April 2020 - Adventure, baby!

Month: April 2020

Kids’ Exercise Videos and Online Classes

April 27, 2020 / Educational Resources / 0 comment

Kids’ Exercise Videos and Online Classes

Exercise should be fun! Keep little ones fit and active at home with one of these kids’ exercises videos or online classes.

Yoga

Yoga is the perfect physical activity for kids that exercises their bodies and calms the mind at the same time.

Find plenty of online yoga classes for kids.

Dance

There are many, many options here, including all of the local studios who have pivoted to online, live classes. If your kids just want to do the odd class rather than sign up for a term, two options that we enjoy and recommend are below.

Sydney Dance Company

Kids aged 8+ with dance experience can try live jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop and ballet lessons priced at for $12 a drop in class.

Read Set Dance

The preschool set will adore these fun, energetic dance classes that are the perfect entry into the world of dance.

YouTube Channel

Ballet

Many individual studios have gone online, with a range of classes for all ages and abilities catered for with live classes. You can also try a prerecorded classes in your own time, many of which are for free.

Find plenty of online ballet classes for kids and adults.

Acrobatics

Acropals

We have been loving Acropal acrobatics classes, taught live, online for ages 5+ for $10 a class.

acropals.com

Megan Bolton Acrobatics

MBAcrobatics offers live acro classes for beginners to advanced levels

mbacrobatics.com

General fitness

Bfitathome

Bfitathome offers a variety of free live and on-demand workouts and kids sport sessions. Classes include the fundamentals of soccer, basketball, golf and gymnastics, and offer the opportunity to improve specific skillsets and practice drills.

bfitathome.com.au

PE with Joe

The Body Coach TV YouTube channel has emerged as a favourite with PE teachers everywhere to offer kids free home workouts

YouTube Channel

More things to do at home

Travel the world with kids without leaving your house.

Free online educational resources for kids.

Live stream animal cams from around the world.

Enjoy the perfect virtual day at Disneyland.

Help little ones stay zen with these free online yoga videos for kids.

Try an online ballet class, perfect for adults and kids.

Enjoy free Disney activities for kids and adults.

Get creative at home with these online art classes for kids.

Get Creative At Home With These Online Art Classes For Kids

April 16, 2020 / Educational Resources / 0 comment

Online Art Classes For Kids

Keep creative at home with these online art classes for kids. Choose from a range of Sydney-based art studios who have gone online and YouTube tutorials that can be accessed any time, anywhere, for easy home-based art classes.

Art Est

Based in Leichhardt, Art Est offers painting, drawing and ceramics classes for kids and adults. They are currently offering a range of school holidays workshops and term 2 weekly online classes. Materials must be collected from the studio and ceramics have to be returned for firing in the kiln afterwards

artest.com.au

Paper Rock Scissors

A Rozelle-based art studio, Paper Rock Scissors has moved online with one-off and weekly classes on offer. Classes are available in two age groups, K-2 and 3-6.

paperrockscissors.com.au

Bondi Paint Club

Based in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, this art studio is offering live-streamed kids school holiday workshops as well as classes for adults. Most of the workshops offered are painting, with the odd clay class. You can use your own materials or order a pack to be sent to your house prior to the lesson.

We tried a class with Bondi Paint Club and absolutely loved it.

bondipaintclub.com.au

Make Your Mark Art

This Brookville-based studio offers a range of pre-recorded video tutorials for kids that can be enjoyed at any time, plus weekly live classes over Zoom and school holiday workshops.

makeyourmarkart.com

Art Spark

Book your kids in for online art classes ranging from sewing to drawing, painting and illustrating.

artspark-studio.com.au

Julia Peadon Art

Kids and adults can enjoy these online art classes. Book in holiday workshops or weekly painting classes for kids. Holiday workshops are half or full day in length.

juliepeadonart.com

Classes on YouTube

There are so many amazing, free art classes available on YouTube. Here are just a few to try:

Carla Sonheim

Carla offers beautiful classes for kids of all ages, with new classes being uploaded weekly.

youtube.com/user/CarlaSonheim

Art for Kids Hub

This is a family-run channel, with plenty of easy art tutorials that kids can follow along with.

Lunchtime Doodles with Mo Willems

The author and illustrator of the Elephant and Piggy and Pigeon children’s books has recorded a wonderful series of videos to teach kids how to draw his famous characters and more.

More things to do at home

Travel the world with kids without leaving your house.

Free online educational resources for kids.

Live stream animal cams from around the world.

Enjoy the perfect virtual day at Disneyland.

Help little ones stay zen with these free online yoga videos for kids.

Try an online ballet class, perfect for adults and kids.

