Last week we had the best adventure. We were invited to Sydney Aquarium before it opened to see their new exhibit: “Jurassic Seas”. This new exhibit showcases animals that have outlasted the dinosaurs.
The kids, my mum and I had to be at the aquarium for 8.30am, yes that is super early when you live in the Blue Mountains. Although it was a very early day it was a highlight of the school holidays and the kids and I as well as my mum were looking forward to our adventures.
Kids and adults alike can learn about evolution and find out about lungfish, mudskippers, and much more.
One creature that the kids and I had never seen before was the nautilus. This creature has been around for 500 million years. Yes it is that old. We were extremely lucky to see the nautilus get fed as the staff at the aquarium do this before the centre opens. See the feeding of the nautilus below:
You can see the nautilus a bit better in the video below:
The nautilus does not like lights or noise so therefore it is best to feed it before the place gets too noisy and also with many people with their smart phones.
You can even feed the deadly Plesiosaurus using the aquariums state of the art technology based game.
The kids had a great time at the Jurassic Seas exhibit and we then went to explore the rest of the aquarium.
Nana and Alexander checking out the penguinsLillian looking at the penguinsAmazed at such bright and colourful fishOne of the dugongs at Sydney AquariumThe dugong came up for a close upThe girls and Nana on the Shark WalkAlexander and Nana looking at the bright and colourful fishAlexander was amazed. Not sure how much he took in and mind you he is only three months old but he seemed interested.
The girls were lucky to be able to feed some fish before the aquarium opened for business:
One of the favourite things to do at the aquarium was the “Art Aquarium”. At first I dismissed the kids wanting to colour in the print outs. I told them we can colour in at home, I was thinking that we had so much to see and do at the aquarium that coloring in worksheets might be a waste if we missed out on seeing some interesting creatures.
Amazed by the Art Aquarium
I did see the video wall with the fish and creatures but did not put it all together.
Checking out our art
The twins were telling me that they wanted to draw so that it could go on the wall.
Gosh….. what???? I took another look and then realised that the fish were coloured in by kids. They had names and you could see that they were scribbled with crayons and the like. How amazing and clever.
It was a brilliant and fabulous interactive exhibit that really got the kids involved. Once we figured out that there was more than just simple colouring in the girls got their creations happening, scanned in and we saw their creatures come to life on the art aquarium wall.
Once you have coloured in your work of art, you then scan it in so it will show up on the video wall.
The new activity is available daily and is included in aquarium admission, so if you are going to the aquarium this is a must do! You will all have a blast with this activity. Trust me, we stayed here for quite a while.
The girls also had fun at the Discovery Rockpool, this is an area that allows kids and adults to touch and to learn more about the creatures. The girls patted starfish and a sea cucumber, they also got to hold a shark egg.
The girls having fun at the discovery rockpool at the aquariumJulia holds a shark egg. I had no idea that it was like this. It feels like hard sea weed and it is formed like a spiral that allows the shark to have it slide into the sand easily.
Would you love to take the kids to the Aquarium for the holidays or just for the weekend? Well find out all the great deals for tickets here
THANKS:We all had a blast at the aquarium and would like to thank those that made it possible. Thanks so much for our invite and the lovely walk around before the aquarium opened. It was amazing and made us feel very special indeed.
I just now need to win the lottery. Bring it on!
Since it is a big drive and kids get a bit stir crazy in the car for a few hours I like to give the kids time to run around and get some of their energy out before our huge drive home. We love to go to the Darling Harbour Playground, the twins love it and they have a fabulous time in the water park area, climbing, playing on the huge slide, getting dirty in the huge sandpit and much more. It is an amazing space. Just make sure you pack some towels, a change of clothes as kids get wet and of course dirty while having some serious fun at this playground.
Climbing and having funWatching my big sisters have fun at the playgroundWe are going to get dizzy on this
All the different things that make water move, stop or go through are amazing.More of the path of where the water travels in the water park at Darling Harbour
Have you had a great time at the aquarium? Did you also have fun at the Darling Harbour Playground. Let us know.
Hope you are all having a fun time these school holidays. If you have not gotten to the city to have fun like we have maybe you can make a weekend of it or do it next school holidays.
