Archive for July, 2010

by Tanya Kovarsky mother of baby Max, a magazine editor, and 8-time Comrades Marathon runner. Aside from her family and friends, she considers chai tea, her Blackberry, running shoes, baby jogger, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee and Twitter among the great loves of her life. Follow Tanya on Twitter @TanyaKovarsky

EXPLORE  PLAY – Year One

I have long stopped reading about where my baby “should be” with his milestone developments, so I was a little nervous about watching Explore Play, frightened that the experts would be telling me that my baby would be ruined for life since he wasn’t crawling or feeding himself with a spoon. I needn’t have worried, for on Explore Play, it felt like I had found friends, who encourage humour rather than strict rules when playing with babies, and who give extremely useful advice that any mom, new or experienced, can benefit from.

Explore Play sets out to encourage play and support milestone development, and features the producer Tanya Haffern, along with Ann Richardson (of Baby Sense fame), and Shannon Eggers, a play therapist. The DVD is divided into four sections (0-3 months, 4-6 months, 7-9 months and 10-12 months) and features discussions and play ideas relating to each baby stage. The play section is divided in outdoor, kitchen, water and general, plus there are safety tips, and a helpful ingredients list (ie what you need for each game). Before each game, we are also told which skills are developed (eg physical, intellectual, language).

One of the first bits of expert advice is that your baby is an individual with his own strengths, that no two babies develop the same way, and that milestones happen along a natural path of progression. My favourite advice though was that we should relax, take pleasure in our babies, enjoy playtime, and never make it a mission or chore.

There are great discussions and advice around stimulation and overstimulation (echoing Ann’s BabySense philosophy), and how to understand your baby and read their cues. I felt it would have been useful to cross-reference to pictures or real babies while the experts were talking so that the viewer could have visually “got” what they were talking about.

I liked many of the games, and appreciated that most of the materials can probably be found at home. The games are age-appropriate, though I’ve already tried some of the younger games with my baby, and he loved them, while two or three of the games in his category are a little bit too tricky. But as the experts in Explore Play say, if babies aren’t ready or enjoying a game, move on, and try again the following week. Our favourites have been water balloons and syringe squirting in the bath, a play drawer in the kitchen, and flowers in floating water.

I will definitely follow Explore Play Year Two when we’re ready for more fabulous advice, reassurance and play ideas that come with no guilt or big expense!

Click here for  information about Explore Play

BABYNASTICS (3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months)

With so many baby stimulation classes out there, I often worry that as a working mom, I don’t have the op portunity to participate with my 10-month-old son in them, plus I’m sometimes concerned that maybe he is not reaching his development potential. So I was ecstatic (and relieved of the guilt) when I came across a DVD that offers easy and accessible stimulation exercises at home.

The exercises, formulated in conjunction with a paediatric occupational therapist, are aimed at encouraging brain and body development, and can be followed straight from the TV (think Jane Fonda aerobics for parents and babes!). The three DVDs have exercises and advice for each respective age group (eg learning when to stimulate for 3-6 months, developing skills for sitting, rolling and crawling for 6-9 months, developing gross and fine motor skills for 9-12 months). The DVDs don’t assume that your baby will definitely be at a certain stage, and so exercises are adapted, for example in cases where babies are crawling, and when they’re not.

What I loved is that the exercises are easy to watch and do – they’re gentle and fun, and often done while singing songs or using basic equipment such as different textures, boxes, paper or a stability ball. What’s more, you’ll probably find that you do some of the exercises already, without realising it. The exercises aren’t too overwhelming, but when my baby did get tired or lose interest, I simply stopped and started when he was ready again, as per the suggestion.

Another reason why I liked this DVD series is that there’s “real talk” from mom to baby – no baby talk or cootchie coos. My baby’s childminder has also watched the series and enjoyed it, and it feels like we’re effortlessly adding more stimulation exercises daily. Now if only there was an adult version of the DVD that could help one shed those last few post-preggo kilos!

Click here for more information on Babynastics or to order accessories

By Marion Smith, mom of 4 boys, the youngest her 15 month old twins.  After working as an au pair for 7 years both locally and abroad, Marion established her own agency called Aupairs Exclusive which is where she works now when she’s not being a mum.

If you haven’t quite decided whether or not to employ the services of an Au pair, then this list of advantages will surely help to convince you that there are far more advantages than disadvantages when making this important decision.

