Busy City Kids Top ideas to keep the kids busy at home
Home Workshops
Kids will love it if you setup some little workshops for them to take part in, just like the events you tend to attend during the holidays in shopping centres etc but doing it at home instead. Some examples of workshops can include:
Cooking workshop - Bake some crepes, pancakes, cakes, savoury foods, get the kids in the kitchen to make meatballs, breadcrumb chicken & fish strips or calamari etc. They will love it and it will make less work for you, cleaning aside ha!
Cooking with Osmo - We recently reviewed the fun game of Pizza Co. Little Miss really loved this game, she had lots of fun making pizzas, running her own pizza shop, keeping customers happy and using her maths skills dealing with money and giving change back to customers. Checkout our review here.
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Colouring workshop - Bring out their stack of colouring books and let them colour away!
Coding with Osmo Coding Jam and Coding Awbie Game - Coding is a very important skills that kids need to acquire for future job prospects. We recently reviewing two great coding games from the great people over at Osmo. Osmo Coding Jam is a fun game where kids can create music and bop along whilst learning how to code, see our review here. Osmo Coding Awbie is a very cute game where a little character goes through villages picking up strawberries all while kids learn how to use coding sequences, see our review here.
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Crafts and activities - Thousands of fun kids activities like kids crafts, worksheets, coloring pages, printable mazes, dot to dot, hidden pictures and more via the All Kids Network website. Lots of fun games, recipes, crafts, activities and more via the Highlights Kids website.
Create with My Creative Box - Kids will keep busy with My Creative Boxes suitable for kids of various ages. Melbourne mum Leanne creates these amazing boxes for kids to explore, create, make and learn. She has seasonal boxes suitable for Easter, Christmas, Summer and the like as well as themed boxes exploring the Ocean, the Arctic, Offline Coding, STEM learning, Adventures, Pets, Rainbow, Hungry Caterpillar and so much more to suit little kids or kids up to 12 years. No running around the shops finding all the crafts bits and pieces! See their collection of boxes and subscriptions here. We reviewed their Easter boxes and recent STEM box and love them!
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Dress-ups workshop - Suggest a dress-up workshop and let the kids’ imagination guide it and have fun!
Learn with Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit with Early Math Adventure - Kids are introduced to core kindergarten subjects with fun games for kids to take part in with Osmo Little Genius with Early Math. This kit is great for Early Literacy, Fine Motor Skills, Shapes & Counting, Understanding the World, Fun, Social-Emotional and Language & Communication. The kit comes with 38 silicone Sticks & Rings (BPA free, durable, dishwasher-safe silicone), 19 Costume Pieces, Stackable storage containers and Silicone play mat. Our review here.
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Interact and Create with Osmo Creative Kit - Kids are taken on a journey and are asked to draw pictures all while following their on-screen happy Monster. They are asked to draw a balloon as a first task and then asked if they want to go on a journey to do a magical show, draw a kitchen/bedroom and more. Our review here. We also love Osmo Kaleidoscope which features 7 Hands-On Explorations For Kids, it’s free until end March from their website, you will need the Osmo docking station.
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LAQ building - Let the kids build something different with LAQ - a very simple, yet highly creative and tactile construction toy. Its uniqueness comes from using just 7 types of block parts (2 base parts and 5 connector parts) to make an infinite possibility of creative 2D to 3D models. To build different models, all you have to do is click the different pieces together. Kids can make simple to complex 3D models that will also challenge teenagers and adults alike. Our review here.
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LEGO building - Get the LEGO and LEGO Duplo blocks out and let them build away with their imagination! My kids love LEGO and it’s a great thing for girls to get into as well as it promotes creativity and great problem solving.
Photo credit: @busycitykids
Photo credit: @busycitykids
Painting workshop - Get the paint and setup a little paint workshop at home or even better if you have easels and canvases.
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Plaster painting workshop - Let the kids paint away plaster creations with easy plaster kits. These kits can be found in many stores such as Kmart, Target, Officeworks or Bunnings. Once painted, use the provided moulds to make some new plaster using Paris plaster from Bunnings. More painting means more quiet time ha!