As you might already know the kids and I were lucky enough to have a preview of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. It was a HUGE day. We all got up very early as we had to be there by 9.30 for 10am. Yes this does not sound bad but when you are coming from the Blue Mountains and leaving in peak hour it can all go wrong so easily.
I thought it best to have more time up my sleeve so planned to be there for 9am. I did not want to be late. That would just be terrible!
We did hit a lot of traffic but all was good due to allowing extra time. Thank goodness for Google Maps and getting up early, oh and kids not whinging due to getting up early.
The show officially opened on Thursday (yesterday to be precise) and of course they are expecting about 900,000 or more people to visit. Now that is a lot of people coming over to your place for a visit! Glad I don’t have to tidy or organise for this event.!
So what did we think of the preview of the Easter Show?
The kids did not know at first where we were off to. Once we arrived I told them we are seeing the Easter Show before the public sees it. They did not know what public was. I then said, “We are seeing the show before anyone else does. It is not open yet and opens tomorrow”. This was understood and they felt very special about being at the showground.
First of all we were taken to every part via a train. It was not a massive train, more like a little train that takes kids and tourists around a show.
The girls waiting for us to leave on the train. It was very nice to be taken to every event at the show!
Our first stop was the Woolworth’s food pavilion.
They were still setting up the exhibits and doing final touches on the great artwork that uses vegetables and fruit. It looked amazing and is so clever. So much time and hard work has gone into this visual display.
Due to ANZAC Day being the 100th anniversary the show is commemorating this in the displays. You will note that they have signs with “Lest We Forget” and great tributes to our brave soliders that fought for us all.
Stop 2. Then we were off to see the animals
The big highlight was the animals. The girls really loved this part of the day!
Last stop was to see the motorbikes in the stadium
The kids were amazed at the skillful guys that jumped in the air with their motorbikes. They were daredevils and it was very impressive!
Julie Power who is a reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald was also at the preview of the Easter Show. Julie’s article mentioned the blog! Check out the fab story here!
If you are going to the show have a fun time. Make sure to plan your day with the Sydney Royal Easter Show website.
As you would know from part 1 of our adventure we traveled to the city to be there and to avoid a super early morning start. Staying at Darling Harbour was great. We had a great view from our hotel and the Maritime Museum was a short walk from where we were.
The girls were so excited and the main thing they wanted to do was go on a submarine. Yes we had not even got to the museum and they were telling everyone that they are going on a submarine.
We went to the museum on a Saturday to allow hubby to have fun with the kids and join in. I also met up with my sister, her partner and her lovely baby girl. Plus my mum, and step dad joined in the fun. It was a good family day out.
So what did we do there?
At first we got a map so that we knew where all areas of the museum were. There is a lot of things on display so you do need a full day to see it all. The submarines and ships are outside of course and if you keep your wristband on you can come in and out of the museum.
Firstly we saw as many displays inside the museum as possible. I was taken with the amount of information from first hand people they have, diaries, pictures, posters and more.
We looked around and I was amazed that there were personal notes from soldiers that were in World War I. I saw a hand written diary of a solider saying that they were awaiting orders to leave, and you can see this below on the date of August 4th 1915.
The Cabinet of Curiosities.
The kids had fun with The Cabinet of Curiosities. This is a trolley with items that the kids can touch and learn more about. The girls loved it. They were able to touch and learn about the objects on display.
All items in the museum were very impressive. The displays were thoughtful and very interesting.
A model showing many people at work and at play.The kids were able to press different buttons to have different light and times occur.
I was amazed that there was a helicopter in the museum as well as other items.
Navy Helicopter
Going Places
Going Places is an interactive exhibition that is on until the 22nd of February 2015 and allows kids of all ages to see how different transport works, planes, bikes, airships and cargo ships.
Voyage to the Deep
The exhibition of the Voyage to the deep was what we came to see plus the ships and the submarine. The girls loved the fact that they could play with everything and run around like made people. They had a blast and had so much fun. As you can see from the video I took below of the girls under the water at the exhibition.
Here are some more images of the fun that the kids had at the Voyage to the Deep.
Voyage to the Deep was a whole playground that was underwater. It allowed kids to just have fun and touch and play with all that was there. It is great to see a museum having things that kids can play on and touch that also fosters learning.
