FUTURE GENERATION

FUTURE GENERATION HONOUR MITCHELL: TEEN PICKS

Now that I’m in the midst of cramming for my NCEA exams, the October holidays seem like a distant, sweet memory.

But remember I do, as it was then I got my first taste of international travel since pre-Covid days. After completing a four day hike around Waikaremoana in the first week of the holidays, I was desperate for some R&R, preferably with no mud in sight! My family and I were ecstatic to be heading over the ditch to sparkling Sydney. Aussie born, with an Australian passport, I was ready to reconnect with my birth city, do some fabulous shopping and get out for some delectable dining.

When visiting Sydney for a quick holiday you really want to pick a spot to stay that’s both iconic - so you can feel the vibe and drink in the views - and well located for transport. We opted for McMahon’s Point, which is on the very tip of the lower North Shore, right next to Luna Park. It felt like you could reach out and touch Sydney Harbour Bridge from our apartment and we were perfectly positioned for sunrise strolls around the waterfront and afternoon sunbathing in Lavender Bay. Plus, we could literally cross the road and jump on the train for fast connections all over the city.

Public transport in Sydney is brilliant, trains seem to arrive every few minutes and there’s no fussing around with tickets, you just tap your credit card at the turnstile and off you go! Trains are especially perfect for accessing the actual city. If you hop off at Town Hall, you can walk directly into the beautiful Queen Victoria Building and through a series of interlinking passageways to every shop you can imagine, including David Jones - where the Xmas floor extravaganza was in full swing, despite it being mid-October!

We packed as much as possible into a week - beaches, walks, shopping, restaurants, scenic drives and more. But if I had to choose an overall highlight, it would be Bondi. It might sound like a bit of a cliché, but for someone my age it really does have everything; the beach itself is stunning and I could have easily sat on it for days simply admiring the view and people-watching.

However the food and shopping are equally as mesmerising. It’s hard to choose a breakfast spot as there are so many options, but I feel we hit the jackpot with ‘The Depot’. It is a beautiful, sunny yellow building with a laid-back beach ambience that delivers a feeling of immediate relaxation. The menu was overwhelmingly enticing, making it near impossible to choose. In the end I went for a Bondi classic and devoured a delicious ‘Smashed Avo’ which has since shot to the top of my list of favourite breakfasts, ever.

Once satiated, we were ready for some serious shopping. Gould St is great place to start as it boasts a fine array of boutiques, some more affordable than others! Even if you’re only window shopping, it makes an excellent post-brekky stroll. Then in Northern Bondi there is the Triangl bikini shop, my dream destination for swimwear. I had been quietly coveting a new bikini for months while squirrelling away a bit of cash for this important purchase. I came away with a soft velvet, electric blue ensemble which I absolutely adore.

Though I wish we could have extended our stay, school was calling me home and it was time to say farewell to this spectacular, seaside metropolis. Until next time Sydney! (HONOUR MITCHELL)  PN

View from our apartment

Triangl Bikini

LEARNING DOESN’T STOP

With the holidays soon approaching, the holiday break allows ample opportunities for your children to continue to learn! This is a great time for you to not only teach your child, but to also have fun together.

Maths is everywhere. From cooking, shopping and planning a holiday; we may not be conscious of it, but we use maths daily. One of the best ways to encourage children to learn maths is by making it enjoyable, and that is exactly what maths games are for!

Playing card games can help children build number confidence, encourage critical thinking, and teaches them about strategy. Cards also encourage quick thinking skills. Playing board games, such as Monopoly, are full of maths lessons. They teach children how to add and subtract quickly through rolling dice, fake money, spending, and saving.

Reading at home is the perfect way to develop your child’s literacy skills and build a love of reading. Having books, magazine articles, and newspapers available on-hand will encourage your child to read. Talking to your child about what they’ve read is a great way to motivate them to read. It also helps them make connections that develop understanding and makes reading even more enjoyable. Children are more likely to read about a topic they are interested in or curious about. Give your child opportunities to read different books and help them follow their interests, whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, comics, magazines, or poetry. Anything is better than nothing!

Writing might not be your child's favourite activity but it is important to provide writing opportunities wherever possible. Writing a story might seem like a challenging task, so even short activities such as writing a letter to someone (could be Santa!), writing a shopping list (or wish list!), writing a Christmas card to a friend or family member, or even writing a thank-you letter. Encourage them to write a diary or write a review of a movie, activity or place they visit to let others know about.

If you are stuck for Christmas gift ideas, cards, board games, puzzles, books or fun stationery are always great gifts for a range of ages, abilities and gender. Useful gifts that welcome learning opportunities will always be a hit! NUMBERWORKS’NWORDS Grey Lynn, 316 Richmond Rd, T: 09 360 0816, E: greylynn@numberworks.com, www.numberworksnwords.com/nz