Playdough workshop - Make your own playdough at home with just a few ingredients following our friend Kate’s recipe over at Laughing Kids Learn. Kids can use any cookie & sandwich cutters etc at you have on hand with this homemade recipe. Ingredients and Method here.
Reading & Activity workshops - Scholastic has created a special page to keep the learning going with special cross-curricular journeys. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your kids’ grade level and let the learning begin! Head here.
Space Links workshop - Construct interesting shapes with Space Links - colourful and sturdy construction links. Available at different online stores.
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Travel with Osmo Detective Agency - This clever game will turn your little ones into true detectives and have them solve cases in no time while they travel the world! Equipped with eight maps of the world’s famous cities including Osmo Town and a magnifying glass, kids will learn about geography and landmarks around the world! Read our review here.
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Family time
Dancing time - Put the music on and time to boogie!
Documentary time - Watch some interesting documentaries and nature shows with kids. There’s plenty of streaming channels available now (Netflix, Disney, Stan, Apple and Amazon Prime or on demand channels like ABC iView, SBS On Demand etc), the list goes on so plenty of choice for some great shows to watch as a family.
Dumpling and Sushi making time - Cooking as a family is always a great thing and kids will love it. We love making dumplings and sushi which are great for lunches and to dumplings are great to put in the freezer for later!
Movie time - Pop the popcorn, put away phones & devices and enjoy a movie together as a family!
Puzzle and board games time - Take the puzzles, memory games, dominoes and board games out onto the dining table and solve puzzles and have fun together, a great family activity. They are also great as a solo activity.
Reading time - If you’re like us, you’ll have plenty of books on-hand at home to choose from, so get the kids to grab a book or more and read together as a family. If you want something new, head online and download an e-book to read. Here’s some of our favourite books - Books to Inspire Girls & Boys, Our top 10 kids books and Our top 10 Picture Books.
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Reading time by Dolly Parton - “Goodnight With Dolly” will feature Dolly Parton reading a series of Imagination Library books all carefully chosen for their appropriate content at this moment in time. Checkout her Youtube channel here.
Reading time by famous people - Checkout Storyline Online for children’s books read by famous people via their website.
Reading time from space - Checkout reading Time from space via their website while seeing astronauts in space, checkout their website.
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TV Show time - There’s plenty of streaming channels available now (Netflix, Disney, Stan, Apple and Amazon Prime or on demand channels like ABC iView, SBS On Demand etc), the list goes on so plenty of choice for some great shows to watch as a family. We love Bluey and a new season is coming out tomorrow!
Culture from home
NGV Virtual Tour of Japanese Modernism exhibition
ACMI at home - The ACMI have made available online resources for kids to do from home that are engaging, fun and free. Explore art, animation, digital technologies, filmmaking, game making, sustainability and more. Kids can use Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit as inspiration and create their own 'cracking contraptions' for a stop-motion animation, make their own movie or create their own stop motion movie and much more! Younger kids can explore both Dr Seuss's famous book and the 2008 film adaptation as well as hands-on, creative activities including how to make a miniature garden. Head to their website.
Art Gallery time - The NGV Collection contains approximately 75,000 works of art and approximately 90% of its records are available for viewing here. More than 30,000 images of works in the Public Domain are available to download at high resolution for free for publications and non-commercial use. You can also take a virtual tour online of some of the NGV exhibitions.
Art at Home - The National Gallery of Victoria has launched a selection of downloadable NGV Kids’ activity books online for children to enjoy at home to promote active thinking and cultivate hands-on making. The activity books are filled with a range of fun activities to complete, featuring drawing exercises, interactive games for families as well as puzzles and playful sensory challenges, which are all inspired by some of NGV’s most recent popular exhibitions. The section also has a range of activity sheets and games for families. View NGV Kids at Home here.
Arts Centre Melbourne - As the school holidays are here, the Arts Centre Melbourne's Families Program has created online experiences through the 'Together With You' digital offering which is a world of fun and interactive experiences to help kids stay connected, entertained and inspired. Kids will be able to ignite their imagination with their family by watching theatre performances, listen to music and podcasts, explore stories or get stuck into a creative activity at home. Imagine a world with Mountain Goat Mountain, watch a performance of A Not So Traditional Story streaming on the 6th July. Listen to stories, have a laugh, dance, take part in workshops, checkout family friendly experiences and more all within the comfort of your home. Take part here.