The Maritime Museum was a fabulous day out and all the family had fun not just the kids. You will need a whole day as there is a lot to see and do so get there early. We got to the museum at 10am and left at around 3.30pm nearly 4.00pm so it is a big day!
We went to the cafe outside near the ships for lunch and it was good and handy. It served yummy things for kids and adults alike. It was close so it meant that we could relax there and were still able to access the museum due to keeping our wristbands on for entry.
Have fun and I am sure your little one will just love the Maritime Museum in the holidays or on the weekend. It will keep everyone interested. I highly recommend the Maritime Museum as it is fun, educational and hands on.
Do you take the kids to museums? Have you been to the Maritime Museum? Did the kids love it? Let us know. If you have been, what was your favourite part?
Disclaimer: Thanks so much to The Maritime Museum for our family passes that made this all possible. We had an amazing time and it was a wonderful family adventure.
The kids are at vacation care today and the original plan was to have a full day to myself. However this has been changed due to our visit tomorrow to the Maritime Museum. Since we live a while away from the city, we are staying in a hotel close to the museum to make it easier on everyone. I have told the other family to meet us at 10am outside the museum so staying nearby will help to not make it such an early start. If we drove from home it might be a 6am or so wake up call, and that is not on!
Since I had already booked kids into care they are only having a half day and at the time of writing this they should be on their excursion to the pool. I dressed both kids in their swimmers and had all their things ready for their adventure at the pool.
I am doing some things at home and then will pick up kids. After I dump most things at home all of us will make our way to the station to catch the train to the city. Then we will get our connection to the light rail to go to the hotel.
Did you know?
You can purchase light rail tickets when you get your train tickets. YES fabulous….. and all organised before I start the journey.
I decided to get the train tickets before I pick up kids later (nothing worse than fussing around with kids and money at the station, while worrying about when the train will come) I went to the automatic machine and realised that I could also purchase light rail tickets as well. How amazing and I also got the family deal. One kid travels free! So I have got the train tickets and also the light rail tickets before we go anywhere. Talk about organised!
Do you stay somewhere closer if you are off somewhere special? Do you do it due to living further away or just as a treat?
The girls are smart and have figured out we are most likely staying in a hotel, but have no idea where and how close we will be to the Maritime Museum. I think the kids will be super tired from swimming, a train trip and then the light rail, plus a small walk to the hotel.
Hubby has the bags and other heavy things and will meet us later after he gets off work. We have used the kids new suitcases they got for Christmas as we did not need much for an overnight visit to the city.
I am hoping to be able to visit the kids playground at Darling Harbour after our time at the museum and have organised a change of clothes as there is water play and the kids will most likely end up wet. The last time we were there the girls had a blast!
Have you been to the Maritime Museum? Did you enjoy it? I will write a full and more in depth post after we experience everything tomorrow. Do you love the Darling Harbour Playground? What is your favourite bit of it? I love the fact that it is free, and for all kids of different ages. So great to see a city incorporate activities for kids that are accessible and fun.
Thanks to the Maritime Museum for the family passes to make tomorrow possible and I am sure we will have an amazing day.
On the last weekend of the spring school holidays I took the family for a sleepover. A sleepover with a twist; we went glamping on Cockatoo Island.
Hubby and the girls at the accommodation office on Cockatoo IslandView of the tents on Cockatoo Island. Our tent was near the water. What a wonderful view!
I was so excited and so were the kids. I was looking forward to exploring what the island had to offer, relaxing at a cafe and later at our tent with a glass of wine watching the sun set and the boats go by. Some of this happened but not the way I had envisioned.
Getting to Cockatoo Island
As the name suggests it is an island and the only way there is by boat or ferry. We were lucky to park the car where hubby works so that saved with money for parking for the weekend, and then walked around the corner to the ferry. We had to take the ferry to one stop due to low tide and then get a bus to the next place to get the ferry all the way to Cockatoo Island. This was great for the girls as they loved the fact that we took a car, ferry, bus and then finally ferry again. A big adventure just to get there.
Cockatoo Island Wharf, Cockatoo Island. Sydney Harbour.The girls on the wharf waiting for our ferry back to the city.
What did we pack?
