20 Ideas for Cheap, Easy and Educational Weekend Activities!
30 Jan 2019 11:43 AMLicensee Person
Don’t know what to do this weekend? Here are some fun ideas!
Don’t know what to do this weekend? Here are some fun ideas!
- Ogle Opals at the King Opal Museum
Where: Siganto Drive, Helensvale
Cost: Nothing!
Did you know that opal has been mined in the Australian Outback since the 1880s? What about that Australia provides 95% of the world’s opals? Take you little one to the King Opal Museum to learn about some Australiana and have fun doing it!
You don’t have to buy any of King Opal’s award-winning jewellery, but you might be able to win some from King Opal’s vending machine!
- Play at the Kurrawa Park All Abilities Playground
Where: Kurrawa Pratten Park
Cost: Nothing!
Here at The Strawberry Bush Early Learning Academy we value diversity in all shapes and sizes, and that’s why we love the Kurrawa Park All Abilities Playground, a park that caters to all children!
Your child will have a ball playing in either the Sandcastle or Undersea zone, both of which offer many different varieties of play! Not only is the playground inclusive and supportive, but it works alongside families, friends, and centres like ours to encourage your child to develop healthily.
- Tour Tamborine Mountain
Where: Tambourine Mountain
Cost: Nothing (unless otherwise specified)
Only a 36-minute drive away, Tamborine Mountain is a hub of paid and free activities. From Thunderbird Park, to putt-putt, to exploring some of Australia’s beautiful natural scenery, there are so many things to do that you will have to visit again!
- Pet Animals at Paradise Country
Where: Production Drive
Cost: $39 (Including admission to Movie World, Sea World, and Wet ’n’ Wild)
Does your child love animals? Take them to Paradise Country, a hidden haven of wildlife near Village Roadshows. At Paradise Country they can learn about and interact with iconic Australian animals, and they can even have breakfast with a Kola or take a picture with a Dingo!
Take a look at the park’s map to see all the awesome stuff you can do!
- Picnic at Broadwater Parklands
Where: Southport
Cost: Nothing!
Take advantage of summer and picnic at the beautiful Broadwater Parklands. Or, if you prefer, you can treat your children to a traditional Australian barbeque at the free barbeque facilities. You can even take a dip and cool off after all your tummies are full!
- Observe Oddities at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!
Where: Surfers Paradise
Cost: $16.90 (child), $25.90 (adult)
Is your child tired of museums? Would they like to be introduced to the exciting world of oddities? Visit Mr Ripley’s museum (or Odditorium, as he prefers it to be called) and experience rare, famous, and bizarre attractions.
It is just like learning, only weirder!
- Relax at The Rockpools
Where: Broadwater Parklands
Cost: Nothing!
If you need to cool down from hot weather, try going to The Rockpools instead of your local public pool. It has a sculptural playground, vibrant water play area, and water fountains that will keep your kid entertained and give them a break from the heat. They can also learn about nature by exploring the creek bed and tidal rockpools!
There are always lifeguards to make sure your child is safe and, best of all, it’s free!
- Rock Out with a DIY Band
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
Music is more recognisable than language to babies, but you don’t have to invest in piano or violin lessons to give the gift of music to your children. Unleash your inner Jimmy Barnes and use household items to rock out with your kids!
Check out how you can make 20 DIY musical instruments, from hand drums to kazoos to a guitar made from a shoe box!
- Get Science-y with Sherbet
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
Science doesn’t have to be boring! You can use a simple sherbet recipe to teach your little one some basic chemistry. All you need is soft icing sugar, citric acid and, if you want, some jelly crystals. Lab coats are optional!
To make your sherbet, add three teaspoons of icing sugar and a teaspoon of citric acid to a medium sized bowl. If you want some flavour in your sherbet, add two teaspoons of the jelly crystals. Now, bone-appetit!
