Family
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Friends
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O u t d oo r s
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Relaxation
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Lifestyle
INTRA MUROS
JANUARY 2012 PUBLISHED IN CLOSE CO-OPERATION WITH THE SILVER LAKES HOA
Family
•
Friends
•
O u t d oo r s
•
Relaxation
•
Lifestyle
INTRA MUROS
JANUARY 2012 PUBLISHED IN CLOSE CO-OPERATION WITH THE SILVER LAKES HOA
Fun Day
HOA This year’s Youth Day Fun Day held at the Club on Thursday, 16 June was, yet again, a huge success.
Kathy O’Connor
Silver Lakes Homeowners Association, Liason Manager
Youth Day
The day consisted of a variety of fun activities and residents were entertained by various attractions including a DJ, flea market stalls, jumping castles, a face painter, shooting tunnel, a stilt walker, merrygo-round and balloon twister. The fun cycle which was enjoyed by all participants, took place around Gleneagles Drive and all the cyclists, both young and old, tackled it enthusiastically. We handed out over 60 medals. The pancake competition was also very popular as was Ollie the Clown and the animal farm which included pony rides and an educational show about various animals. All in all we had a great turnout from the children of Silver Lakes. Thank you to all the HOA staff, Clubhouse staff and residents who assisted in making this day a success. Don’t forget that just around the corner is our annual Spring Day festivities which will take place on Saturday, 10 September. Please diarise this date and start exercising because a fun walk is being planned. I would like to hear your ideas and suggestions with regards to our fun days so please feel free to contact me. Some photographs taken from Youth Day are featured with this article.
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home front
Space to
play
All children thrive in a creative environment, so why not indulge them? Transforming everyday areas within your home into fantasy play spaces for children to explore need not
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be as difficult as you think. ake the area beneath the staircase for example, this space is hugely appealing to all children. It’s cosy, compact and right in the middle of the house. Children readily absorb themselves in imaginary play building a variety of houses and hideouts using every blanket, cushion and box available in the house so why not transform the space under the stairs for hours of playtime fun? Decide on some furniture, toys and decorations that you would be willing to ‘store’ under the stairs and then go about creating a fun, creative play corner for your little one to enjoy. As a finishing touch, you could complete the space with a similarly themed fabric drape across the ‘entrance’ to under the stairs if you don’t already have a door there. You could even go a step further and make the drape into a puppet theatre so your little one could sit inside their exciting new play area and present a puppet show to you on the outside.
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If you are quite good in the handy man department then a foldaway cupboard is an ingenious all-in-one space and the best part is that you can close the doors on it all at the end of the day. The themes used to create a foldaway cupboard are endless from a dressing room for a little girl to a workshop for a little boy. The important thing to bear in mind when you suss out your home for cool spaces that you could transform for your kids to play in, is that every home lends itself to interesting, magical and fun spaces to play.
A child’s play space should be as engaging and multifaceted as possible so an interactive wall mural would not only allow them hours of playtime fun, it would also be advantageous towards stimulating their imagination. Although the task of actually creating a wall mural may be daunting, all of the elements are really quite simple – the trick being to break the mural down into sections and complete each one in turn. Of course, a good oldfashioned projector is a great way to transfer your design onto a wall or you could draw your mural onto tracing paper and divide it into a grid before copying it onto the wall section by section. Tackling this project would take some time to complete but the delight on your child’s face when it’s finished will be priceless.
When searching for areas in your home that you could transform into imagination stations, don’t forget that the garden is a part of your home too. Fresh air, fun games and living the wild life makes for happy, healthy children and rarely does a child pass up the chance of camping in the garden. A simple A-frame tent is easy to put up and pack away, and it can be used for parties as well as play. Don’t be surprised when your little one wants to sleep the night in their tent – living in a security estate such as Silver Lakes allows our kids to do such things and you should take the opportunity to camp out with them, that’s if they will allow you to.
Getting our kids active is challenging in this day and age so a little creative bribery here and there is always a good way to get them moving. Homemade play mats are a wonderful way to get your kids using not only their physical energy but their mental energy too. You could make play mats for all kinds of play which could incorporate games for rainy-day play and you could take the mat along with you for a picnic or even on holiday. Try it – you would be surprised at how many hours your kids will entertain themselves with play mats.
Source: Cool spaces for kids by Sam Scarborough (ISBN: 9780600618393) This book is just like a toy cupboard – when you open the doors, a whole new world exists within. Step inside for inspiration and discover how to spot potential in every square inch of your home. Share in the wonder and give your children the freedom to have fun and, quite simply, to play.
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out&about
Back to nature
If you are looking for a game reserve experience without having to travel too far out of town, then Rietvlei Nature Reserve is the place to head for.
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ituated 18 km from the centre of Pretoria, this 3 800 ha of endangered Bankenveld grassland is one of the world’s largest urban nature reserves and it includes open plains and undulating hills. The extensive vlei areas and tributary streams support the scenic splendour of the azure blue Rietvlei Dam. Some 1 600 head of game, including blesbuck, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, eland, Burchell’s zebra, waterbuck, reedbuck, springbuck, mountain reedbuck, steenbuck and grey duiker can be viewed here. If you search closely you may also find a cheetah, buffalo or white rhino. From your own vehicle it is easy to spot animals on the open plains and the 60 km of well maintained tarred and dirt roads will take you close up.
If you are in the mood for a picnic then you should visit the Marais Dam picnic site within the reserve. A bird hide and shady spots with braai facilities are perfect for settling down while watching the water birds and hippo. Bird watchers can be sure of seeing birds they have never seen before. South Africa’s national bird, the Blue Crane, is seen here from time to time, the Secretary Bird is a regular visitor and Rietvlei is home to a breeding pair of Fish Eagles. In addition many other species of bird can be seen including the Orangethroated Longclaw, the Little Egret, the Darter, the Reed Cormorant, the White-breasted Cormorant, the Goliath Heron, the African Finfoot and the Green-backed Heron. Built during the great depression (from about 1929 to early 1930’s) and completed in 1934, Rietvlei Dam is the ideal Sunday getaway
for the family offering a host of activities for visitors including freshwater fishing and hiking trails. If you are interested in a guided night drive then viewings of elusive nocturnal animals such as the brown hyena, black-backed jackal, ant-bear, aardwolf, porcupine, springhare and bush pig will make your visit memorable. Having Rietvlei Nature Reserve just around the corner ensures a game viewing quick fix whenever the need arises. The Rietvlei Nature Reserve is open daily from 08h00 to 18h00 on weekdays and from 06h00 to 18h00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Entrance to the reserve closes at 16h00. An entrance fee is charged. For more information, call 012 345 2274 or 012 358 1811/12.
Source: www.rietvlei-reserve.co.za www.tshwane.gov.za/Services/Nature%20 Conservation/Rietvlei%20Nature%20 Reserve/Pages/default.aspx http://www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/ ga_rietvlei.htm
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