If you are staying on the island you need to make sure you bring everything you need with you. This is why I decided on glamping as it means we are not carrying too much with us.
We took the following with us:
Change of clothes for everyone. Basically just a shirt, shorts and other essentials
We all had one pair of shoes, however since it was 34 degrees for nearly both days we were there a pair of thongs could have come in handy
Food for dinner, we had a BBQ that we organised ourselves
Plates, cups, forks, knives, spoons and so on.
Weet-Bix for the twins and 5ooml of milk that was in a cool bag (kids are fussy and having breakfast for them was essential. Hubby and I waited till the cafe was open and had a bacon and egg roll)
View of the buildings and cranes on Cockatoo Island
What can you do on Cockatoo Island?
Explore the island
Get a tour by a guide or do a self guided tour
Learn about the buildings and the history
Kids can collect clues and colour in a book that you can get from the vistors centre
Relax with a nice drink and watch the stunning harbour view
Have a lovely BBQ
Camp and stay over on the island
What did we do?
After we arrived we organised our ice for our esky and then made sure we had wine for the evening. Silly to have to race to do this but the place to purchase wine closes at 4pm and we had a 2pm check-in. Once this was organised we relaxed a bit in our wonderful tent.
The tent and amenities that were provided were wonderful. The glamping tent came with camp beds, linen, towels, toiletries – soap, shampoo, conditioner and the like. It was a huge tent and I am glad I did not have to carry it or put it up. It was good to have it there and ready for us when we arrived.
After we sorted ourselves out we then went off to explore the island. We did get the self-guided tour (headphones that when you enter a number it tells you about a certain area or building), we just explored and had some fun. It was a hot day and the kids had fun running around and looking at the wonderful view.
The beautiful sunset that we saw on Sunday the 5th of October while on Cockatoo Island.
I wore my Fitbit Flex and I did the following steps:
17,480 Steps on Sunday (this was the hottest day and of course we did the most walking! The twins met a friend in the tent next to ours and ran around so they must have done well over 20,000 steps as they were running around like mad people)
9,987 Steps on Monday
So as you can see you do a lot of walking! So make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
What did we eat?
I went shopping and got some sausages, chops (otherwise known as roast beef on the bone), and some nice bits of steak for a BBQ. We also purchased some fresh bread rolls, salad and and drinks to take with us. I froze the drinks so that they would stay colder longer. This was a good help especially with a very hot day that I did not expect. The island has a wonderful kitchen facility for all that stay and we used this area to cook and eat our BBQ feast. Since we made friends with our neighbours we ended up having dinner with them as well. It was a nice evening.
BBQ, Kitchen and eating area for those who camp on Cockatoo Island.
Before I went to Cockatoo Island, I did some research and realised that the pizza place on the island closed at 3pm to families…YES silly really. The weekend we visited, it was the October long weekend, the start of daylight savings and also still school holidays. So why close a place where families can eat and enjoy the island from your cafe/restaurant. I was told when I emailed before our visit that the owner has it as an adults only area after 3pm and if we wanted to come back during the weekday, not school holidays or the weekends it will be fine. I did mention that we were visiting on the weekend and due to school holidays that being there on a weekday would not be possible. I also explained that we were there for a family outing so having children with us was a given.
This is why we chose to take food for a BBQ for our dinner on the Sunday evening.
Other areas that offered food were all closing at about 3pm or 4pm… weird? Why did they not stay open to at least 7pm or 8pm or later… it was of course an island, people were staying there and they in turn could make more money. Strange if you ask me. You are stuck on an island where businesses could earn more if they stayed open and catered more for their customers.
Not sure if there is a reason for this but we could not understand it.
If you are thinking of staying on Cockatoo Island it is a wise idea to bring your own food if you have kids. Most likely places will not be open or if they are your child might not like what is on the menu. It is not like you can go down the shops to get what you need when you are in the middle of Sydney Harbour.
There is a fire pit and the ranger on the island lit it for the evening.
Things that need improvement
More family friendly businesses. Families with kids go to Cockatoo Island for something to do and they are prepared to spend when they are there, even more if you are staying on the Island. To not have venues happy to accept families was a major disappointment. I was so looking forward to sipping a cocktail while having dinner and looking at the harbour. This was not to be due to the fact the only place to do this did not cater for families. I spoke to other families and they said the same thing. Families with kids are being discriminated against and this is a big negative for a fantastic venue like Cockatoo Island.