ADVANTAGES:

Undivided attention. The children receive undivided attention with an aupair.

Undivided time. Children have one on one contact with their extra mural activities and homework where as an after school care for e.g. would have to divide their time amongst the children.

Regular feedback. The parent would get daily or weekly feedback on the child’s progress in great detail where as at school it would be of a far more general nature.

Transport. The aupair has her own car and valid license so she can take and collect the children from school and take the children on fun outings and even on more important events such as a doctor or dentist visit.

Time control. The parent has more control over the stimulation that the child receives in terms of what toys are played with and what activities take place in the home. Most families with aupairs request that the amount of TV viewing is limited. This is possible as the aupair is committed to playing with and / or stimulating the young child and supervising the time of older children.

Healthy alternative. From a health perspective children are less likely to catch the common cold that go around at crèche. They will also eat a healthy meal because there is not as much importance on the cost of supplying food to a large group of children and the aupair has the time to prepare healthy meals.

Healthy marriages. During the school term, parents are able to spend time together while smaller, often less important tasks, such as running errands are seen to by the aupair. If the family goes on holiday they have the option of taking the aupair with them so that the parents can spend some time on their own.

Help at hand. The aupair can assist with the running of the home e.g. she can do the grocery shopping, pay bills and run errands.

Friendship. The aupair becomes a member of the family, in many ways and can provide a solid friendship and positive influence to young children.

DISADVANTAGES:

Expensive. An aupair is often a more expensive alternative to other childcare options such as a childminder or nursery school.

Attachment. The child may get very attached to the aupair.

Socialisation. The child might not develop as quickly as her peers on a social level because she won’t be exposed to other children on a daily basis. This is if you have a full day aupair so your child does not attend school.

Trust. Parents need to trust the aupair because she will be exposed to all the families’ private affairs.

Change. The girl that is an aupair could be using it only as a gap year job and constant changing of aupairs for children could have a negative effect on how they perceive latter relationships.

Deciding to employ the services of an aupair should not be a decision that is taken lightly and it is suggested that parents thoroughly investigate possible candidates, should they decide to go ahead.

by Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s author site and find out about her recently published children’s adventure novel

Getting kids enthusiastic about reading may seem like a monumental task when you see all the techno-competition around—video games, movies, computer games etc. Actually, one can use all sort of elements to get kids as enthusiastic about books as they are about all their other gadgets.

Most of the time, children are either bored or switched off by the reading choices at school. Kids are riveted by what interests them, so find out what captures your child’s imagination, and direct their attention toward the books on that subject/s.

Kids love computers so turn the idea of reading around—let them create their own story, become an author. What could be more empowering! This will allow them ‘ownership’ of the story, and that’s an irresistible challenge for any child. The subject can be about them, an incident, or a fictitious character. They’ll not just create it but illustrate it (either their own drawings or using images available from the Internet), design it and print it out. You’ll be amazed at what happens once the child takes charge of their own project. You can help your child develop the story, getting them to write it out first by hand, and then going through it several times (maybe another family member can also give their input). They can then create the project on the computer. When it’s finished, suggest the child hand it in to their grade teacher for inclusion in the school magazine or newspaper. Or perhaps it’s a gift for a grandparent or family member. You could even have it properly bound at your local stationers.

Praise and success are incredibly motivating factors in any child’s development. They’ll automatically feel inspired to achieve more. Now you can introduce new activities that show books in a very novel light.

Find a book you both like and, besides reading together, ask your child to suggest alternative actions on the part of certain characters, asking if they agree on how the story is unfolding, and how they would have written the characters’ actions if they disagree. Encouraging a thought process will make your child feel their opinion counts. Once the book is finished, have your child write a ‘review’ and even send it to your local bookshop or library. Imagine their pride and delight if the review is published in a local newspaper, or put up on the library notice board.

A book series is a wonderful way to capture a child’s imagination. If they ‘bond’ with a character such as a young hero/ine, they’ll be eager to continue reading the series as each new book comes out. Two of the most popular that spring to mind immediately are Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter. You can cement this enthusiasm by buying hard cover books for your child as ‘collectibles’—something to be cherished and read again and again. If there’s a movie, even better, and merchandising such as T-shirts, mugs, badges etc, also keep the enthusiasm going.

Following on with the above, most successful books have websites with interesting aspects to explore. Is the series set in a real or fantasy place? Do the characters have important choices to make? Don’t be afraid to let your child get onto the computer and read all about the series, the author, the movie, the actors, the settings, and the characters. Ask your child questions about what they have learned and praise their research.

