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TRAVEL INSPIRED ACTIVITIES
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WELCOME After months of watching and reading hard-hitting news about bushfires, floods and COVID-19, I have to say I’m ready for some escapism. And a bit more fun. For me, fun includes researching ideas to keep the kids active. So I created this ebook to fuel your travel dreams and keep the kids active at the same time. The ebook is designed to be downloaded and accessed on your device any time, so you’ll have a quick reference if the kids need an activity idea ‘right now’. In this list you’ll find activities from storytime with an astronaut to paper airplane competitions and movie suggestions, as well as a number of different virtual tours and experiences. I hope you enjoy
trying the activities as much as I enjoyed creating the list. If you’re looking for even more ideas, FamilyTravel.com.au is where I publish content a couple of times a week. For now I’m mostly sharing content for activities while social distancing. But as soon as we can get out and about more, I’ll ramp up the stories about things to do outside the home. Stay safe and here’s to more fun times ahead.
Cheers,Janeece
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VIRTUAL TOURS
For those of us who love to travel, we’ve had our wings clipped for a while. But, thanks to technology we can still travel around the globe‌virtually!
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Here are 5 great virtual tours to get you started. THE LOUVRE, PARIS Take your own online tour of The Louvre museum's exhibition rooms, galleries and architecture. GREAT WALL OF CHINA Get a hiker’s perspective of The Great Wall of China without even breaking a sweat. The China Guide’s interactive virtual tour of the wall covers a 10-kilometre section from Jinshanling to Simatai where there are loads of great things to see. DISNEYLAND & DISNEY WORLD The gates might be shut, but you can take a virtual walk through these theme parks thanks to Google Street View’s 360-degree panoramas. Fancy something a bit more thrilling? Experience a rollercoaster ride on Disney’s California Adventure or Frozen Ever After rides. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING See all of the epic sights of Yellowstone, and plan your visit for when travel resumes, with these virtual explorations. TARONGA ZOO & TARONGA WESTERN PLAINS ZOO Download the Google Expeditions app on your mobile device or tablet, search for Taronga, and get ready for your virtual experience! 5
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SET UP AN OBSTACLE COURSE
An obstacle course is a great way to help kids stay active, increase confidence and improve coordination and movement skills. CREATE AN OBSTACLE COURSE WITH CHALK Good chalk and a patio, balcony or driveway are the only two things you will need for this obstacle course. 1. Make a start point and work your way around the space or by drawing different activities.
2. Include many different tasks such as dancing, jumping, hopping, turning around, jumping on 1 foot, clapping, going backwards, etc. 3. You could even include rocks or other objects and create a task around it. 4. Try to squeeze in some �break� activities such as make a wish, give high five to the sky, say your name, empty your pockets, etc. It makes the obstacle course more fun.
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PLAY AIRPLANE
Just because you’re not flying anywhere doesn’t mean you can’t pretend. You can create the plane space by marking out an area, setting up chairs in rows and sticking on seat numbers. Ask the kids to pack a travel bag so they have some activities to do on the plane. While the kids are busy with their activities, serve snacks and let them watch a TV show or movie on an iPad.
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MAP YOUR FAVOURITE PLACES
Make a map of every destination that you’ve been to – and a separate one for all the ones you want to see in your lifetime.
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HOLD A PAPER AIRPLANE CHAMPIONSHIP
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Paper Planes are fun and educational. They’ve been providing quick and easy fun for generations. By adding a competitive element to folding a paper airplane, you’ll get the kids (and probably the adults) engaged for longer. Here are some tips for a paper airplane championship competing in two categories: distance traveled and time spent in the air. STEP 1: Hand out four A4 sheets of paper to each competitor or team STEP 2: Provide optional materials for each competitor or team - the materials are not required, but may be used if they choose to. • One standard paper clip • 10cm of sticky tape • A dab of glue • Three staples STEP 3: Competitors must use only the materials given to them, and the planes must be built within the allocated time. STEP 4: Each competitor builds two different types of paper airplanes. One paper airplane should be designed to
fly as far as possible. The other paper airplane should be designed to stay in the air as long as possible. Hint: check out paperairplaneshq.com for some great design ideas STEP 5: Launch the airplane Distance Test Rules For the distance category, each competitor must throw his or her paper airplane while you record distances. All distances must be measured from the starting line to the point where the plane first touches the ground — not the final resting place if it slides. Each competitor has up to three chances to get his or her best distance. Time in Air Test Rules For the time-in-air category, each competitor throws his or her airplane while you time the flights with a stopwatch. Report the times in seconds and hundredths of a second. (Example: 2.45 seconds.) Each student has up to three chances to get his or her longest "time in air." STEP 6: Announce the winner of each category
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CREATE A HOLIDAY JOURNAL
Give your kids a new notebook and get them to create a holiday diary. Let them cover the book to make it their own. Give them any old magazines, brochures and newspapers you have lying around so that they can cut out pictures of places they have visited virtually or in their imagination. If you don’t have a notebook to spare, we’ve created a staycation journal that you can download for free from our website 12
It’s always fun to learn new things and the internet makes it easier than ever for kids to learn a new language — or at least some words.
