Travelling with Kids – Adventure isn't just about the plane trips!
For the last five years, the Sydney Brick Show has been held in the CBD for one weekend to showcase the latest original LEGO brick designs created by LEGO fans from across Australia. Last year, over 15,000 visitors walked through the doors to admire the creations and speak directly to AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) and creators of the MOCs (my …
This week our little family headed to the Sydney Opera House to see Cautionary Tales for Children, a modern and curious cabaret based on Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc’s verse. Belloc was one of the most prolific English writers during the early twentieth century. He was most famous for his cautionary tales for children, which are quite satirical, …
“Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well…” I always wondered who would fill the great big gapping hole left by Roald Dahl. The mischief and silliness I could get up to within the pages of his books was often the highlight of my …
“You have your secret dreams. Follow them. Make them come true.” A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of being in the audience at an education conference where Li Cunxin was the keynote speaker. Having read Mao’s Last Dancer, when it was first released, I already knew much about his life. Listening to him speak about …
When I first arrived in Sydney, I secured my very first teaching position in Parramatta. I soon learned that this suburb has an overwhelming amount of Aboriginal and early European history. I have been threading trips to some of the sites throughout our weekends for years, although we are yet to cover everything. With a …
Traditions are passed on from generation to generation helping us to link back to our history and keep the threads of lives before us alive. Without even realising it, T and I seem to be creating new traditions that we’re passing on to our children without much conscience effort. This includes our annual trip to Mt …
Before last year, mentioning the Sydney Royal Easter Show was guaranteed to send a shiver down my husband’s spine. He just didn’t get the fanfare and found the mere idea a version of parenting hell. Developing our Sydney Royal Easter Show Family Survival Guide ensured that the one time I convinced him to attend was actually quite successful at reframing his mindset and …
Sydney has a plethora of hidden delights right across its expanding city. Take a wrong turn and you’re likely to come across one. They’re usually in plain site, resting quietly for you to uncover them. For months, inspired by images of Bird Cages, I have been super keen to find Angel Place and explore its …
Australia is a nation of swimmers. We love swimming and we seek it out when the temperature rises, the local swimming spot becoming a beehive of activity. Of course this could be the beach, the lake, the pool or even the dam. Parents are encouraged to take their children to lessons as early as possible, and schools usually …
Truth be told, I usually shy away from any theatre production that promises laughter because they very rarely meet my expectations. For this reason, I’m glad I didn’t realise that Richard Higgins & Matthew Kelly are a comedy duo when I headed off to see their production The Listies Ruin Christmas at the Sydney Opera House with …
In between our discussions on LEGO, Super Heroes and Super-Villains are regularly the topic of conversation at our place. We’re all a little obsessed. News that an entire exhibition focused on Superheroes made of LEGO was arriving in Sydney made us all a little giddy. It wasn’t long after it officially opened that we found …
Riding a bike is a skill, once learned, that is rarely lost. Learning how to ride is the difficult part. When I was a kid I had neither a balance bike nor training wheels. I pushed my new bike out onto our lawn and went from there. The beauty of living in the country, right? …
When I first arrived in Sydney I went straight to Bondi Beach. I think most tourists do. I wanted to see the great Aussie wonder for myself and feel the sand between my toes. It was truly delightful. Fast forward a decade and a half, and I’m raising my kids in this very city, providing the …