By Irishexaminer.com Sharon Nà Chonchúir
On Friday and Saturday, Crough Woods will be the setting for a nature-based summer camp, where children will participate in treasure hunts, mindfulness sessions, and arts and crafts activities.
Another option is to sign them up for surfing lessons or for the whole family to ride on the Waterford Suir Valley Railway, where little ones will meet Honey and Barry Bear, have their faces painted, and be tasked with solving a series of clues to find hidden treasure.
Visit comeraghswild.com for more information and to book tickets.
How to screen playtime
It can be a struggle to keep children off screens, particularly when they are on holidays and complaining of having nothing to do.
If you’re finding yourself on the losing side of this battle, check out the @brambila_bits Instagram account. Run by Andrea Brambila, an American therapist who specialises in perinatal mental health and developmental psychology, it’s full of tips on how to reduce overwhelm and overstimulation by encouraging children away from screens and towards more independent play. She also has lots of relatable advice on how to deal with postpartum anxiety and the importance of setting aside time for parental self-care.
Snug as a bug
Could anything be cuter than this cotton snuggle set from babaroo.ie? It’s designed to provide babies with swaddling comfort, while also allowing them enough room to move without restriction. It’s soft, stretchy, lightweight, and breathable. It comes with a matching topknot headband.
Babaroo Baby is a family business based in East Cork that sells sustainably sourced and ethically manufactured baby and toddler products. This snuggle set is designed to fit newborns and young babies weighing between 2.5kg and 6kg.
It costs €35 and can be purchased directly from babaroo.ie.
Cot grows into a bed
The Hera Convertible Cot Bed is a one-time purchase that will serve as a safe and comfortable bed for your child for years to come. It starts as a cot. Then, as your child grows, the cot’s adjustable mattress height and removable, slatted sides mean it will grow with them, transforming into a toddler bed and into a proper first bed.
It’s made by Gaia Baby, an award-winning, guaranteed Irish brand that creates crafted nursery furniture designed with longevity, safety, and sustainability in mind.
It costs €649, and its gender-neutral look makes it a perfect fit for modern nurseries.
Summer reading
Bring the children along to the local library the next time they moan about being bored. There, they can enrol in Summer Stars, the national summer reading programme that runs from now until the end of August.
This programme aims to encourage children to enjoy reading and writing over the summer holidays. To participate, all they have to do is register at their local library. There, they will be given a Summer Stars reader pack, which includes bookmarks, an activity book, and a reading tracker.
The next step is to choose reading material from the library’s extensive range of books, which includes audiobooks and e-books. Each time they borrow a book, they will get a stamp in their reading tracker and be invited to review the books they read online. At the end of the summer, they will also receive a certificate of completion.
Visit librariesireland.ie for further information on activities, recommended reads, and Summer Stars reading tips.