Enjoy free Disney activities for kids and adults.

Get fit with kids’ exercise videos and online classes.

Easter Activities For Kids

April 7, 2020 / Educational Resources / 0 comment

Easter Activities For Kids

Get creative at home with these easy Easter activities for kids. Bake, craft and play with these Easter-themed ideas.

Easter egg hunt

A simple Easter egg hunt can be done in a small courtyard, backyard and even inside an apartment. Use real chocolate eggs or plastic ones filled with stickers, jelly beans or other small items. The plastic eggs are great for hot weather and we collect ours to reuse them time and time again. Get ideas on how to reuse plastic Easter eggs here.

Easter hat parade

Put on your own Easter hat parade in your living room. Take an existing hat and use craft materials like pom poms, glitter, pipe cleaners to make a magical Easter creation.

Dye your own Easter eggs

Hard boil eggs and use food colouring to dye eggs. You can follow the recipe below. We did this with two years olds so it’s something that’s really for kids of most ages.

epicurious.com

Sensory play ideas

Perfect for babies and toddlers, sensory play stimulates children’s senses of sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. Here is a list of great ideas for how to engage littlies in sensory play:

findingmyselfyoung.com

Bake Easter cookies

Make and decorate your own Easter cookies with this simple recipe that the kids can help with (or make themselves if they’re a bit older):

kidspot.com.au

DIY bunny bags

An alternative to Easter Eggs, these bunny bags can be filled with food or fun treats, and kids can make them for each other, relatives or friends.

mumlyfe.com.au

Create your own marbled Easter eggs

This is a fun STEM activity for students and children at home, courtesy of Penguin Books. Designed for kids in grade 3–5, this ‘eggs-periment’ activity combines science and art.

penguin.com.au

Easter cupcakes

These are so easy to make. Make a basic cupcake base and basic buttercream frosting, then tint the frosting green with a few drops of food colouring. Kids can decorate the cupcakes with the frosting, desiccated coconut or chocolate shavings and mini Easter eggs.

This is my favourite cupcake recipe and favourite vanilla buttercream frosting recipe.

Easter Rocky Road

This Easter loaded rocky road is a delicious mixture of white chocolate, jelly beans, lollies, chocolate eggs and marshmallows.

stuffmumslike.com

Upcycled Easter cards

Create your own melted upcycled Easter crayon shapes and colour in Easter cards with this simple Easter craft.

simplifycreateinspire.com

Easter activity sheets

Download these educational and fun free Easter-themed activity sheets that include telling the time, find-a-words and colouring in.

Download the activity sheets here

Macca the Alpaca Easter printouts

Author and illustrator Matt Cosgrove has created Easter-themed printouts based on ‘Celeste the Giraffe Loves To Laugh’ written by Celeste Barber and his book, Macca the Alpaca.

mattcosgrovebooks.com

Easter activities for kids with special needs

My dear friend Julie has written up some excellent ideas for how to celebrate Easter at home with kids who have additional needs.

havewheelchairwilltravel.net

More things to do at home

Travel the world with kids without leaving your house.

Free online educational resources for kids.

Live stream animal cams from around the world.

Enjoy the perfect virtual day at Disneyland.

Help little ones stay zen with these free online yoga videos for kids.

Try an online ballet class, perfect for adults and kids.

Free Disney Activities For Kids and Adults

April 6, 2020 / Disney Travel, Educational Resources / 0 comment

Free Disney Activities For Kids and Adults

Entertain yourself at home with these free Disney activities for kids and adults. Get fit, creative or zen, the choice is magically yours.

Disney on Broadway Dance Tutorials

We had such a good time learning the choreography from Aladdin’s ‘Arabian Nights’.

You can also learn a sequence from The Lion King.

Disney Zumba Videos

Get fit with this round up of free Disney-themed zumba videos that includes music from Moana, Zootopia and Aladdin at elitedaily.com

Disney Paper Dolls

Print these Disney characters, including princesses and Star Wars heroes, then colour them in, cut and assemble to create your own paper doll set.

Anna and Elsa hairdo tutorials

Get busy trying these Anna and Elsa hairdos from Frozen 2.

Disney family moving with Moana

Get active with a Moana-themed exercise video.

Imagineering in a Box

Disneyland Resort California — Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort

The Disney Imagineers have put together Imagineering in a Box, a free online program created in partnership with the Khan Academy and Pixar. The program is a series of interactive lessons in theme park design and engineering, designed to give a behind-the-scenes peek into Imagineering’s development process. With 32 videos including actual Imagineers, case studies, and activities, the program is a fun way to dream up your own theme park.

khanacademy.org/humanities/hass-storytelling/imagineering-in-a-box

Disney mandalas

Print and colour in these free Disney mandalas.