LEARN 10 WORDS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Duolingo is a free app where kids (and adults) can learn over 30 different languages including Spanish, French, Russian and Vietnamese. While using the app, kids will earn points for correct answers and race against the clock to level up. The lessons are broken into bitesized yet effective pieces. Duolingo Kids is a fun way for younger
children to learn Spanish, French or English using games. Or try Kids Learn Mandarin, where children can learn to speak, read and write 200 words through a series of lessons and games. There are reward stickers and music videos keep the learning fun. One lesson and 8 games are included with additional lessons available for download. Download Duolingo, Duolingo Kids or Kids Learn Mandarin apps from iTunes and Google Play. 13
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FOOD OF THE WORLD
Let each family member pick a country and research the food from that place. Then pick a mealtime and try cooking something from that country. If you don’t have all the ingredients or utensils you need, you could research a restaurant you can go to, to try that food. And if they do delivery, you could even order in. Make the meal even more authentic by playing music from your chosen country while you’re cooking.
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GO ON A TREASURE HUNT
The great things about treasure hunts for kids is that they’re easy, inexpensive and can usually be done using things you have lying around at home. Plus, it doesn’t matter what the weather is doing, since you can choose a hunt that’s geared specifically to be done inside or out.
. . . G N I H T E FIND SOM ature
n m o r F Yellow s e in l y l g ig w h it W s p e e That b ts up h ig l t a h T Magnetic ic s u m s e k a m t a h T Round e l p r u P Smelly e iv l A n e k That’s bro r a l u g n ia r T Made of metal n o t t o c f o e d a M x o b d r a o b d r a C n a c u o Y Black ball gh u o r h t e e s point pen u o y n a h t r e d l O ip l c Paper
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CREATE A SCAVENGER HUNT
A scavenger hunt is different to a treasure hunt because kids get to follow clues to find specific objects. Scavenger hunts are a good workout for the brain if you create clues that require some thinking. Rhyming clues have built-in kid appeal. A version for preschoolers or those struggling to read can be created with pictures that you draw or print out. Or consider this twist - get the kids to create a scavenger hunt for you to do. 3 steps to a fun scavenger hunt STEP 1: Create (or print out) clues. Distribute them so that one clue leads to another. STEP 2: Place some "treasure"— a toy or treat — at the final destination. STEP 3: Hand the first clue to a child, and get out of the way! And if you’re struggling for ideas, you could try riddleme.com where the website will create the clues for you, so you just have to print them out! 18
Image: Australian National Maritime Museum
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HEAD TO THE HIGH SEAS
Take an at-home voyage with the Australian National Maritime Museum through the fun-filled online games, activity sheets, print-out-and-make templates that allow kids to play, create, learn and discover! There is even a specially curated selection of online exhibits available, for kids to explore stories about significant events and people.
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KEEPER TIME AT THE ZOO
Sydney’s Taronga Zoo is helping kids stay connected with their online education programs. New to the program is a series of ‘Ask An Expert Webcasts’, with a range of sessions available from April to June. This video conference series will connect school students with Taronga Zoo’s world leading experts, where children will be able to ask questions and receive first-hand information into what it 20
takes to work for Taronga Zoo and the wide array of career pathways available to follow. There’s also the newly launched Taronga TV for your daily dose of animal antics. Tune in daily for a packed schedule of fascinating keepers talks and shows, 24/7 live animal streams and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at what the animals (and the keepers) actually get up to when the zoo is closed.
21 Image: Destination NSW
FACEBOOK LIVE TO SEE LOCAL ATTRACTION ACTIVITIES
Image: Destination NSW
Just because so many attractions are closed because of COVID-19 restrictions, doesn’t mean you can’t still get a taste for what it’s like there. Why not visit virtually and make the most of the experiences, for free.
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In Australia you can watch Facebook Live streams from an increasing number of kidfriendly attractions, including: • Crocodile feeding at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo • Shark feeding at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium • Ask our Master Model Builder Anything LEGO at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre • Australian Reptile Park has daily live streams and educational videos (Mon - Fri) • Performances at the Sydney Opera House • Inside the giraffe enclosure at Perth Zoo • Snow leopard cub cam from Zoos Victoria • Behind the scenes at the Turtle Hospital at Reef HQ in Townsville
BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS
Use binoculars and learn about the birds near your house, look them up on google and search for their birdcalls on YouTube. If you want to know more download one of the Australian birding apps. Michael Morcombe's 'Birds of Australia' was the first phone app for Australian birders. Now we also have available the Pizzey and Knights 'Birds of Australia'. What’s great about these apps is the ability to play the birds calls! This is a big help in learning to identify birds by their calls. To encourage more birds to visit, you might like to make a bird feeder out of old Tupperware to bring them to the window. 23
EXPLORE THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Unlock the mysteries of the Great Barrier Reef and see what some of Australia’s favourite Reef animals are up to with Reef Tracks by Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef. With realtime data, tracking turtles, sharks and manta rays kids can pick their favourite, like Myrtle the Turtle or Holly the Tiger Shark, and track their movements!