Open longer and provide places for kids to be while parents are allowed to eat.
We tried to rent a boat to go around the island but when hubby tried to do this he was told to call a number to organise. He said that if he had known this we would have done it before we arrived. However the website said it can all be arranged from the island. We did call the person on the number we were given and the person called back and then found us to discuss renting a boat for all four of us. He took one look at the twins and realised they were tiny. He asked how old and we told him they were six. He said that it depends on life jackets for the kids as we all had to be safe. He came back with the smallest life jacket he had and tried it on one of the girls. It was too big and that meant we could not go on the boat. We understood this and don’t want to not be safe. However if we were able to organise this before we got to Cockatoo Island maybe we might have been able to rent the boat and have this experience. This also means that the money for the boat hire, about $100 was not earnt and this person lost out on the money. Better organisation would mean a better experience and more money in the businesses pockets. A win, win really.
Staff argued with us when we questioned why they took the lids off our bottles of wine when we purchased them (Having staff that don’t argue might be a good idea). You are not allowed to take alcohol on the island and we did not. You are only allowed to purchase it there and drink it in certain areas. The cafe/bar where you buy it, or say your tent or BBQ/Kitchen area. We made sure to purchase ice for our esky that was provided and not having any lids on bottles of wine made it hard to fit everything back into the esky. We were told that not having any lids on the wine is for our safety. Really why is not having a lid something that makes it safe?
Not having a lid makes it more easily spilt, or drunken by other people that are not supposed to have it. Having a lid on a bottle of wine is from my understanding safer than not having a lid on it.
Cockatoo Island Promo Shot from their website. It shows a lid on a wine bottle although this is not allowed for your safety of course.
Seagulls are everywhere, and they are feral! I don’t know what can be done but they need to try and remove them or at least make it easier for the vistors to the island. When we were doing the clue finding with the kids we had to leave many areas as the seagulls were nesting and had eggs that they were protecting. They were getting rather upset and some were looking like they might attack. All they need is a kid to be attacked or something bad to happen and then there might be a major issue. We were fine and left them well alone, however the kids did point out that the island should be renamed, Seagull Island rather than Cockatoo Island.
As you will see the promo image from the Cockatoo Island website shows that you can sit at your tent with a nice glass of wine with a lid on the bottle no less. However when you get there for the same experience, lids were confiscated and the top of the bottle was stuffed with kitchen paper to make up for the missing lid.
Looking at the fire while the sun sets on Cockatoo Island
What to pack if you wish to stay on Cockatoo Island
Food if you wish to have a BBQ or if you have kids with you
Lids for wine or anything that might have lids taken away from you
Cups, plates, knifes, forks, spoons, bowls,cups, glasses, and so on if you are bringing food
Change of clothes, change of shoes if it becomes cool. We just brought walking shoes and as it was hot did not have thongs or sandals
Hat
Suncream
Toilet paper. The ladies toilets were fine and always had adequate paper but hubby said the mens did not. So we were lucky to have some with us.
Note: there is no power for electrical items so make sure you charge your phone and devices ahead of time. My iPhone 4s died early into our first day there so that was not good but to be expected. It is an old phone that has a battery that is on its way out. I am hanging for the new iPhone.
Games for the kids. Card game, a ball or maybe a board game for something to do after you are back at your tent
Enjoying the fire and outdoors on Cockatoo Island
Did we enjoy Cockatoo Island?
We had a great time but some of the things that we expected made the trip for hubby and I not as great as we hoped. Just a little more work on what they offer from hours and accessibility for families to services, and customer service side would have made it fabulous. From my perspective, Cockatoo Island needs to think about who visits their island. It is most likely families who come for a day or stay over, that said they are there to have fun and spend money. It is hard to do this when you cannot due to businesses not catering for families who are prepared to spend when they are there. Think about returns that they have lost due to such silly decisions to close a venue off to families at 3pm.
I loved camping, being somewhere different and it was great as it was a holiday without having to go to far from home.