It doesn’t matter how your child comes to enjoy the written word, but that he or she does. Some imaginative ways of ‘packaging’ the reading process will reap wonderful results.

by Axel Bührmann, a journalist, publisher, and aspiring photographer, with a long-lasting interest in Geekdom (that’s the world of computers and consumer electronics). He takes far too many photographs, but is willing to share them on Flickr You can also visit his website

Made our second trip to the Simba Delta Park Playground yesterday – still impressed at how neat and clean it seems to be, etc. (Went there on the day of the opening – did wonder, this being Jozi and all, how long it would last!). Even risked a boerie roll (at only R15 – this is not Cape Town, that’s for sure!), and am still alive to tell the tale. Should have been someone selling coffee – the li’l place was humming. In fact, a Simba chip or two would not have gone astray.

A minor concern; just to the right (facing north) of the playground is a little bridge and beyond that a small dam – we can see how easily it may be for kiddies to wander off in that direction. Just seemed a bit unsafe.

Other than that, a good time was had by all, as you will see via my “spy cam”

People were braaing and picnicking to such an extent that I started looking around for the Ayoba sign somewhere (Rainbow Nation/World Cup spirit and all)

Echoes of Wallace and Gromit (you can see I’m the parent of a toddler!),  as there was even a lady who took her toaster out for a day in the sun
Guess we’ll be back, but next time with some more of our own sustenance.

Does anyone have any idea how many more of these will be going up? I seem to recall reading about quite a number, but judging by the quality of the playground, I’m sure each sends the Simba chaps back a bit in the wallet region.

by Merle Dieterich, passionate mom and businesswoman whose 2 beautiful children, Lerato and Marvin never cease to amaze and teach her about what counts. You’ll find her at  jozikids.co.za

My families response to Mandela’s call to spend 67 minutes helping others on his birthday was to join a friend who invited us to go with them to Quakazani Primary School in Orange Farm. We went laden with children’s books  for the library,  games,  hot chocolate and sandwiches.

We were shocked to find a library containing mainly tattered old text books and empty shelves. Our books barely filled one of  the  shelves.

Then we unpacked a collection of very simple fun games which we spent the morning playing.

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Our  kids taught other children how to play  UNO, the card game we had brought.

We played  snakes & ladders,  building towers with cards, 4 in a row. There was storytelling,  colouring in, some netball and soccer while some of the adults started helping to document the books we had brought for the library.

It was a wonderful way of bringing these children from such different worlds together to share and play. Thank you Madiba and happy birthday.

What did you do with your children on Mandela day? We would love to hear your stories.

By Jacqui Janse van Rensburg who has lived in Johannesburg all her life. In her 42 years she has been a daughter, a sister, a wife, a girlfriend, an employee and is a CFO, but at last she can celebrate being a MOMMY! You can find her on twitter @JaxJvR

So, Matthew just turned 3! Huge milestone for us, as this was the age we decided he needed to give up his dummy (pacifier). But we had NO idea how this was going to happen.We received many suggestions, like …

Just take it away and suffer the consequences.
Replace it with a week of gifts, with a promise of a big one on day 7.
Give it to the baby birds
Give it to the … (place your thief here!)

But he was so attached to it, that the thought of taking it away, and hearing him cry endlessly just seemed so mean!

2 weeks before his 3rd birthday he lost his dummy! Our nanny and his older sister spent the day looking for it, turning the house up side down in search of the damn thing! By the time I got home everyone had calmed down to a mild panic, but the dummy was still missing!

So I began my search. I found a lot of dust bunnies, a key for the post box, and an Easter Egg! AN EASTER EGG! Bingo! If there is one thing that Matthew loves more than his dummy it is chocolate! It is a relationship so deep there is no beginning, and no ending! And so the plan began to form …

I rushed to the bedroom, found a piece of paper and a crayon and composed a note to Matthew from The Easter Bunny …
Dear Matthew
I have one Easter Egg left, and I know how much you love Easter Eggs, so I am giving it to you! But I am taking your dummy for my baby Easter Bunny, as he doesn’t have a dummy! I hope you think this is a fair trade.
Enjoy the Chocolate
All my love
The Easter Bunny

I placed the letter and Easter Egg on his bed and waited for him to find it. It wasn’t a long wait before I heard a very delighted yell emanating from his room! “Mommy! Look! Chocit! Easter Chocit!” I read the letter to him, twice.