- Stand Tall with Some Stilts
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
Does your child wish they were taller? Help them grow with a pair of DIY stilts! If you have some buckets and rope at home then you are already set.
Drill holes at the bottom of your bucket. After you’ve drilled two holes, tie the rope together on the inside of the bucket. Now, set up an obstacle course and watch your child conquer the world (or your living room)!
- Watch a Movie at Reading Cinema
Where: Habourtown
Cost: $10 (Standard price)
Stylish and cheap, Reading Cinema gives you excellent value for your money. Take your child to see the latest blockbuster at the largest cinema on the Gold Coast!
- Play at the Paradise Point Parklands
Where: Paradise Point
Cost: Nothing!
This is a great place to get your kids active! Toss a ball around or play catch with them while you admire the wonderful view of the water. If they get bored they can move on to the playground where they can continue building strength, agility, and motor skills.
Don’t feel like cooking? Just grab some fish and chips! Your kids are doing the exercising for you!
- Design DIY Finger Puppets
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
It is important to foster creativity and imagination in young minds. Help your child become the next Leonardo Da Vinci by making finger puppets! All you need is a pair of scissors, some felt, glue, markers, and anything else your child wants to use to decorate. Once you’ve assembled your cast of characters, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
Interested? Learn how to make them here.
- Explore the Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
Where: Coombabah Lakelands
Cost: Nothing!
If, like many children, your child has a love of animals, take them to the Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area to observe native wildlife in their natural habitat. The Conservation Area is home to 274 species of animals, and houses seven vulnerable species, like the grey-headed flying fox.
Explore the area and you could see a kola in the trees, or a kangaroo resting in the shade. There are so many animals to look and learn about! Not only will you little one learn something, but you will too!
- Get Creative with DIY Cars
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
Do you have empty plastic bottles laying around? Transform them into cars and trucks with straws, bottle caps, and some creative decorating.
This is great way to spend time with you little one while making something that’s useful and sentimental. If they are having trouble leaving you when going to childcare, they can use this car as a comfort item to take with them.
Want to know how to make them? Click here.
- Visit the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens
Where: Benowa
Cost: Nothing!
There is an experience for everyone at the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens. If your child is an animal lover, visit the Butterfly Garden. If they like playing in the garden, take a look at the flowers and plants in the Sensory Garden. If your child can’t keep still, take them to the playground!
The Botanic Gardens are open from 5am to 7pm every day, so if you haven’t got a flexible schedule, make them your next adventure!
- Teach Gardening with Toilet Paper Roll Planters
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
If you want to teach your child about the wonders of gardening and sustainability, look no further than your toilet paper rolls. You can use them to make a planter for any seeds of your choice. Not only will your child start helping you in the garden, but they’ll also learn the basics of gardening and how things grow.
Sound like a good idea? Here is how to make them!
- Get Groovy with a DIY Lava Lamp
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
Is that your child or a groovy scientist? Make your kid the hippest on the block with this lava lamp experiment.
It does not take much to become the grooviest scientist. All you need is a plastic bottle, oil, food colouring, water, and a dissolvable tablet. The best thing about this DIY activity is that it is fun and educational, so you are getting the best of both worlds!
Learn how to make it here.
- Learn Literacy with a Letter Scavenger Hunt
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
This simple outdoor activity is the perfect tool to help your child learn literacy! It is a lot of fun too, so your child will be laughing while they are learning. All you need are some wooden pegs and a marker. Draw letters on the pegs and hide them around yard. Voila! You have your very own letter scavenger hunt!
- Bond with a DIY Bird Feeder
Where: Your home!
Cost: Nothing!
Looking for a way to bond with you child? Why not try making a bread and peanut butter bird feeder together? It is a nice way of spending time together, and it also helps your child to understand animals. By making a bird feeder together, you are beginning to seed the idea people have impact on each other and the environment.
Sound fun? Here’s how you make it!
Have you got the weekends covered but are looking for childcare during the week? Learn more about our beautiful centre here.