Draw Disney characters

The Disney Family YouTube Channel has a series of videos where the Disney animators give lessons on how to draw some favourite Disney characters including Ariel from The Little mermaid.

Colouring in sheets

Print out your fave characters and fill your days with colour!

Disney colouring in sheets.

Moana colouring in sheets.

More things to do at home

Travel the world with kids without leaving your house.

Free online educational resources for kids.

Live stream animal cams from around the world.

Enjoy the perfect virtual day at Disneyland.

Help little ones stay zen with these free online yoga videos for kids.

Try an online ballet class, perfect for adults and kids.

Get creative at home with these online art classes for kids.

Enjoy free Disney activities for kids and adults.

More Disneyland Resort California Tips

How to have the best Disneyland holiday ever.

A guide to using MAXPASS At Disneyland.

Celebrating Halloween at Disneyland.

Celebrating the holidays at Disneyland.

Hotel review: The Grand Californian Resort & Spa.

Character Dining: Goofy’s Kitchen.

Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast at the Plaza Inn.

Character Dining: Mickey’s Tales of Adventure.

Our favourite Disney souvenirs.

The best bits of Disneyland with little kids.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disneyland.

How to survive and enjoy Disneyland with a toddler.

Frozen Live at the Hyperion Theater.

Building a droid at the Droid Depot, in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Savi’s Workshop Lightsaber Building Experience.

Enjoy a drink at Oga’s Cantina.

A guide to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Enjoy Donald Duck’s Seaside Breakfast.

Dine with royalty at Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures.

Find the perfect Disneyland character dining experience for you.

The perfect (virtual) day at Disneyland.

More things to do at home

Travel the world with kids without leaving your house.

Free online educational resources for kids.

Live stream animal cams from around the world.

Enjoy the perfect virtual day at Disneyland.

Help little ones stay zen with these free online yoga videos for kids.

Try an online ballet class, perfect for adults and kids.

Enjoy free Disney activities for kids and adults.

Get creative at home with these online art classes for kids.

Get fit with kids’ exercise videos and online classes.

Online ballet classes for kids and adults

April 1, 2020 / Educational Resources / 0 comment

Online ballet classes for kids and adults

Ready to try your first ballet class? Or are you and the kids stuck at home and looking for online training? These amazing (and mostly free!) online ballet classes for kids and adults, taught by some of the world’s top professional dancers, will have you and the little ones dancing the day away.

The American Ballet Theatre

One of America’s premiere ballet companies, the ABT has uploaded a series of virtual ballet classes for kids from tiny tots up.

YouTube Channel

The Wiggles

Join Emma’s Bowtiful Ballet Studio on the Wiggle’s YouTube channel for plenty of toddler-friendly ballet classes.

YouTube Channel

The Australian Ballet

The Australian Ballet is teaching ballet basics through live streamed videos on their Facebook page that can be joined or watched later.

Facebook Page

They have also launched an online studio where classes of various levels can be access for free. Suitable for beginners through to advanced.

australianballet.com.au/event/studios

The Australian ballet has also launched a pre recorded series of online ballet classes for kids of all ages.

australianballet.com.au/education-resources/classroom-warm-up-activities

The Nationale Opera & Ballet

The Dutch national ballet company is live-streaming free basic ballet classes to their YouTube channel. You can tune in live or watch them in your own time.

YouTube Channel

Francisco Gella Dance Works

The founder and artistic director of contemporary dance company Nuevo Dance has published a series of instructional dance videos on YouTube.

YouTube Channel

Kathryn Morgan

The former New York City Ballet soloist has created over 300 videos that cover everything from ballet technique to full barre classes and variations. Her videos are suitable for intermediate to advanced students.

Youtube Channel

Lazy Dancer Tips

Presented by Alessia Lugoboni, these 10-15 minute ballet workouts are suitable for all ages and beginners to intermediate level dancers.

Youtube Channel

Website

The Ballet Coach

An English National Ballet School-rained dancer, Sarah De-Feu has a range of ballet videos to suit preschoolers to even grandparents who want some exercise. While she has previously uploaded most of her free coaching videos to Facebook, she has recently started uploading her videos to YouTube where they are now live-streamed and available to watch later at any time.

YouTube Channel

Ready Set Dance

The preschool set will adore these fun, energetic dance classes that are the perfect entry into the world of dance.

YouTube Channel

Sydney Dance Company

Kids and adults can try live, online ballet classes. Kids classes are aimed at kids aged 8+ with a moderate amount of ballet experience. Adult classes start at beginner level.

sydneydancecompany.com

Tiler Peck

The star of the New York City Ballet, Tiler Peck, is live-streaming classes on her Instagram account.