Australian Museum - Discover Australian Museum's fun and informative online resources for teaching curious kids about science, nature and culture. Creative activities, free mobile apps, learning fact sheets and more. Head to their website now.
Geography time - Explore Geography and more with National Geographic via their website.
Maritime Museum time - The museum has reopened however if you prefer to stay home checkout their resources. Stem the tide of boredom these school holidays and beyond, with the Australian National Maritime Museum’s range of online activities and games. Kids can play, create, learn and discover with fun-filled online games, activity sheets, and print-out and make templates. The museum’s children’s online activities not only provide hours of fun and creativity but also have a strong learning element with topics covering science, the natural environment/marine biology, archaeology, astronomy, history, art and design - all things inspired by the sea and their exhibitions. Children can also venture into the secret world of a submarine HMAS Onslow or climb aboard the hard-working patrol boat HMAS Advance by taking one of the museum’s 360-degree on-line tours. Online activities are primarily for families with children aged 4-12 years old however 360 tours of the vessels and some of the more advanced craft activities such as casting and soft sculpture, are suitable for older children and adults. Head to their website for all these great activities.
Museum time - Both the Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks have reopened however if you prefer to stay home, checkout their Home website here. Melbourne Museum have just launched a great page called Melbourne Museum at Home for kids to enjoy the many areas of its Museum from home. Scienceworks Melbourne is also sharing the world of science via their Scienceworks Museum from Home And we can also explore diversity and culture from home with the Immigration Museum at Home. Or show the kids the best museums from London to Seoul in the comfort of your own home via this website.
National Trust of Australia Victoria recently launched virtual activities to enable children and adults alike to explore culturally significant landmarks in Victoria, such as the Old Melbourne Gaol, through fun and interactive 3D virtual tours and games. Some of the fun activities families can do include: A 3D tour of the old Melbourne Gaol, A real colonial house tour where you can virtually meet the people who lived there, The chance to explore a court room in action, A ride aboard the famous Polly Woodside boat museum and The chance to take learning offline with printable word searches, activity sheets and games. Head to their website now: https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/education-resources-vic/
Powerhouse Museum Creative Industries Resident, Rosie Deacon, has created activities for you to do at home inspired by her Koala Train installation. Like many of us over summer, Rosie was gripped by the unfolding bushfire tragedy and the plight of our koalas. Her hope is for us all to make smarter environmental choices, such as taking more public transport to help provide all of Australia’s koalas a safe place to live. Make your own mini Koala Train version at home or Make your own colourful chains, create your own mini art installation at home and Rosie even shows you how to make pom poms! Checkout these activities on their website.
Resource Hub by KiwiCo is a hub for parents to help support learning at home, with loads of stay-at-home educational activities for every age, tips from teachers on effective remote learning, and kid-friendly content that connects science with their daily lives. Their link here.
Science time - The California Science Center have created the Stuck at Home science website. Families can explore, investigate, and learn together without ever needing to leave the house. All activities use easy to find household supplies, and are appropriate for a variety of ages. Checkout their website.
Sydney Living Museums - Enjoy craft and other activities at home with the Sydney Living Museums. Inspired by their exhibitions and museums, kids can create paper planes, paper portraits, mini museum models, chicken puppets and create a room in a box and more! Head to their website now.
Sydney Opera House - Experience the Sydney Opera House from your home with their NEW Hub which provides a range of digital content and hands-on activities created especially to inspire young minds. From parkour to classical music, model-making to puppets, there’s something for kids of all ages to discover. From their House to yours. The Sydney Opera House also has a full suite of teaching resources spanning across English, Drama and Music for students learning in the classroom or at home as well as a the initiative From Our House to Yours that releases performances, talks, podcasts and never-before-seen footage every week from Wednesday to Sunday. For more information, checkout their website.
Space time - Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover via their website.
Zoo & Aquarium time from home
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in the US film Keeper talks with the animals in their Zoo on their Facebook page which we have loved so far - the porcupine and hippo videos are our favourite! Checkout their live videos here.
Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are slowly setting up webcams around the Zoos to showcase animals, here’s their site.