Relaxing at our tent on Cockatoo Island
The kids loved it and enjoyed racing around and exploring everything. It was the first time for the kids to go camping or really glamping. I did tell the kids that normally we would be camping in a sleeping bag not a bed setup with all the bed made for us.
We would definitely go back. Now we know what we need to do for our next stay or we could just do a day trip. Hubby would like to learn more about the buildings and one day we will go back to learn more.
Have you been to Cockatoo Island? Did you stay over? What did you think? Did you have fun?
I have treated the family to an overnight getaway. I am so excited and for a while it was a mystery to hubby where we were going. However this did not last long as I needed to tell him due to logistics and how we got to our destination.
Where are we off to you ask?
We are going to be glamping on Cockatoo Island this October Long Weekend. We are off this Sunday and back home on the holiday Monday. The twins have no idea where we are going and they will be so excited to find out that are staying on an island in a tent in Sydney Harbour! Cannot wait to see the kids faces.
The tents on Cockatoo Island
Why Glamping?
I have been camping and know that you need to bring quite a bit of stuff with you. With two adults and two kids the things to pack would be extreme. It is just for one night and I wanted to make things easy on us. Especially me and hubby.
The tents are provided as well as the beds, linen, towels, pillows and a couple extra things. This cuts down on what we have to pack. Ideal really for a short getaway.
Why Cockatoo Island?
I wanted to go away but by the time you factored into plane fares, rental car and of course hotel stay it adds up for just a weekend away. Thousands of dollars for say a two day getaway. Nope not interested in spending that much. Cockatoo Island was reasonable in costs and the best thing is that we can drive to the city, park the car and get onto a ferry and be there easily. No extra payments for hire car, or flights. It is a holiday somewhere we have never been. It will be like we have travelled but we are still in the same city.
Cockatoo Island was cheap considering it has wonderful views and has a lot on offer, I wish I could have booked another night time did not let me (I wanted to do it on the long weekend and could only get Sunday night so that is great and happy with that. Was aiming for Saturday but that was full). There are tours that you can do yourself or have a guide, play tennis or just relax. There are also plenty for the kids to do. Check out the video below:
Cockatoo Island also offers great education programs for kids. Below is the video for Primary children but they also have a program for secondary students. This looks amazing and what a great place to make history and facts come to life. I cannot wait to experience it and share it with the kids.
More images and stories to come soon about our weekend away.
Have you been glamping? Did you glamp on Cockatoo Island? Was it for a night or longer? Let us know how it went. The school holidays are nearly over and we have had a jam packed two weeks. This is a perfect way to end the holidays and relax with the family before school resumes.
How were the holidays for you? Hope you are relaxed and have managed okay.
One of the girls got a worm farm for their birthday and the other an ant farm. Last Friday we started to set up the worm farm. The kids were very excited to do this earlier, however we needed one essential ingredient. WORMS! And I had none! Luckily I went to my Nana (the girls GG) and Aunty’s for lunch last Thursday, they had worms from the compost so we took some home with us. I hope the worms like the fact that they are now in the mountains.
Worm Farm ready to set up
What you need
Dirt
Of course worms
A clean table to set up the farm
I got the dirt from our backyard and found a few extra worms also, so that was a bonus. One worm that we got from my aunty was huge and the girls have called him “The King”
Checking out the worm farm. Very happy kids!
I followed the instructions for the worm kit however I left one thing out. The privacy screens. Who knew worms needed privacy? The reason the kit has it is you can take off the plastic edges of the farm to see what the worms are doing. Without the screens the worms get a lot of light that they don’t like. If they had the screens they would be spared the annoyance of having the light shone in their faces. I just now have images of worms not wanting to be next to each other and are upset that I left off the privacy screens. I realised too late and the only way to fix it was to take all the dirt and worms out of the kit and start again.
So sorry worms, no privacy. You will just have to get along with your neighbours.
You might have noticed the yellow and red dirt or sand. It is so that when the worms build their tunnels you can see where they have gone. Easier to see if it is a different colour than just black dirt.
Make sure you wash your hands and any surfaces that you used to help create the worm farm.
Happy kids with their new worm farm.
One thing that was said after I completed the worm farm with the twins, “Thanks mummy we now have worms as pets!”
