Down here in the Southern Hemisphere ice-skating is not something that every kid is exposed to growing up. It’s not cold enough for our lakes to freeze over and ice-skating rinks are not that common.
Miss N is a Peppa Pig fan. On watching the Ice-Skating episode (see below) she has made it her top ambition to learn to skate even asking for skates in her last letter to Santa. Â It is one of those activities where you need to pick your time. Rinks are notoriously cold (being made of ice and all) and they are a little out of our way.
These school holidays I’ve noted that pop up rinks are appearing in numerous places. They’ve become a trend almost. When I learned that Top Ryde City had a FREE ice-skating experience available for children right through the school holidays I knew it was a a golden opportunity. I could determine if the kids had the coordination and determination to skate for more than 5 minutes and I could then decide if it was an activity we should pursue more often.
The rink was small and the size of a small pool, but perfect for our first time skaters. The skates were pretty cool – not the old lace up beige sort that I grew up with! Although there was a queue, we were skating within 15 minutes. Â What I noticed almost immediately was that there was no ice! Nil. None. Â The floor was made from a type of ice substitute that wasn’t cold but still allowed the skaters to glide and skate.
The session lasted for about 10 minutes. In that time the kids had a few spills, but always got up with a smile on their face. Â It was a success! We went back a few times.
If you wish to ice-skating there are rinks around Australia which you can visit throughout the year. Click here for a full list of permanent sites. Many capital cities are hosting pop up ice rinks in July – so check your local media sites for details.
This looks like so much fun. I love Peppa!