activities – enfantsdazur

Old Fashioned Easy To Make Games To Play Inside & Out

hgrattan — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 10:05:00 +0000

Old Fashioned Easy To Make Games To Play Inside & Out

Play and exploration are an important part of childhood.  Indoor and outdoor play gives children the chance to strengthen fine & gross motor muscles, take risks, exercise, socialise, develop logical thinking and spacial awareness, appreciate nature, and so much more!

By Holly Grattan

Play and exploration are an important part of childhood.  Indoor and outdoor play gives children the chance to strengthen fine & gross motor muscles, take risks, exercise, socialize, develop logical thinking and spacial awareness, appreciate nature, and so much more!

TIC TAC TOE

Tic Tac Toe is a brilliant game for all ages. We found an old tree stump in the garden which gave us the idea for this project. We sanded and varnished it. We went hunting for pebbles in Cagnes Sur Mer and used art pens to colour 5 pebbles like ladybirds and 5 like Bees. This is such a fun family DIY project!

APOTHECARY SHOP

Apothecary is a game I learned from my grandmother. We spent hours in the garden collecting different leaves, twigs, petals, buds and making little piles on a large tray. We then sold our items, using play money, in little paper bags to friends and family who used to pop round for a cup of tea. Through this game I learnt to calculate how much change to give.

FAIRY GARDEN

Create your very own enchanted miniature fairy garden. A fairy garden is a magical activity to play indoors and out. Children can have hours of fun, expanding their imaginations playing with different characters and decorating the garden with pebbles, twigs, leaves, moss, trinkets & toys. Don't forget to sprinkle on a little bit of fairy dust and make a wish!

TIN CAN ALLEY

With some empty tins and some creativity, you can make your own Tin Can alley. Stack the tins and see how many you can knock over with a ball or bean bag.

RING TOSS

Take some old bottles, number & paint them. Find or make some hoops. Throw the hoops and try to get them over the bottles. Add up the numbers. The player with the most points wins.

BOTTLE BOWLING

Traditional skittles is easy to recreate at home with a few plastic bottles from your recycling bin and a ball. Decorate them or paint them if you like. Set them up and see how many you can knock down. Brilliant for developing hand-eye coordination skills.

BEANBAG TOSS

You don't need anything elaborate to play this game a bucket or some baskets and a few beanbags is enough. Make it more difficult by standing further back. Introduce challenges and prizes to make it more exciting.

MUD PIE KITCHEN

Making mud pies is a brilliant sensory play activity. Children will have hours of fun pretending to bake cakes, developing magical potions, and stirring up sticky, gloopy items they find in the garden or in your pantry. Although messy play, this is achievable indoors with a groundsheet to protect floors.

MARBLE RACE

In Italy, beach marble rallies are a hugely popular tradition. Make your own track using dirt or sand. If playing indoors use a large tray. Add obstacles to make it more challenging or competitive. You can either make an incline to roll the marbles or children can flick them to see who's marble wins.

Guilt Free Screen Time: 12 Educational Apps to Keep Kids Busy

hgrattan — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 08:30:51 +0000

Guilt Free Screen Time: 12 Educational Apps to Keep Kids Busy

During the first lockdown, for many of us, kids screen time guidelines went out the window. But with these educational apps, there’s no need to feel guilty about letting them learn online.

By Holly Grattan

With new restrictions and a second lockdown underway, many of us working from home will be faced with difficulty of how to entertain the kids in the afternoon. If you still have that report to write for your 9 am zoom meeting or those sales calls to make to ensure you meet your targets and deadlines, then you will love these screen time options, featuring things that children can do alone with minimal supervision. During this time, we absolutely shouldn’t be feeling guilty about a few extra hours in front of a screen, especially if it allows you to get through this difficult time.

I have handpicked just a few free resources with added educational value in English.

FOR YOUNGER KIDS

Storyline Online https://www.storylineonline.net Reading aloud to children has been shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills. This digital library contains 57 books. You can stream the videos from the website or via a free app. My daughter and I really like “If I ran for president” and “zombies don’t like veggies”.

