Enjoying the Canary Islands Sun
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School holidays are over in the Canary Islands, but our Tenerife resident writer muses over the best ways to keep the kids entertained for the long 11 and a half week holiday.
By Joe Cawley
Finally, after an 11-and-a-half-week break, the schools are back in session in the Canary Islands. At least from 8.30 till 12.30 now, Joy and I can work without the constant demands of 'play with me', 'chase me', and most worrisome for a writer, 'what happens when I press this button?'
Eleven-and-a-half weeks is waaaaaaay to long for a school holiday. We're lucky as we both can work around the kid's timetable, but how do parents with rigid 9-5s manage?
Apart from the inconvenience for the parents, 11-and-a-half weeks is just about long enough for your offspring to forget what they learnt last time, so they have to spend the first few weeks at school going over old ground. It's also just about long enough for them to reach the tormenting level of boredom.
There are only so many re-runs of High School Musical that you can sit them in front of before the sibling rivalry surfaces through pinching and teasing, and only so much plasticine kids can force-feed a cat before feline vomit patterns the rug.
There are options, usually with a cost, but at least it provides respite for all.
This summer, apart from a trip back to the UK, they spent a week at a riding school, learning how to look after, and ride, ponies. They also spent one week at 'theatre school' learning how to affect premature 'attitude' for a hip-hop performance that involved reversed baseball hats, much pouting, and more than a few pushes and shoves from those cast members who took to the role a little too easy.
It also proved a little disconcerting to see 5-year-old Sam - the only boy in class - caked in makeup and prancing his little heart out in his sister's bright red tap shoes. But who am I to judge? At least he was occupied.
Now term-time has started, the morning walks to school have begun again - one of my treasured pastimes, teaching my kids to appreciate nature and avoid stepping in dog pooh, followed by four hours of relative calm before the quest to keep them entertained resumes again.
Afternoons at the beach are becoming less frequent as the water temperature starts to drop, so too for spending hours at their friends' pools. For Sam, football, judo and modern dance lessons have taken their place, while Molly Blue thankfully slips from ballet to Sevillana (similar to Flamenco) classes with a regal-like grace she seems to have been gifted with.
It's a Godsend that there are so many activities available in the Canary Islands, most heavily subsidised by the local town hall thankfully.
Sam's got his eye on surfing and musical theatre next year. Molly wants to trade in her toy keyboard for a white grand piano. I dare say their demands will be met next summer (not sure about the grand piano though).
Joy and I don't mind if they want to take up tag team wrestling as long as it gets them - and us - through next year's 11-and-a-half-week endurance test.
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