He kept looking at the Easter Egg, almost weighing his feelings about his “deal”. Finally he said, “Phone Granny”. So we had to phone almost the entire family, all of whom told him how lucky he was! Easter Eggs in June! Wow! And how big he was for giving the baby Easter Bunny his dummy!

Now he was happy to eat it. He unwrapped it, and sat in front of the TV, watching Thomas the Tank Engine, munching on his “chocit”

The big test was going to be bed time.

When he got into bed, he asked for his dummy, and I had to read the letter to him again, and explain the situation to him again. He didn’t cry, just sort of whimpered. My heart broke. I stayed with him till he fell asleep. It took 1.5 hours. Tossing, turning, this way, that way, under the duvet, on top of the duvet, on my lap, back in bed, till eventually, exhausted he fell asleep.

The next night he asked for it again, and the next and the next and the next, till finally he has stopped asking for it, but still finds it difficult to fall asleep. But the habit is broken.

I am very proud of my baby boy. Oops! Can’t call him that any more! My Big Boy! But even I miss his dummy. It was a comfort to me too, it reminded me that he was still small, and needed comfort.

Now, I have to wean MYSELF off sitting with him till he falls asleep. Such a warm, comfortable, snugly time! Ah well, guess I should enjoy it while I can! Before I can wipe the tears from my eyes, he will be all grown up!

Next milestone … “Big School”

Matthew’s Mommy

provided by Matthew Ballenden, dad to Isabella & owner of the Fresh Earth Food Store, an organic health store and vegetarian restaurant with a  great online store.  Visit their website to find out more.

Lunch boxes are a priority in our book because the home is where a childs nutritional foundation is made. The home is where the child is taught how to eat, what to eat and the connection between themselves and the food they eat. Creating tasty, happy lunch boxes is so easy. Involve your child in the process and give them options to choose from.

Please be aware that actual time for eating lunch at most schools only lasts for 15-20 min and is filled with distractions. Make sure the lunch foods you pack are easy to eat, packed in easily opened packages, and don’t require peeling or special tools.

Things to take note of while packing a lunch box for your kids:

Invest in a good quality lunch box with different compartments to separate the food.

Pack a little ice pack with the lunch box to keep the food cool

Kids are more likely to eat fruit or vegetables when they have been cut up for them.

Plan your lunch box the night before to avoid the last minute panic

Involve your child in putting their lunch box together by giving them options

A healthy lunch box is a balanced lunch box, which means little to no ‘pick-a-pack’ food (food in packets from manufacturers with loads of preservatives and no goodness.

If your child wants the same thing day after day, go ahead and pack it, as long as the overall meal is nutritious and you are sure your child eats it. Kids don’t like a lot of change in what they eat. Did you know that it takes 10 to 12 introductions to a new food before a child is usually willing to even taste it?

When choosing bread for your childs lunchbox read the ingredients carefully. Stay away from preserved breads and buy bread from small scratch bake bakeries.

Keep the food as close to nature as possible It can be tricky to come up with new lunchbox ideas day after day.

Here are some more lunchbox ideas examples that you can try:

Lunchbox idea 1:
Sliced apple (squeeze a little lemon juice to stop it going brown)
Cheese and Cucumber Wrap
Mixed nuts, raisin and mango pack
Water

Lunchbox idea 2:
Carrot sticks and baby tomato
Brown English muffin pizza
Dried fruit balls dipped in carob or chocolate
Carrot and apple juice (2/3 apple 1/3 carrot)
Water

Lunchbox idea 3:
Banana
Dried organic mango strips
Avocado and hummus with cheddar cheese sandwich on a low GL brown bread
Mary-Anns Seed bar
Homemade ginger beer (sugar free)

Lunchbox idea 4:
Celery & cucmber sticks
Chunky cream cheese dip
Cooked mielie
Potato Salad
Natural corn nachos
Carob Cocoons (Free Food)
Homemade lemonade (sugar free)

Lunchbox idea 5:
Sliced watermelon
Mini Vegetable fritters
Banana bran muffin
Water

Lunchbox idea 6
Mixed dried fruit and nut mix
Egg and Cucumber sandwiches
Oat Crunchie
Apple Juice

It can be tricky to come up with new lunchbox ideas day after day. So here is a Healthy lunchbox ideas template that you can print and stick on your fridge.

by Kecia Rust, a mother of 3 and a low income housing policy specialist.

