To our Families 

On behalf of our staff I would like to thank all of you for your support, patience and understanding during remote learning.  Our students have shone and done remarkably well in the remote learning environment. Whilst we are praying for a return to onsite schooling, we cannot inform our families of what next term will look like without advice from our Diocese and Government. As soon as this information becomes available we will share it with you. 

During the holidays, please check in with your extended family and friends or give your children the opportunity to do so in a supervised online environment - how lucky are we to have facetime and online meets to connect with one another.  Asking for you to support your children with screen time may sound strange after online learning, however using video platforms to socially connect with our families and friends can have an improvement on our social and emotional wellbeing. By all means decrease the amount of time spent on screens for other purposes! Read below for a list of ideas to engage your family over the school holidays. 

Think of your childhood and those experiences that stand out. Use these to guide you for activities. I recall making homemade popcorn with real butter at my aunts during holidays. My cousins tried to teach me how to play cricket, not my strong point, but I know the basic rules to pass on. Building a billy cart was always great fun - though getting it to stay in one piece as we rolled down the hill at the end of the street was always a challenge. Building a tree fort and climbing trees is also a great way to pass the time. 

My nephew loves board games, and it was during lockdown 5.0 on rainy afternoon; that he and his family rediscovered the joy of traditional Monopoly. If you are able to find an opportunity shop open - they normally have a great collection of board games for several dollars. Either that or using a piece of cardboard to measure out a checkers board could be a great way to play many different games - a quick internet search of games to play on a checkers board could be of use here!

Mrs Gulavin loves restoring old furniture and would encourage a family project or two - again visiting an opportunity shop to find old pieces may help. I do remember teaching my youngest to cook and invent new recipes - always some good fun to be had finding out what foods do and do not go together! We all learn from the experiences of our life. And this covid world we live in is shaping history right before our eyes. It is a period in time our children will remember. As a parent, I want it to be remembered for the good memories, not the tough stuff. I hope you do too.

If you are struggling for activities, distractions, or fulfilling pursuits for your children check the activity ideas!

Have a safe and blessed holiday 

Mrs Barwick

Toddler/ Preschool

• Playdough
• Playing “shops”
• Duplo
• Wooden puzzles
• Learning nursery rhymes
• Spend time on a swing
• Dry and press some flowers
• Pizzas – Use a flatbread, and prepare cut capsicum, mushrooms and grated cheese and ask children to decorate the pizza
• Sandpit play
• On hot days, supervised water play is a fun way to cool down - think like sandpit play, only with water, buckets, tubs, little boats or floatable items
• The Imagination Tree is a crafting site from babies through to school age.
• Scope suggest some fun things to do for sensory play

Primary

• Scavenger hunts
• Puzzles, Card games and board games
• Gardening or pick and press flowers
• Paper plane making – turn it into a competition
• Build a marble run from round materials
• Thinklum coding and robotics school offer Online Coding School Holidays Camps for Kids
• Hewlett Packard are offering free printables 
• Build a Domino trail
• Indoor or outdoor treasure hunt
• Water play with sprinklers - make sure it is supervised, but a fun way to cool down
• Scavenger hunt in your yard – Nature Play SA have some resources to use for scavenger hunts and outdoor play
• Make Sock puppets – a few socks, big buttons, needle and thread or glue, then put on a play
• Chalk art –draw, write, on concrete – your driveway, a path – share a positive message with your neighbourhood
• Go fishing (check on the latest regulations for this, you may not be able)
• Listen as David Walliams narrates some of his stories from “The Worlds Worst Children” Series (free during COVID-19)
• Little Scribe have free educational activities for literacy
• Story Factory offer free online workshops facilitated by Story Factory Storytellers.
• Make a kite and fly it
• Play frisbee
• Let off some energy with Totem tennis
• Bounce on a trampoline
• Try origami
• Encourage Nature play, if you need a little inspiration check these kits from Poppy and Daisy Designs.
• Some areas, local sports clubs are offering virtual sports camps. 

This list of 130 screen free things to do by Daniella Minns is full of different ideas too.

Teen

Encourage teens to unplug from devices

• Life skills like cooking if not already mastered, now is a great time to share the load
• Try renovating a piece of furniture
• Do a crossword or sudoku puzzle
• Home manicure and paint nails
• Take the time out for a home spa with face masks, exfoliators and letting your skin breathe without makeup
• Learn calligraphy
• Macrame is trending! From starting out with key rings and wall hangings to making indoor teepees, outdoor porch swings, the inspiration is out there! Mary Maker Studio is an Australian stockist of fibre, cords, ribbons and tools and accessories.
• Sew a garment or reversible bag – check online for a pattern
• Learn a language – try Duolingo
• Curate a Spotify playlist if you haven't tried it already
• Start a book club (virtually, of course)
• It's never too late to learn a musical instrument, and many teachers are offering virtual or video-call lessons.
• Creative photography portraits or still life
• Create something with a 3D printer
• Try Yoga or Pilates.

The Whole Family

• Encourage outdoor time in your backyard, skipping, shooting basketball hoops, playing tennis against a wall
• A picnic in your yard. The blanket, the thermos, and picnic food. You could also try this indoors if the weather is wet!
• Camp in your backyard – pitch the tent, build a campfire, cook damper and toast marshmallows
• If  you are using isolation to repaint a room. Older children (that understand not to do this every day) can draw artwork on the wall before you paint
• Plant a garden. If you only have a windowsill, herbs like mint, chives, thyme and rosemary are easy to grow and take up little space.
• Wash the car - have fun getting wet
• Is it too early to start Christmas baking? 
• Keep a gratitude diary, or take photos to record your gratitude moments. this can be done individually or as a group

A treasure trove of online games and puzzles can be accessed at Crazy games.