Tots to Teens: Getting the kids stuck into the arts and playtime

Plus: ways to bolster wellness, and a STEAM adventure camp in Connemara

Otter Space, Paint Your Own T-Shirt Kit (€32

Getting the kids stuck into an art project is a creative way of passing the time during the summer holidays. It’s even better if they support a good cause in the process.

We Make Good, a leading name in sustainable Irish fashion, has just launched a Paint Your Own T-Shirt Kit (€32) that allows you to do just that. Created for children, the kit includes organic cotton t-shirts featuring child-friendly images of otters, spaces scenes and bees; a palette of non-toxic fabric paints; a paintbrush; and easy-to-follow instructions.

We Make Good is a social enterprise that hires and trains people from disadvantaged and refugee backgrounds. 

• For more information, visit www.wemakegood.ie.

Mireia Lopez of Discovery Playtime

It’s time for Playtime

Mireia Lopez has a passion for play. Her experience as a primary school teacher, part-time children’s entertainer, psychology graduate and mum of two has taught her how vital playing is in helping children to learn.

It’s why she set up www.discoveryplaytime.ie, offering play workshops, sensory play sessions and music, art and mindfulness summer camps for children aged between three and six in Kildare, Wicklow and Dublin.

Lopez’s online shop, www.playtime.ie, delivers hundreds of educational and sensory toys to customers nationwide. 

“We only sell toys we have tried and tested ourselves,” says Lopez. “We make sure they provide the kind of fun and learning that children need.”

Bolstering wellness

Summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. But this isn’t necessarily true for us all. Many children miss the routine and structure of school, while parents can feel anxious about keeping their children entertained for such an extended period.

ISPCC’s clinical lead Bree O’Neill says: “Chances are that your children will have more treats and screentime than usual, but it is the holidays, and that’s normal. However, do try to stick to some form of routine. It helps provide structure for everyone.”

O’Neill believes this to be particularly true of sleep. “It doesn’t matter if bedtimes aren’t as rigidly enforced as they are during term time, but children still need to get adequate sleep during the holidays,” she says. “As the return to school approaches, start bringing regular bedtimes back about a fortnight beforehand. Don’t wait until three days before school starts before trying to get them back on track.”

With no school, after-school activities or exams taking up their time, children who experience anxiety can take steps to bolster their mental health and wellbeing.

One of these steps could be signing up for the ISPCC’s free online mental health programmes. All are designed to help participants understand anxiety and develop coping strategies. ISPCC volunteers support participants for the duration of these programmes, up to 12 weeks. 

• For full details, see exa.mn/digital-mental-health

Adventures on the water at Connemara Maths Academy

All systems go

Residential summer camps are a rite of passage for children in the US. In Ireland, the closest we got to them was a week or two in the Gaeltacht. 

But now award-winning Connemara Maths Academy offers week-long STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) and adventure camps for seven to 17-year-olds.

The camps take place at Rockwell College in Tipperary and Headfort School in Meath. Both offer children the chance to participate in various STEAM workshops and adventure activities. 

The workshops include film production, songwriting, holograms and robotics, while the activities range from kayaking and archery to volleyball and ziplining.

The camps run weekly from Sunday to Saturday throughout July and early August. The €950 fee covers full bed and board, meals, activities and outings. There’s also the option of attending from 10am to 5pm daily for a weekly rate of €350.