Our family decided to take the benefit of the one month holiday and travel overland to Kenya. At first, we were worried that we were missing the greatest show on earth by leaving Johannesburg on 12 June, and we were certainly wistful about our leaving as the vibe really began to take off.

But we didn’t want to miss the chance of such a long winter holiday- a perfect time to explore the countries to the north of us.

We’ve now travelled through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya.

We’ve tracked rhino, paddled on the Zambezi, visited amazing game reserves, climbed on ancient rocks, snorkelled in Zanzibar, and had a wonderful time.

Its been a great family holiday.

All along the route, we caught whatever soccer matches we could. We even watched a match while paddling along the Zambezi! (We pulled over at a pub en route to watch). At every place, the people we met asked us why we had left South Africa, now when everyone else was coming to visit! People were amazingly friendly. They commiserated with us in our sadness that Bafana Bafana didn’t make it to the second round, and cheered with us as we watched and hoped for Ghana thereafter. Everyone had multiple teams they were supporting. In Zanzibar we heard children singing “waka waka… Its time for Africa”.

Everywhere, people are playing soccer: boys and men, some girls too. They play with regulation balls as well as balls made from plastic bags. In Malawi, you can buy balls made with string from the rubber tree, stripped by children surreptitiously at the rubber plantation. Also in Malawi, I watched children play a game of modified fussball on the beach, with sticks and shells. My son Reuben has had such a great time playing pick up matches with local boys or men. Reuben is only 6 years old but he loves soccer and was thrilled to find more people to play with. Everyone loved our vuvuzela and asked to have a try at blowing it.

So I don’t really feel like we missed the world cup. We had a very different experience. But it was still a great celebration of a beautiful game, and a beautiful continent.

by Corinne Lamoral , a freelance writer and media consultant, practicing part time corporate communications. She lives with her husband and three children on a koppie in Johannesburg where she pretends the distant hum of traffic is the ocean.

With just over a week until the end of the holidays, I am loving books that keep my children busy and happy.  A few of my favourite include:

EAT:

The Silver Spoon for Children – Favourite Italian Recipes (Phaidon)

We have a small collection of kid’s recipe books but what I love about this beautifully illustrated children’s Italian cookbook is that the recipes are for real food.  No pink marshmallows squashed onto Marie biscuits (which have their time and place!). This is food you would like your children to eat and which they feel really proud of being able to make.

The editors have selected forty recipes from the famous recipe book The Silver Spoon, which is apparently found in almost every Italian family’s kitchen, and adapted them to suit children. We’ve tried the tomato bruschetta (easy and delicious – you can vary the toppings) and baked macaroni with parmesan (major comfort food) and are about to attempt the pizza dough – which has the kids very excited and me a bit nervous – I usually just buy the frozen pizza bases, so we’re stepping up here.

The background on Italian food and how to use everything from a grater to a blender are ideal for slightly older children age 8 up and will give them an appreciation for what they are making.  The step-by-step illustrations are well designed and perfect for all ages, making the recipes very accessible and fun. Considering that most children love pasta and pizza, an Italian cookbook is the perfect place to start cultivating a love of good food!

PLAY:

Humphrey’s Book of Fun – Fun – Fun

By Betty G Birney (faber and faber)

Humphrey’s book arrived with perfect timing – just as the cold spell returned to Joburg my nine year old has been sitting curled up on the couch with this book of puzzles, jokes, word searches, crosswords and games.  If you aren’t already a fan of the Humphrey series – all about the lovable hamster Humphrey and his life lessons – consider buying the first book The World According to Humphrey as well.  It will be a hit with all animal or hamster-loving kids and I’m grateful that it’s helped revive my daughter’s interest in her hamster, just when poor old Hammy was getting used to watching all the action pass by his cage.

DRAW:

African Seashores To Read, Colour and Keep

By Sally MacLarty (Random House Struik)

This range of colouring books focusing on the African seashore, birds and insects is lovely to pack on holiday or keep at home.  The books feature clear, well-drawn plants and creatures.  Full colour guides help when choosing the correct colours and the basic info about each animal or plant helps children learn while they play.  With a recommended retail price of R45 they also make well-priced gifts.

by Nikki Bush, a self-confessed parenting adventurer and mum to two boys. She is also an inspirational speaker, best-selling author, game designer and toy judge.   Her company is called the Bright Ideas Outfit.  Play and connection fuel her work.