SciShow Kids is a YouTube channel with Jesse and “Squeekz”, her little robot-mouse. Lots and lots of facts about hundreds of different scientific topics.

National Geographic Kids – videos https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/videos/ Find really fun and educational videos about animals, history and culture, science, how things work, weird but true facts and exploring different jobs and careers, when you grow up and lots of other great topics. They also have a game and quiz section with loads to do.

BBC Earth KIDS – YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCEarthKids/ What an incredible find. This channel is made purely for kids. Learn about endangered animals, Deadly 60 with Steve Backshall's, a series on how to draw different animals, meet scary bugs and fluffy pedigree pets.

New Horizon – Sleep Stories and Guided Mediations for Kids If your kids find it hard to get to sleep, these bedtime sleep stories, meditations, and breathing exercises by New Horizon are a fantastic find. These guided meditations are about unicorns, space-dinosaurs and nature. There are even mindfulness meditations for teens and music guaranteed to send you off to the land of nod. Accessible on the app or YouTube. In the app Only 7 of the stories are free. You can access the rest through in-app purchases.

Crash Course Kids https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids is an educational YouTube channel. Learn about Gravity, Volcanos, Weather Systems, Matter, Habitats, Food chains, Engineering, and Space.

FOR BIG KIDS

CrashCourse https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse is the parent educational YouTube channel of CrashCourse kids. It is completely free and aimed at older children. It covers algebra, AI, thermodynamics, mural networks, philosophy, mechanical engineering, statistics and much more. It is aimed at Secondary school and college level. I am so impressed by the level of accuracy/depth of this channel, it is absolutely fantastic.

What Do We Do All Day? https://www.youtube.com/c/whatdowedoallday/featured This YouTube channel is packed full of creative ideas for curious kids. Maths, art, easy science, DIY games, and snazzy arty play ideas. We loved the paper art videos and scientific experiments you can do in your own kitchen.

Netflix documentary

“Our Planet” https://www.netflix.com/title/80049832 is a nature documentary series (8 episodes and bonuses) made for Netflix. The series is narrated by David Attenborough who also created the famous BBC documentary series “Planet Earth”. Videos feature rarely seen animals and address humans’ impact on the environment. Suitable for children 7+.

BBC Earth – YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/c/bbcearth/videos  is the official channel of well-known Sir David Attenborough series such as Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, and Blue Planet https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL50KW6aT4UgyS95_lha3MOL81rFJ4IaxP. You can also find fantastic nature and wildlife documentaries such as Life of Mammals https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD941E65FBD70DB46 and classics like Planet Dinosaur.

Bear Grylls has a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/beargrylls/videos My kids loved his survival series which we have on DVD and although you cannot watch full episodes on the channel, you can see some of his survival tips and workouts which are great!

TED-Ed videos https://ed.ted.com is TED’s youth and education initiative. Short 5-minute animated videos teach about a vast array of subject matter such as the rise and fall of history’s first empire, the future of food, and human evolution. They also have a learn to read program with phonics. Suitable from primary school to University. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have introduced TED-Ed@Home https://ed.ted.com/daily_newsletter video-based lessons emailed on a daily basis for free.

Author : Holly Grattan

My Favourite Things to do in Autumn on the French Riviera with Kids.

hgrattan — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 17:53:12 +0000

The weather in Autumn on the French Riviera is still exceptionally sunny but the great advantage is that all the tourists have gone home. It is an incredibly stark contrast to the bustle of summer and feels so calm and tranquil. There are so many opportunities to take long walks along the beach, hike inland, one of my favourites being Greolières. You can visit one of the stunning natural parks like Le parc naturel de la Valmasque and l’Étang Fontmerle, visit the weekly markets to buy fresh local seasonal produce or visit some of the many art galleries in the area.