Gosh if the kids are happy with worms as pets, wait till they get a cat when they are a bit older. We are hoping to have a kitten for the kids when we have our new house. Maybe while we wait we could get the girls fish to look after. This might be a little better than pet worms? What do you think?
The girls are getting more involved in scientific exploration so that is why they got an ant farm and a worm farm. Along with it both kids got a magnifying glass as well, they have used it to investigate the garden and all that is miniature that needs to be explored.
Have you set up a worm farm with your kids? How did it go? Were they fascinated? Let us know.
Now I need to find a whole bunch of ants for the ant farm. Send suggestions on how to collect some please! I have had a few so far but have not put it into action.
After the twins birthday party, I was asked by their Great Aunt if we would be happy for the kids to have a sleep over at their place. I said that sounded fine, checked with hubby and he thought that would be a nice idea. She mentioned that this will allow us to have a break and for her to catch up with the kids.
Little did I know was that it was not just one night that she was thinking about, in fact it would be two nights and we would have the ENTIRE weekend to ourselves. To make it even better, the kids are being dropped off some time on the Monday…Yes, they are coming home Monday so we get to do whatever we want on the whole weekend!
The kids bags are packed. Ready to go to their sleep over tomorrow.
I did think she had mistaken this coming weekend for the October Long Weekend and had to check. She told us the dates, 27th and the 28th of Sept, so we booked a hotel in the city for us for the Saturday thinking it was just one night. It gets hard with hubby’s work being away on a Sunday so Saturday is still good enough for us.
This sudden weekend by ourselves took us by surprise and got me thinking… Do your kids have a sleep over at relatives? I do understand that if they are too young this might not be possible, but if they are older it might be a great idea.
Holidays are tough when you have to keep the kids entertained and seem like you are always on the go with no rest. Kids visiting with relatives is great as they can learn from them, catch up, have adventures and just have fun with other people. I have found that on the odd time that the twins have slept over their Great Aunt’s they have had a wonderful time.
Lillian especially has been so excited she has packed multiple bags with so many things ready for tomorrow. All their bags are packed with my help today. I am not sure exactly what they have packed, but I think there are many toys, a music box, their perfume, and other important items that must go with them. It was so cute that she raced off to get it all done and her sister then helped get all the extra bags. I wonder what their Great Aunt will find when they unpack?
So I put it to you…
Are you able to have the kids/child sleep over at a relatives? It does not have to be for the entire weekend, one night is ample at times. The kids are so looking forward to their “two night sleep over” as they are calling it. They are looking forward to having adventures and being on their own with family, without mummy and daddy. They are saying how big they are now they are six.
This was unexpected and not planned, but it is going to be lovely…. Me Time, Us Time, sleeping in…. No one asking me to make them breakfast, well at least not till Tuesday.
It might be something to think about organising for next holidays or just the weekend? Start small and I am sure you will love the extra YOU time. It is also a cheap idea of the kids going somewhere without breaking the bank (Assuming you are in the same state and not too far away. If you are not that close it might not be possible)
Let us know if your kids have regular sleep overs with family members? What are their favourite parts of the trip or getaway? Send in your comments.
Do you need an idea of where to take the kids? Well this one will keep kids and adults occupied for hours! Yes the whole family will find something of interest. Recently we took the twins to the “Tyrannosaurs, Meet the Family exhibition at The Australian Museum.” It was amazing and very interactive for the kids. So if you need somewhere for the kids that is different and also educational this is a great place to go!
Excited and cannot wait to go and meet the Tyrannosaurs
Here is a sneak peek of what the exhibition is like.
When we all walked in the kids were super excited and we did not know what to expect. There was a walkway and to each side screens with video on them. On the screen was images of Sydney one at the Opera House and the other looks like it is Phillip Street. The video below shows what happened when we went through this walkway to access the exhibition.
I obviously did not care if my kids or hubby were attacked by a dinosaur. I was too busy giggling and filming on my iPhone.
Once we were at the exhibition there were places for the kids to touch dinosaur bones, interact with the screens. This interactive screen allowed you to click on an egg, hatch a baby dinosaur and drag it onto the right time where they would have lived. I had no idea when where to put them but it was very clever and a fun way to get kids interested and involved.