Explore animal live cams from all around the world, these are of African Wildlife, Ocean creatures, Birds and so much more. Here’s their site.
Houston Zoo are letting kids tune in to the Houston Zoo Webcams and enjoy a live look at animals that call the Houston Zoo home. Checkout their website now.
Merlin Entertainments recently launched a FREE education resource portal called 'Merlin’s Education Toolbox' to provide much-needed assistance to teachers and parents facilitating home-schooling lessons for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resources cover a range of Science, History, Maths and English topics inspired by our attractions and designed to meet the needs of various school stages. This includes: Educational worksheets, Inspirational and educational videos, past Facebook Live sessions from SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Melbourne so you can catch up on what’s been happening including fish feeds, penguin playtime and LEGO workshops and A ‘Just for Fun’ section which aims to break up the day with creative activities including colouring sheets and craft. Head there now.
Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium will be running live educational talks from their Facebook page. Checkout their Facebook page.
San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities and games, here’s the site here.
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium - Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium run Aquarium live video keeper talks on different species at the Aquarium at different times via their Facebook page. They have reopened however checkout their archive.
Widlife Sydney Zoo and SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium have launched Wild Holiday Hub for the lockdown! It’s an online destination with activities for kids to do these school holidays! PLUS, they will be hosting live sessions with the Keepers and their adorable animals:
Friday 2nd July at 10 am - The WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo's Koala Keepers will be introducing viewers to two adorable Koala Joeys, plus a little surprise!
Saturday 3rd July at 10.30 am - The SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium team will host a Q&A, feed, and enrichment session with Pig the Dugong, live from Dugong Island!
Checkout the two site's Facebook page to tune in on the day!
In the meantime, checkout the Wild Holiday Hub which offers a range of activities that have been expertly curated by Merlin Entertainments’ Curatorial and Education teams to appeal to the following three age categories: Fishy and Fluffy Friends, Junior Keepers and Creature Questers. The Wild Holiday Hub will be updated regularly to ensure the content is new, exciting, and relevant! More info here.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute have live feeds running at their Zoo. Head to their website now.
Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo have brought Taronga Zoo TV to your house! Tune in daily to see your favourite animals, meet their friendly keepers and learn what goes on behind the scenes at Taronga. Check out Taronga Zoo TV here. Checkout their Facebook page too to keep up-to-date and see live talks. The zoos have reopened with restrictions if you want to visit too.
Wild Life Sydney Zoo - Checkout Wild Life Sydney Zoo’s live feeds from home - Watch Rocky the GIANT Saltwater Croc snap up his lunch, Get up close with Davey the Quokka for some adorable Quokka Cuddles and more! Head to their Facebook page.
Zoos Victoria in Melbourne Australia also have live streaming for kids to look at their Zoo animals, see here.
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Keep Active
Go for a walk - If you can, head to your nearest park and beach for a stroll but keep your distance from others. Great exercise and the fresh air and free play will change the little ones minds. Head there in the morning to wake everyone up or in late afternoon to burn off any excess energy before bed.
P.E with Joe from home - Get active at home with P.E with Joe. A great workout for the kids and parents if they want to join, head to Joe’s Youtube channel here to see his full archives as Joe has now finished his week longs of P.E with Joe and only runs a few a week.
Yoga workshop - Setup your little yoga workshop at home and show a few moves for your little ones. We found some great Youtube Kids video for kids yoga classes from Cosmic Kids Yoga. A lovely combination of fun yoga stories and easy mindfulness videos that kids will LOVE. We liked The Very Hungry Caterpillar Yoga session.
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Tech time
English and Maths time - Little Miss loves doing her school homework on the iPad on Literacy Planet and Matific apps.
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Maths time - Little Miss and her brother love the Osmo Math Wizard suite which now includes 4 apps: Osmo Math Wizard - Magical Workshop, Osmo Math Wizard - Secrets of the Dragons, Osmo Math Wizard - Enchanted World Games and Osmo Math Wizard - Amazing Airships. Checkout our review of all 4 below.
Video Game time - Download some great apps and play away. We love apps from Sago Mini, Toca Boca and Dr Panda. Some of our reviews can be found here.