Tots to Teens: Clever plans for summer fun — including Cork's Playful Culture Trail
The Playful Culture Trail Map
It’s all fun and games in Cork this summer as the city unveils its new Playful Culture Trail. This initiative was first established in 2021, with the aim of making cultural and heritage spaces more accessible and engaging for children. It proved enormously popular and is back again this year with 25 exciting activities for families.
These include searching for Ogham stones at UCC, creating masterpieces in the Crawford Art Gallery, climbing Patrick’s Hill, and making a wish in the fountain at Grand Parade.
The trail encompasses Cork’s most iconic attractions, from Blackrock Castle to Elizabeth Fort and Cork City Gaol. It also features outdoor spaces such as Fitzgerald Park and the Lough. The idea behind it is to inspire families to embark on multiple day-trips, exploring Cork City and enjoying activities along the way.
A map is available listing all of the attractions and boys and girls can get their maps stamped at each of the museums, galleries and historic sites they visit. They will also be encouraged to keep an eye out for Bláithín the Lizard, the Playful Culture Trail’s mascot, who will be hiding in each location on the map.
Further information is available at playfulculturetrail.com, where families will also find additional ideas for arts and crafts activities they can do at home on rainy days.
Families holidaying abroad this summer are urged to ensure their children’s measles vaccinations are up to date. This follows a number of incidents in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden.
“Measles is rarely talked about these days, largely thanks to the success of the childhood immunisation programmes,” says Sheena Mitchell, pharmacist, Wondercare.ie podcaster and mum of three.
“However, it’s recently crept onto the radar as government health departments around the world report an increase in cases, including in countries that are popular holiday destinations for Irish families.”
Mitchell wants parents to be aware of three things:
- The first is that the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has asked for children who missed out on vaccinations due to the pandemic to catch up as soon as possible.
- The second is to know the signs of measles. “It’s not just a little rash,” she says. “Symptoms include a high fever, runny nose, dry cough, sneezing, and sore watery eyes. The rash usually starts at the top of the head and works its way down the body, often starting as small pink dots which quickly get bigger and then join together.”
- Parents should also realise how dangerous measles can be. “It’s a highly contagious airborne disease that can lead to severe complications and death,” says Mitchell. “If you suspect your child has measles, it’s essential you contact your GP straightaway.”
Whether it's hats and coats or books and pencils, today’s schoolchildren are expected to have labels on all of their possessions. Applying these labels has long been a massive chore for parents but thanks to mynametags.ie, this is about to become a thing of the past.
Their iron-on labels and stickers can be used on everything from school uniforms and shoes to sports equipment and lunchboxes. Priced at just €16.95 for a set of 56, there are hundreds of designs to choose from and children can personalise them to suit.
If you’re looking for free, family-friendly fun this summer, head for the streets of Waterford City. Its Summer in the City Festival takes place every weekend from now until the end of August and involves the city being taken over by all sorts of colourful and characterful street performers and entertainers.
This weekend alone, there will be live music, local history tours, street markets, kids’ activities in the cultural quarter, dance classes, DJ sets and film screenings. To see what’s happening for the rest of the summer, visit sitcwaterford.com
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