The girls playing with the touch screen.There is now a dinosaur on the loose
A Dinosaur Shadow Comes to Life
Turn the volume up to experience full roar!
The twins were rather shocked that the shadow came to life. The noise was very loud!
We had tickets that allowed us entry at a certain time. I think we could enter at 12.30, so we had time before we went to the Tyrannosaurs exhibition. This allowed us to see the rest of the museum as well. It was a good experience for the kids. In the bone and skeleton section there was a lady with bones and items that kids could touch. She told the kids all about the bones and asked questions of the girls. One thing that she asked the twins was why is it that the pelican bones are so much lighter and more hollow than the elephant or other bones. The answer of course was barbecue pelicans fly and need lighter bones to be in the air. Yes the girls got that one right!
Domestic Bliss. Reading the paper while the dog is at your feet. The cat is chasing a mouse. While the bird is in its cage.A horseman on his horse. Yeehaa!The girls at one of the skeleton remains of a dinosaur.
We also looked at some very nice and big lumps of gemstone! Yes I would have loved to have left with a lot of it in my bag. I know it would be obvious I would have it as I could not lift it and therefore, would have to drag my bag out of the building. Plus it is all behind glass and I would not be able to get to it is a big deterrent and of course getting to trouble is BIGGER ONE!
Just amazing and impressive gemstones on display.
More About Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family
How much are tickets?
$62 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids if you buy at the museum on the same day
$57 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids if you purchase tickets in advance
Kids under 5 are free!
You can see all the museum as well as the Dinosaur exhibit with this ticket. Great value to see everything.
If you are a member of the museum it is cheaper.
When does it end?
The Tyrannosaurs exhibition closes on July 27th. Better get there to experience the fun before it ends.
Hope this has given you another idea for the kids. After we left the museum we decided to go to the Botanical Gardens so the girls could run around and get some energy released, this worked out well as we had a long trip back to the mountains. I find it best when kids can have some time playing and running around before they get back into a car where they cannot move much and are rather restricted.
Do you need a fun thing to do with the kids? Why not take them to the Glow Worm Tunnel outside Lithgow. This is a great adventure for kids but also for adults. Hubby and I had never been before and we thought it would be a fun family day out.
The girls and I outside the glow worm tunnel
Where Is The Glow Worm Tunnel?
The glow worm tunnel is located in the Wollemi National Park. The glow worms live in an old rail tunnel that is 400 metres in length. The address is : Glowworm Tunnel Road, Newnes Plateau NSW 2790.
What You Will Need
Good walking shoes (waterproof if possible)
Torch
Backpack for snacks, water bottle, jumper and wet weather gear if needed
The girls and I in the glow worm tunnel. This is the best picture in the dark with the torches.
When we went it was raining but not bad. More like spitting. It was wet and the kids had umbrellas although I held them mostly due to the kids needing to have both hands available for the bush walk. It was not a bad walk for kids to do, however if it is wet and rainy you might want to wait till it is dryer to do this. Some parts were soaked with water and it was hard to get in and out without getting a bit wet. You might notice that my jeans were rolled up. That was not a fashion choice, but more to prevent wet pants.
After we exited the tunnel the rain had passed and blue skies were everywhere. It was like the storm and rain never happened.
Great video about the history of the glow worm tunnel and getting there.
This video will show you the glow worms in the tunnel. Wish we captured it as well.
Video from Holiday Hunter
The walk back to the car park was not to bad and we were glad it was not raining. The glow worms were amazing! Hubby gave the kids a talk before we went into the tunnel and told the girls that we must be super quiet as glow worms hate noise. The girls were super quiet but I wish that was the case for all the other people that were there. People were yelling Cooee! Yelling and laughing and just being very noisy. We saw some lovely glow worms but they got frightened of the noise from the others. We stood in the tunnel for a bit as the glow worms come back after a while and they did. The twins loved it and raved about it at school.
Great reminder to be quit so you will see the glow worms. Glow worms don’t like noise!
On the whole I would do this walk with the kids and it was very easy and stress free. So if you have kids and want to do something different, give the glow worm tunnel a go.
Such wonderful views on our walk to see the glow worms.
On the trail to exit and go home. On the way back to our car.Hubby and the twins. Love this picture, All look very happy.