Instagram page

View this post on Instagram

Hey guys! My sister’s school @garces.memorial is taking precautionary measures and going online for classes. I teach their Advance Dance class tomorrow and I wanted to open it up to everyone since so many students won’t be able to go to their normal classes. The first class will be tomorrow at 10PST/1EST on my Instagram live. I know this is a really hard time for us and dancers around the world are looking for ways to stay in shape while being at home! Let’s do it together, kitchen countertops and all ? #dowhatwecan #togetherisbetter #ballerina #TurnItOutWithTiler #dancetogether

A post shared by Tiler Peck (@tilerpeck) on Mar 15, 2020 at 4:15pm PDT

Ashley Bouder

A principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, Ashley Bouder is live-streaming classes and saving them on her YouTube channel.

YouTube Channel

Dancewear Royale

Thanks to Leotard brand Dancewear Royale, you can watch a series of dance classes on their Instagram account. The classes are a range of styles from ballet to pilates and core workouts to contemporary. Even beginners can have a go.

Instagram page

View this post on Instagram

Soloist dancer with @balletvlaanderen @shelbygrooves and creator of @biscuitballerina teaches a really nice contemporary ballet class for the living room or small spaces (part II). Enjoy! About the artist: Shelby received her professional training on scholarship at the Washington School of Ballet and the Houston Ballet Academy. Shelby began her career with Houston Ballet 2 and as a apprentice with Dresden Semperoper Ballett (Germany). She was a soloist with both BallettMainz and the Hessisches Staatsballett in Germany before joining the Royal Ballet of Flanders in 2016 under the direction of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui where she is currently a soloist. She has danced leading roles in works by Crystal Pite, Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, Akram Khan, Hofesh Schechter, Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham amongst others. In Dance Europe Magazine Critic's Choice (October 2017), she was nominated in the category "Outstanding Performance of a Female Dancer" for her performances in "Approximate Sonata 2016" by William Forsythe and "Café Müller"by Pina Bausch. In 2017, Shelby created the viral social media personality Biscuit Ballerina® as a way to encourage a sense of humor around ballet and promote mental health awareness. Shelby leads mental health workshops for dancers around the USA and UK and also publishes interviews and articles on the subject of dancer mental health on her website. Biscuit Ballerina® has been featured in The New York Times, Dance Magazine, and Pointe Magazine. The creation of Biscuit Ballerina® was nominated in the category of "Best News" in Dance Europe Magazine Critic's Choice (October 2018). . . #dancewearroyale #bestrong #coronavirus #ballet #balletto #calisthenics #pilates #yoga #physicaltherapy #danceclasses #stayingsafe #workouts #principaldancer #onlineballetclass #ballerinalife #stayingstrong #stayinginshape #activewear #customdancewear #balletlifestyle #modernballet #contemporaryballet #balletdancer #royalequeen #ballerinalove #balletlovers #dancelovers #activewear #activelifestyle

A post shared by Dancewear Royale (@dancewearroyale) on Mar 31, 2020 at 6:31am PDT

Mary Carpenter

Ballet teacher Mary Carpenter is now filming full-length “kitchen ballet classes” and uploading them to her YouTube channel.

YouTube Channel

Facebook page

Tanya Pearson Academy

One of Sydney’s leading ballet schools, TPA has been live streaming their ballet conditioning classed and uploading them to their YouTub channel for everyone to enjoy.

YouTube Channel

Claudia Dean Coaching

The Aussie ballet star is a former dancer with The Royal Ballet who now runs a private coaching business. She has over 70 videos available to browse and try.

Youtube Channel

Claudia Dean Live.

Bloch

Bloch is streaming live ballet classes on their Instagram Stories.

Instagram account

View this post on Instagram

Former dancer with Hungarian National Ballet and Bloch Europe Influencer, Camilla Mancuso is an exquisite Italian dancer based in Rome, Italy. Currently in quarantine, this inspiring and dedicated ballerina invites us into her home to follow her dance journey whilst �in isolation.

A post shared by Bloch Australia (@blochau) on Mar 27, 2020 at 10:02pm PDT

Dance Domain

This dance studio located in Sydney’s Inner West is moving to online classes. Check their Facebook page for details, or enjoy their live-streamed classes that are already running.

facebook.com/DanceDomain

Tutu Studios

A tiny dance in the house? The beautiful Tutu Studios, where we used to take classes in Sydney, is moving to online classes. Check the website for details on how to enrol.

tutustudios.com.au