The usual two-week school spring break has been extended to three to include Eid Al Fitr, with most children off from March 25 to April 12. For families who aren’t travelling during the break or sending their children to a camp, this means 15 weekdays to fill with fun and games.
With that in mind, here's a daily guide on how to entertain the little ones at home.
Day one: Plant a vegetable patch
Designate an area in the garden, a planter box on a balcony or even some small pots on a windowsill and fill it with soil. You don't need too much equipment either, as spoons and forks will suffice as tools.
Challenge older children by not buying packets of seeds, but by getting them to slice open apples, tomatoes, cucumbers and oranges to source the seeds themselves.
Day two: Record breaker day
While it’s not guaranteed any actual world records will get broken, children can set some household records with a day of challenges.
Draw up a list of fun and accessible challenges – the sillier the better – that can be done at home, such as highest stack of blocks built without falling over, biggest bubble blown using bubblegum, most jellybeans eaten in 60 seconds using chopsticks, furthest flick of a rubber band, longest paper chain made in one hour and most clothes you can put on in one minute.
Day three: Home-made afternoon tea
Make sure you have plenty of baking ingredients to hand, then set the children the task of making their own afternoon tea for everyone to eat. Finger sandwiches, cakes, sponges and biscuits are all simple enough for little ones to make from scratch, and serve up for the family when they're done.
Day four: Create a scrapbook
Come up with a theme or let children decide what they want to scrapbook about and invest in a sturdy book with plain pages or use an existing notebook or even sheaves of paper. Dig out old magazines, catalogues, newspapers, photos and even books and let them loose with scissors and glue to create fun scrapbook collages.
Day five: Make a tunnel
All those home delivery boxes will come to good use when you challenge the children to build the longest tunnel they can fit in the house. They will only need scissors and some strong tape to stick the boxes together, and do remind them to add the occasional window.
Day six: Den-building contest
Open up the linen wardrobe and make every kind of sheet, blanket, duvet and pillow available for the ultimate den-building contest. Designate different areas of the house for each child's den, such as the living room, dining room and bedrooms, and set the challenge of creating the most impressive den.
Can they add multiple rooms and is it big enough for mum and dad to sit in?
Day seven: Copy a famous painting
Give budding artists an outlet by choosing an image of a famous painting online and ask your children to recreate it as best as they can. No easel or big equipment is needed, just paper, paint and brushes. Have a home gallery showing when they’re done.
Day eight: Dress-up competition
Come up with a few different themes that everyone has to adhere to and challenge little ones to raid the house wardrobes to come up with the perfect outfits. Themes can include nautical, superhero, circus, wonderland, cowboy (or girl) and beach. Parents can allow access to their wardrobes if they wish, but no actual costumes are allowed – that’s cheating!
Day nine: Old-school games
Before phones and television, parlour games were all the rage as entertainment for children and adults alike. Hide-and-seek, sardines, are you there, Moriarty?, blindman’s buff and pass the slipper all require minimal, if any, equipment, just plenty of cunning.
Day 10: Make a family newspaper
Challenge children to put together a newspaper from scratch that’s all about the family. The front page should be a big family story, with other news and features inside.
Pictures should be hand-drawn or printed-out photos they have taken themselves. Don’t forget to add fun details, such as a word search of family names or a cartoon about a funny incident.
Day 11: Lego-building challenge
Most family homes have a box of Lego or other building blocks in the playroom, so challenge little ones to build something individually, or come together with siblings to create their very own world.
Ideas include creating a spaceport with docking stations and spacecraft; a jungle landscape, complete with volcano and river boats; or a mansion house with plenty of weird and wonderful rooms.
Day 12: Make a movie
With so many free apps available online, filming and editing a movie has never been easier. Let children’s imaginations run wild by asking them to come up with an idea, storyline and characters before letting them film on their tablet or phone, adding plenty of special effects later.
Make sure to get the popcorn ready for the big premiere screening when it's finished.
Day 13: Bird and bug hunt
This can be done in the garden, out on a walk or in a local park. Create a list of animals, plants and flowers the children need to find and tick off. Put ants, grasshoppers, breeds of birds and different colours of flowers on the list of things for them to find. They don’t have to stick to mini beasts and can add cats and dogs, too.
Day 14: Blindfold taste test
Buy an array of snacks, treats and different foods to create the ultimate taste test. Lay the food out in bowls and plates and let the blindfolded person try each. They should try to guess the taste and what it is, before giving marks on how much they enjoyed or disliked it. The person who guesses the most foods and flavours wins.
Day 15: Water play, outdoors and in
If you have a garden, fill up buckets with water and have children dunk sponges in them to throw at one another as reusable water “balloons”. If you don’t have a garden, fill up some bowls or the kitchen sink with water and add different items such as food colourings, flour, corn starch, bath bombs, pasta and more to carry out experiments about how water affects each item. Make notes of your findings.
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Honeymoonish
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GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
SERIE A FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Roma v Udinese (5pm)
SPAL v Napoli (8pm)
Juventus v Torino (10.45pm)
Sunday
Sampdoria v AC Milan (2.30pm)
Inter Milan v Genoa (5pm)
Crotone v Benevento (5pm)
Verona v Lazio (5pm)
Cagliari v Chievo (5pm)
Sassuolo v Bologna (8pm)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm)
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Result
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,950m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Adam McLean, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,950m; Winner: Conclusion, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh100,000 1,400m; Winner: Pilgrim’s Treasure, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m; Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,000m; Winner: Midlander, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
The years Ramadan fell in May
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