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LEARN BALLET WITH THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET
To keep budding ballerinas moving – use The Australian Ballet’s free morning classes. Hosted by Artistic Director David McAllister via live stream, learn five simple ballet exercises that are perfect for small spaces, starting with the plié. After the tutorial, over on Ballet TV dance enthusiasts can find fulllength ballets videos to watch with plenty of excerpts, interviews, and behind-the-scenes documentaries. 25
PLAY TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS GAMES Experience aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures from your own backyard, by learning and playing some Yulunga Traditional Indigenous Games with the kids. These free resources are available to download from Sport Australia, and can provide hours of fun with a range of ball, skipping, tag and water games to learn and play. 26
Image: Archie Sartracom/Tourism Australia
Yulunga means playing in the language of the Kamilaroi (Gamori) people of northern-western New South Wales
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WATCH AUSSIE MOVIES
Image: Tourism Western Australia
Introduce the kids to Australian films and programs, that will have them planning their next great Australian adventure. Try Babe (film, 1995) and not only keep the family entertained, but let the lush green pasture lands of Robertson and Exeter in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales keep the family inspired for future travel and holidays. A must-see animated classic is Finding Nemo (film, 2003) and witness the animated magic of diving or snorkelling on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. No matter your age, this film with leave you wanting to plan your next trip to this coral reef system where you can try and spot (don’t touch) all of the films other characters including Dory (Regal or Blue Tang Fish), Gill (Moorish Idol Fish), Bloat (Pufferfish), Peach (Starfish) and Crush (Sea turtle).
For a family feel good, Red Dog (film, 2011), is based on the legendary true story of a red dog uniting a local community like no other whilst roaming the Australian Outback. Known simply as Red Dog, the red kelpie was known for stopping cars on the road and then he would hop in and travel to wherever the car's driver was going. If you want to plan a trip to Australia’s North West, once it’s safe to do so, you can book a flight from Perth or Broome airports and road trip through the Kimberley and Pilbara region. Be sure to take a selfie with the Red Dog statue, at the entrance to the town of Dampier, before taking part in the Red Dog Trail.
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STORIES FROM SPACE
Have an astronaut read you a story via Story Time from Space
TAKE A PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS Nikon is offering free photography classes during April. The classes on offer cover photography basics as well as classes for the more advanced and video courses. Teens might like the ‘The Art of Making Music Videos’ option. An alternative that’s specifically for kids and completely online is British-based Sharp Shots Photo Club. The courses aren’t free but they are made specifically for tweens and teens.
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BOOKS TO INSPIRE WANDERLUST A book is like a ticket to any destination on the globe. Reading can be a great way to learn about other cultures and get your imaginations firing. To start, littlies will love following the illustrated adventures of Mr. Chicken, including Mr Chicken Goes to Paris. Head on a road trip around Australia with Are we There Yet? by Alison Lester. And the stunning illustrations in Imagine and Isabella’s Bed are also sure to inspire. For older kids, Tintin comics or one of the Jules Verne classics, A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island or Around the World in Eighty Days, will awaken your family’s intrepid streak.
One of the ways to get kids interested in travel is to discover the inner workings of airports. How Airports Work by Lonely Planet Kids explains all the inner workings of airports and answers the most burning of questions. Where does luggage go after check-in? What happens in the control tower? How do planes actually fly? Even adults may find this one interesting. According to teachers, librarians and parents, kids love The Who Will Win series of books about animals in competition: Lion vs. Tiger; Komodo Dragon vs. King Cobra; Tarantula vs. Scorpion; Whales vs. Giant Squid; Polar Bear vs Grizzly Bears; Hammerhead Vs. Bull Shark. This book inspires tweens to think about creatures from all over the world and might just spark their travel bug. 33
Image: Destination NSW
TAKE A FERRY ACROSS SYDNEY HARBOUR For those kids who would rather be on a ferry on Sydney Harbour, Webcam Sydney provides a panoramic livestream where you can easily spot the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and The Rocks. 34
And delve into Tourism Australia’s collection of 360-degree videos, where you can explore the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. For added engagement encourage your kids to play a round of iSpy while you play though the clips!
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National Geographics Kids is safe for kids to use and full of facts and information. There’s information about different cultures (e.g. the Scandinavian Sami and Australian Aboriginals) as well as scientific, environmental and animal facts. There are also games and lessons made specifically for primary and lower secondary school kids.
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