Kid-Friendly Stay-Home Activities for the June School Holidays
 



Parents, are you ready to let your kids have some fun?

The school holidays are here! If you’ve not yet planned some enjoyable activities for the kids to unwind, don’t stress yourself, we’ve got you covered. From clay modelling to virtual museum visits, here’s a list of enriching experiences that the whole family can enjoy. 

Bring a dinosaur to life with clay
 

 A colourful clay dinosaur makes a really adorable decoration for the kids' room!

If you’re wondering how to keep your children busy, clay craft is the answer! With a little guidance from you, children can make fascinating artworks out of modelling clay.

One of our go-to craft supplies is non-toxic polymer clay which is easy for little hands to mould, comes in vibrant colours, and bakes easily — no need for a kiln! Nowadays, you not only have the option of polymer clay but many cool, new modelling and air-dry clays that don’t require any baking, and are safe for children.

For this activity, we’re going to travel back to the land before time to create a Stegosaurus! Dinosaurs allow children to both learn and fantasise about prehistoric times through play. Your child will develop and improve their fine motor skills while bringing this plant-eating herbivore to life. You can also share fun educational facts about the dinosaur, for example, the brain of a Stegosaurus is the size of a ping pong ball!

Materials:

  • Polymer or air-drying modelling clay in three different colours of your choice
  • Baking sheet
  • Craft glue
  • Googly eyes
     
Directions:

  • Knead the clay until it’s soft and smooth. 
  • For best results, clean your hands in between colours.
  • Using the first colour, make four thick stumps for the legs. Flatten one end of each stump to make the feet.
  • Also using the same colour, make one thick piece for the body. Pull one end into a point for the tail. Round the other end for the head. 
  • Using the second colour, make nine small flattened triangles for the back spikes.
  • Using the third colour, make 10 to 12 differently sized flattened circles for the spots.
  • Press the legs to the sides of the body, the spikes onto the back, and the spots onto the body. 
  • If you’re using polymer clay, help your child preheat your oven to 135 degrees Celsius and bake the Stegosaurus on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. 
  • Allow it to cool after it’s been baked. 
  • Finally, attach the googly eyes with craft glue.
     

Choose from a wide range of arts and crafts supplies from Popular Bookstore, located at Causeway Point, Eastpoint Mall, Hougang Mall, Northpoint City, Tiong Bahru Plaza and White Sands.

Cultivate your child's green thumb
 

Indoor gardening activities are a great way to keep kids occupied while allowing them to learn about plants and biology.

There’s a magical age when you’ll find your kids being both helpful and interested in your home projects. You’ll want to embrace it with a huge smile on your face and arms wide open. When it comes to indoor gardening, it can be exciting to teach the kids a little bit about how to plant a garden and encourage them to maintain it.

Take these ideas, and let your kids help you make your garden flourish this school holiday. You’ll all have fun, and you’ll add a little more greenery to your home.

Choosing plants: If you’re choosing plants at the store, let them pick a few varieties on their own. Teach them what to look for in a healthy plant, and show them how you can tell what types will thrive indoors by reading the labels together in each potted plant.

Show them how to start seeds: If you decide to start with seeds, teach them how to make small seed-starting pots (we love this origami box tutorial), or use peat pods or even upcycle ice cube trays. Show them how to moisten the soil, and then place two to three seeds per space. It may take five to 10 days for some seeds to sprout, but waiting for it to happen and watching the growth is exciting for budding gardeners.

Start with a simple indoor garden: Choose a selection of plants like succulents, or cacti or keep a small planter of herbs on a windowsill. Let them experience the maintenance process — from transplanting to watering and managing sunlight — and let them happily take ownership of the well-being of their own garden. Take the time to show them what will thrive best in your environment (full sun vs. shade, for example).

Teach them the importance of watering plants: Upcycle a plastic container — juice bottle, detergent container — into a sprinkling can by drilling holes in the lid. Your kid will love tending the garden with this DIY watering can.

Make it part of your daily routine: Find five minutes a day to check in on the plants. Encourage your child to observe how much the plants have grown and how they’ve changed. At the same time, ask your child to take photos to document the plants’ changes, and reflect on those images during the day.

Discover a variety of air plants, cacti and succulents, as well as other indoor plants from A Tilly A Day, located at Waterway Point. You can also get plant seeds from FairPrice, located at Changi City Point, Eastpoint Mall, Hougang Mall, Northpoint City, Tiong Bahru Plaza, Valley Point, Waterway Point and White Sands.