Dates for your Diary July 2020

hgrattan — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 22:12:47 +0000

Dates for you Diary - What to do throughout July 2020

If you were expecting the Summer to be quiet with not much happening on the Cote D’Azur, then think again. As well as ample opportunities to indulge in me-time, we have researched things for everyone to do on the Riviera and the calendar for July is quite robust. There are things for everyone from theatre lovers, fitness fans, foodies, art enthusiasts, and those who love to party/dance. For August, there are not yet many events and activities planned but don't worry we will be keeping you updated as and when this information is released on our website and our blog. So take a look at this round-up of just some of the fabulous things we have found for families this summer.

When: 20th July 2020

Where: Nice

Arthur et la Sorcière à Moustache - Sebastien Morena

Arthur is a little boy who loves to play but today he is all alone and quite bored.

On his adventures, he meets lots of new animal friends. Zozo, a completely crazy cat, who knows how to play hundreds of games leads him through the forest. The forest is also home to a witch with a mustache who sets. trap for Arthur. TO escape from the spell cast by the witch Authur call on children in the audience to help him.

A lovely enchanting and magical puppet show performance for a young audience

with: Sébastien MORENA

Puppet Show - Length: 35 minutes - Suitable for 2 à 8 years old

Contact Théâtre L'Alphabet

When: 23rd July 2020

Where: Nice

Le Vilain Petit Mouton

Don’t miss out on "Le vilain petit mouton et le secret de la poule au n'oeuf d'or", a family adventure presented by the Théâtre L'Alphabet in Nice !

Kids will participate and help Lainy in this interactive puppet show that is full of surprises!

Afternoon snack included.

Wednesday 08^th of July 2020 at 14h

Contact Théâtre L'Alphabet

When: 23^rd July at 9 pm and 30^th July at 9 pm

Where: Ecoparc du Pôle Culturel, Villeneuve Loubet.

Jardin des Contes et Légendes

In a traveling atmosphere, enjoy the book readings of Fred Duvaud and Muriel Revellon as they take you on a journey of the imagination.

When: 24th July 2020 @ 10 pm

Where: Place Du Grande Jardin, Vence.

Cinéma Plein Air - Fourmi

Experience a wonderful evening at the outdoor cinema in the heart of Vence, watching Fourmi, a heartwarming French film directed by Julien Rappeneau.

Théo, otherwise known as "ant", is the only son of divorced parents. At 12 Théo has always had a gift for football.when a scout from a well known British club starts to show an interest in him, he sees an opportunity to give a little bit of hope back to his father. Despite his efforts, "ant" is not selected due to this small size. He decides to lie to his father and makes him believe that he has been selected for the next season. This lie quickly gets out of control and completely changes his life and those of his nearest and dearest.

When: 1st July to 30th August 2020

Where: Nice

Retour Des Expositions au Parc Phoenix

« Regards sauvages »

By Animal Photographer Jean-Paul ACQUAVIVA,

Au travers de ses clichés, il nous offre l’opportunité de croiser le regard d’un animal sauvage dans son milieu naturel. Une exposition qui ne peut qu’éveiller les consciences sur la diminution des territoires vierges et sur la nécessité de protéger notre biodiversité aussi riche que fragile.

Pour les enfants, un tunnel de brume a été installé au jardin d'enfants. Une envie de vous rafraîchir ? Rendez-vous sous cette pergola ombragée pour un vent de fraîcheur !

En point final vous pouvez visiter en toute sécurité! La parc a obtenu début juin le label "confiance sanitaire" grâce aux mesures sanitaires d'accueil du public mises en place.

Contact Park Phoenix

When: 1st July to 30 August 2020

Where: Vence

Guided Visit of the Town

Vence Tourism is offering a tour which they promote as being "at children’s level"!

Discover this original visit that explores Vence using all your senses, touching, looking, listening, and tasting. Ideal for families and kids of all ages!

Contact Vence Tourism

When: until 30th August 2020 From 10 pm to be 11:30 pm

Where: Cannes

Stunning Light Show Cannes

Every evening watch a stunning light show. form the façades of the Palais des festivals et des congrès to the Notre-Dame d'Espérance au Suquet Church

When: 11th July to 25 Augst 2020. From 8 pm to Midnight

Where: Avenue Pierre Poési, Cannes La Bocca

Luna Park

Fun for everyone young and old, Summer Fete at Luna Park. There will be numerous attractions on the Courbertin Parking lot in Cannes La Bocca. Open to all!

