmer weather. In my search for things to do with the grandkids I came across the Yates Spring Veggie Growing Challenge at www.yates.com.au. If you apply to enter the challenge they will send out some free vegetable seeds. All the kids have to do then is to plant them and grow them, taking photos along the way which they upload to the website with comments.

Writing competitions can be a great way to help kids with an interest in writing to hone their skills through the school holidays and motivate them a little before school goes back. Here are a couple I found:

1. Andy Griffiths Kids Writing Competition. This one closes on October 14th and is open to kids between 6 and 12 years. The entry needs to be an original story between 200 and 500 words based on the theme – Living in a Treehouse. The winner will have their story illustrated by Terry Denton then framed and presented to their school. The top ten entries will also win an Andy Griffiths book pack. You can check it out at www.dymocks.com.au/promotions.
2. Writing Classes for Kids Writing Competition. This one is for children under the age of 18 years and involves writing a story of no more than 500 words on the theme of space. The ten winning entries will be published in an e-book and winners will also receive a certificate. For more details head to www.writingclassesforkids.com. The closing date is 31st October. Legitimate writing competitions are usually free to enter so if the competition asks for an entry fee, I would give it a miss. As with all competitions, it is always important to read the terms and conditions carefully, make sure the entry doesn’t go over the word limit and get it in before the closing date.

Finally, let’s not forget that it is still free and heaps of fun for kids to simply spend some time at a local park or beach (with a picnic lunch) or just hang out with friends.