Whether you are away on holiday or staying at home, you need to be able to keep your surprise jar full of fun things to do.  You don’t have to be the magician every day, but just often enough to keep your children’s sense of anticipation going and their belief that you are fun to be with, even if you do lead a very busy life.

So, during the very long Soccer World Cup school holidays, take a few minutes every second day to create a “making fun out of nothing experience” which also doubles up as a connection experience between you and your child.  Inspire your child by being fun to be with.

WEEK 4

Here are three ideas for this week which are simple to do and don’t require much in the way of specialised equipment or ingredients.

FINGER KNITTING

Now this may be a blast from your past!  All you need is a bit of wool and your hands.  A fun activity that is enjoyed by both girls and boys.  Do it while waiting between activities, or when travelling in the car or long-distance.  See who can make the longest chain.  A fantastic fine-motor co-ordination activity to strengthen reading and writing skills.  The more you do it the better you get!

You will need:

A ball of wool

What to do:

Make a slip knot and put the loop over your pointing finger (to see pictures, click here, and I am right handed so the loop is placed on my left pointing finger).

Hold the short tail in your other three fingers.

Using the long end of the wool make another loop over the same finger, next to the first loop of the slip knot.  Put the remaining long tail in the same hand as the short tail.

Now, pick up the slip knot loop and pull it over the second loop and off your finger.  Give the short tail a gentle tug.  You have created your first daisy chain.

Now repeat step 3 over and over again and your chain will start growing.  You will find your own rhythm and create your own tension for the stitches so that they start looking even and identical.

SUSHI SANDWICHES

Who wants just another ham and cheese sandwich for lunch?  How about a sandwich with a difference?  Sushi sandwiches!  Just the same old ingredients in a different disguise and fun to make too!  In old-fashioned terms – a pinwheel sandwich.  Sometimes children will eat better when they have had a hand in preparing the food.  I tried this out with my own children and my nieces and nephews while on holiday last week and it was an instant hit from age 5 to 15.  Even my very fussy niece enjoyed her lunch.

You will need:

Fresh bread (rectangular)

Mayonnaise or mashed avocado or butter/marg

Grated cheese

Sliced ham or tuna mayo

Bread board

Rolling pin

Bread knife

Spreading knife

What to do (for ham, cheese and avo sushi sandwhiches):

Place a piece of bread on the chopping board and cut off the crusts.

Now take the rolling pin and roll over the bread, flattening it.

Butter the bread if desired.

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on next (or mashed avocado).

Now place a piece of ham on the bread followed by a thin layer of grated cheese.  Don’t overfill.

Carefully roll up the bread and, using the bread knife, cut into sushi-sized pieces (approx 2 cm).

Ring the changes with the fillings.  Tuna or chicken mayonnaise and lettuce would work well or make up a vegetarian filling of your choice.  My very fussy niece only used peanut butter and she loved her sushi sandwiches.

PAPER PLANES

Children from age three to teens enjoy flying paper aeroplanes, but few children know how to make them today.  Here are a few instructions which may come in handy as a boredom buster or a cheap way to keep children entertained at home or on holiday.  They are fascinated with the concept of flight and love to see whose plane can fly the furthest.  The design below is for a basic plane (you will need to get involved until the age of approximately 6/7 years).  Paper plane folding is a spatial planning and fine motor control activity.  Many other designs and modifications can be made to improve the aerodynamics – just ask any dad.  The secret to a good paper plane is in the accuracy of the folding.

You will need:

A4 paper (from your printer or photocopier)

Crayons or khokis for decorating if you want

What do do:

Fold the paper in half lengthwise.

Open it out and fold the top two corners of the paper into the middle to form a point.

Fold this point into the middle of the paper, forming a square.

Fold the top two corners of the paper into the middle again to form a point.

Fold the paper in half, creasing well along the centrefold (all the folded bits will be on the inside).

To make the wings, measure a line approximately 2cms upwards from the centrefold.  Fold back the paper along this line and crease well.

For even better aerodynamics, fold the tips of the wings up 1cm.

You’re ready for take off!

Have fun!

For more ideas of games to play with your child these holidays, click here for Nikki Bush’s Top 20 recommendations and here for Week 1 of Making Fun Out of Nothing ideas, here for Week 2 and here for Week 3.