The Moonraker ! is the attraction which is attracting the most interest this year! Inspired by NASA and the training Astronauts are subjected to, It holds 40 people at a time in this enormous UFO-shaped whirlwind of flashing lights. For 5 full minutes, it spins at 2 speeds (between 10 to 18 times per minute) whilst being lifted up vertically by a metal arm. Expect to feel Force of 3-4 G in other words up to 3 to 4 times you own body weight.

Pour le plus grand bonheur des petits et grands, la foire d'été Luna Park accueillera le public sur le parking Coubertin avec de nombreuses attractions.

Pendant les trois premiers jours (samedi 11, dimanche 12 et lundi 13 juillet), tous les manèges sont à 2 €.

When: 20th to 24th July 2020 From 10 am to 12 noon

Where: Grasse

Museum of Art History of Provence

The Museum of art history of Provence is offering workshops for families wanting to learn different mediums of arts and crafts (ARTS PLASTIQUES)

Join a family workshop at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Provence. Come and learn about arts and crafts: painting, sculpture, engraving, and design in this old hotel that houses a rich collection of works of art and historically significant objects to the local area.

Contact The Museum of Art History of Provence

When: 21st and 28th July 2020 at 9 pm

Where: Biot

Tuesdays Festival

For this Summer Season's Tuesdays Festival Biot has organised Puppet Performances again in the Jardin Frédéric Mistral.

Tuesday 21st July 9 pm - « Nourritures terrestres » by Loic Bettini (For 8 years and above)

Tuesday 28th July at 9 pm - « POLICHINELLE, tout est permis ! » par la compagnie Gorgomar (à partir de 5 ans)

When: 20th and 27th July 2020

Where: Mouans Sartoux

Open Air Cinema

The tourist Office in Mouans Sartoux have a full program of films being played in their open-air cinema in July. (FRENCH)

Monday 20th July 2020: EN AVANT

In the suburbs of an imaginary universe, 2 elven brothers set off on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is any magic left in the world.

In Disney Pixar's animated movie En Avant, Ian and Barlet Lightfoot, 2 young brother elves would like the chance to spend an extra day with their missing father

Like all quests, their journey is they have to overcome setbacks, spells, obstacles. But when their mother learns of their disappearance she forms a team wih an old warrior who has the a^êarance of part lion, part scorpion with wings of a bat known the Manticore. This magical journey filled with perilous twists and turns could take a turn that surpasses their expectations!

Monday 27th July 2020 : L'AVENTURE DES MARGUERITE

Marguerite et Margot are both 12 years old, each with their own families, friends problems... And their time. Because One lives in 1942 and the other in 2020. But it's a mystical magical spell which transports them n to the other time. Margot et Marguerite have one thing in common, their father is no longer there. Disappeared in the 2nd world war. no longer lives at home. With 70 years difference they set off on a big adventure to find their way back to their own present time exploring history and also the memories of their families.

When: 30th and 31st July 2020

Where: Place Du Grande Jardin, Vence.

La Parenthèse Nuits du Sud

An alternative to the classic Nuits du Sud is offered at the end of July, with musical numbers and concerts taking place around Vence and in various hotel gardens.

Book your tickets online as there is limited seating.

Masks are required! Hand Sanitiser supplied at the entrance.

When: Wednesdays from the 15^th of July to the 12^th of August.

From 7 to 9 pm

Where: Place Du Grande Jardin, Vence.

Pique-Nique au Pays d’Escoffier

In a friendly environment, re-live life like the olden days, bring a picnic, and enjoy musical numbers on the edge of the river Loup like they did many years ago.

When: Everyday until end of 2021

Where: Musée Oceanographique, Monaco

Immersion » Exposition in Monaco

This brand new Exposition will give you goosebumps. Big screens to simulate a 30 minutes dive into the Great Coral Reef in Australia, and the incredible sound effects will definitely impress both you and your child. It will educate you on the impact of climate change and human behavior on the coral reef. Great way to sensibilise your children on environmental topics.