Plan the ultimate stay-at-home camping experience
 

Indoor camping is the perfect activity to bond as a family while creating wonderful memories in the comfort of your own home.

We're all dreaming of an epic vacation right now. At the same time, you and your family may be feeling like it's an impossible time for a getaway. But don't despair — if you can't travel for your annual family getaway, the next best option is to use your imagination to turn your living room into your own personal “campsite”.

Before putting your indoor camping ideas into action, here are some tips on how to prepare for your living room campout.

Create a camping ambience: Set out sleeping bags, blankets, and pitch a tent if possible. Put on your creative hat and transform your living room into an indoor camping site! You may also use your available resources to make your own tents or forts. For example, grab your dining room chairs and put a large duvet or comforters over them. Voila! You now have a DIY fort that you and your kids can read, snuggle, nap, and play in! You can add to the camping vibe by turning off or dimming the lights. You can also prepare a playlist of nature sounds to serve as background noise to fully immerse the family in the camping experience.

Organise activities for the whole family: Have a quality bonding time with your family while having your indoor campout by playing some games. These include board games, such as chess, scrabble, card games like UNO, or charades — it all depends on your family’s interests and preference. What’s important is that you all have fun. Another way to make your indoor camping more fun and enjoyable is to have a movie marathon with the kids. Why not play a movie that has a camping theme, too? Don’t forget to grab some popcorn to munch on while watching these movies!

Set up a starry night: One activity you usually do during your outdoor adventure is stargazing. Likewise, you can adopt the starry, starry night vibes indoors. This can be done by putting up twinkly lights or fairy lights on the ceiling or all over the room. Consider decorating your ceiling with glow-in-the-dark star stickers that may serve as your night lights while you guys are sleeping.

Visit virtual exhibitions and take part in fun online activities
 

 We round up some of our favourite local virtual museum tours for kids that convey the wonder of the world we live in.

With the current restrictions, attractions are operating at limited capacity (we're talking 25 per cent here, by the way), and social gatherings limited to a maximum of two people, big institutions like the National Gallery Singapore, National Museum of Singapore, and Wildlife Reserve Singapore are returning to the virtual space to host a slew of fun, family-friendly digital programmes.

Gallery Children’s Biennale: Got a mini-Picasso at home? Unlock your child's creativity with the third edition of Gallery Children's Biennale. Instead of the usual labyrinth of interactive artworks at National Gallery Singapore, the bi-yearly multi-sensorial art experience returns with its first-ever hybrid edition from now until December 2022. The inaugural "phygital" edition kicked off with an online experience via a kaleidoscopic microsite on 22 May 2021, and will be followed by on-site art installations at National Gallery Singapore on 4 September 2021.

Hello From the Wild Side: If you're looking to get up close and personal without leaving your own personal cave, you can take a virtual walk on the wild side with Wildlife Reserves Singapore. Back online from now to 31 December 2021, the second season of the popular Hello From the Wild Side programme features more unique interactions with the adorable critters, as well as a newly curated segment — Zoo Explained! which offers limited edition content every month.

In the first session of Zoo Explained!, you'll get to meet the playful Emperor Tamarins from River Safari and their dedicated keeper Ken who has all the answers to your burning questions about the intelligent and inquisitive creatures. Hello from the Wild Side's 20-minute sessions are available from $10 per screen via wrs.com.sg. The slots go out fast, so secure yours soon.

June Holidays Family Fun!: Based on two of the National Museum of Singapore's special exhibitions Home, Truly, and Picturing the Pandemic, the museum's digital counterpart is keeping minds active from the comfort (and safety) of their homes. Yes, expect online programmes that are both enriching and entertaining. Join the kids for interactive storytelling sessions, enchanting performances, and art workshops. You can also redeem your SingapoRediscover Vouchers for the Risograph Family Workshop too. The June Holidays Family Fun! activities at the National Museum of Singapore will be available from now to 23 July 2021.

#StayHomeWithGB: Gardens by the Bay's #StayHomeWithGB is the guide you need to understand the art of horticulture. Watch the green-fingered team behind the gorgeous floral displays and garden landscapes flex their expertise through a variety of edutaining plant-related content. Watch video tutorials on DIY gardening projects and botanical crafts, gather the kids for art activities and e-books, go on virtual tours of the Gardens, and more. There's even an eShop offering plants, terrariums and gardening supplies too. 

From creative play in the comfort (and safety) of your cosy corners at home, to immersive online exhibitions, there's certainly no shortage of fun things to do even while staying at home. Plus, we believe that the school holidays should be used for edutainment and the creation of fond family memories, and we hope that our list of ideas will do just that!

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