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Screen free boredom busters
BANISH CRIES OF "I'M BORED!" WITH THESE EASY IDEAS CHILDREN WILL ENJOY.
7 FUN FREE & CHEAP BOREDOM BUSTERS
FRUIT PICKING
Spend the day at your local berry farm or orchard picking fruit you can take home with you. The fruit is heaps cheaper than at the supermarket and children love the opportunity to get out in the sunshine and pick fruit right off the plant. Check out pickyourown.org/newzealand.htm to find a fruit picking place near you.
HINT: DECEMBER THROUGH JUNE ARE THE BEST MONTHS FOR FRUIT PICKING IN NZ.
CLOUD GAZING
Spread a blanket on the ground and lay down to look at the clouds. What shapes can you see - animals, castles, faces, shapes, or even people!
NATURE WALK
A twist on the treasure hunt, this one needs very little preparation! Head outside and see what you can collect or see - interesting leaves, feathers, pebbles, wildflowers, sticks, puddles, birds, etc.
LIBRARY VISIT
The library is a wealth of boredom-busting ideas, from books to check out and puzzles to play with, to story times and music groups to attend. Many libraries also put on school holiday programmes.
TOY LIBRARY
Speaking of the library, check out your local toy library - it's inexpensive to join and you can hire different toys for a very reasonable fee each week. They have a great selection of age-appropriate toys, and by joining you'll help reduce waste (since you're hiring, not buying!). Visit toylibrary.co.nz to find a toy library near you.
PLAYGROUND TOUR
How many playgrounds are in or near your neighbourhood? Take a look at Google Maps and see where the playgrounds are nearby, then plan to visit some new ones. Show your child where the playground is on the map and talk about how you could get there (in the car, on bikes, walking). Talk about the differences between the playgrounds - are there lots of trees, is there a trampoline, how many slides or swings do each have?
SHAPE HUNT
Go around the house or your neighbourhood and look for shapes in your environment. How many rectangles can you spot in the windows of your lounge? Are your sofa cushions squares or circles? A variation on this theme is to sit down with your child's toys and help them to find circles, squares, triangles, etc; for example, toys with wheels that are circles, or blocks in different geometric shapes