WORDS: Dr Samantha Smith
Navigating the school holidays as a parent can often feel like mastering the circus juggle. Attempting to balance work and home life while also ensuring the kids are entertained, well-fed (with something other than chips and chocolate), have genuine human interaction (no, virtual avatars don’t count), and are dressed in more than just superhero costumes despite the Adelaide winter chill—it can feel like trying to ride a unicycle up Mount Lofty.
When the idea of adding eco-friendly activities to your already jam-packed holiday schedule gets tossed your way, it’s completely okay to feel a wave of ‘eco-overwhelm’ and want to yell, “Hold your compost, Mother Earth!” However, fear not—sustainability doesn’t have to be another box to check on your ever-expanding holiday to-do list. It can be effortlessly woven into your holiday hustle and bustle without costing the earth.
So, buckle up for six eco-tastic activities that will have you and your kids laughing, learning, and doing their bit for the planet these school holidays:
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Lead an ‘Energy Avengers: Lights Out’ mission
Before bundling up to brave the Adelaide winter, assemble your Energy Avengers for a heroic mission. Assign each eco-champion the task of ensuring all lights are switched off. Convert this into a household championship, complete with energy-saving gold stars. Not only will our planet give them a standing ovation, but it’s also far more entertaining than arguing over who left the fridge door open (again).
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Become Recycling Rockstars
Transform the boring chore of sorting recycling into a backstage pass to save the world! Have the kids set up a colourful recycling stage with bins for different materials labelled ‘Glass Groupies,’ ‘Paper Fans,’ and ‘Plastic Posse.’ As they sort, have a chat about how each recycled superstar can reinvent itself.=
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Create Adelaide’s next masterpiece
Post their show-stopping performance as Recycling Rockstars, it’s prime time for your mini Michelangelos to sit down and transform recyclables into their own masterpieces. Using the materials rescued from their recycling showstopper, throw them the challenge of crafting the quirkiest masterpiece their imaginations can conceive. Get ready for the next d’Arenberg Cube to be popping up in your lounge room!
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Grow green thumbs
From a modest pot of basil on the kitchen windowsill to a backyard vegetable garden rivalling the freshest produce at Adelaide Central Market, home farming is a fun and rewarding adventure for the whole fam. As your kids nurture their green buddies, they’ll embark on a journey of patience, responsibility, and the exhilaration of self-sustainability—a journey that can outshine even the most triumphant Minecraft victory. And if they need more convincing to put down their devices, a bountiful harvest may even lead to a mini farmers market and some extra pocket money.
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Welcome some wriggly new pets
Being hounded to get a dog? Setting up a worm farm not only gives you a bunch of pets that don’t need to be walked twice a day, but it also teaches kids about composting and waste reduction. They’ll be able to witness the magical transformation of their holiday lunch leftovers into nutrient-rich soil, all while producing homemade fertilizer that’s perfect for their garden projects.
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Enjoy an eco-story snuggle
Pay a visit to one of our many fantastic libraries and get the kids on a quest to see how many storybooks they can discover that weave tales of conservation, recycling, and protecting our planet. Then, on those chilly Adelaide nights, snuggle up under a blanket and transform reading time into an eco-friendly expedition into the wilderness of sustainability. Discussing the characters’ eco-adventures and earth-saving antics is a great way to inspire your children to apply these lessons in their lives and become little eco-warriors.
These six eco-tastic activities are not only cost-effective ways to keep your kids entertained during the school holidays but can be incredible opportunities to teach them valuable lessons about sustainability and the importance of taking care of our planet. So, as we embark on a quest to cure school holiday boredom, let’s also ignite the eco-warrior spirit in our little ones, and create a better future together, one eco-adventure at a time!
Dr Samantha Smith completed doctoral research exploring young people’s relationship with the environment and ways to encourage sustainable habits. She’s also author of the new eco picture book ‘Harriet’s Hungry Worms’ and is hoping it will inspire young Adelaide eco warriors to roll up their sleeves and put their food scraps to good use.
If you’re looking for more free eco-fun, there are a bunch of colouring pages available:
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