In this day and age, we can access books at the touch of a button or the swipe of a screen. We can read books on any number of devices, including our phones. Great for life on the go, for travellers and for those moving or living abroad—e-books are lightweight, easy to access and easy to store! However, nothing can replace the sensation of running your fingers across a shelf full of books, paging through colourful illustrations or the scent of the ink and pages of a book. As children develop, they progress through reading levels at an astonishing rate,…
Author: Gillian Gibson
Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage. The thrill of riding on two wheels is a mixture of fear and excitement that we all remember well. Our guide to cycling in Doha will help parents make bike riding as unforgettable an experience for their children as it was for them.Children often learn to cycle between three and six years old. However, each child learns at their own pace and by different methods, so be patient and don’t be tempted to push a child to learn before they are ready. The most important factor to teaching your child…
Kids rule the world—or at least they rule the world of KidzMondo. In this scaled-down city, children take on kid-friendly versions of real life jobs. As “kidizens”, they become pilots, bankers, astronauts, policemen, nurses, footballers, dentists, hairdressers, builders and more. They don the uniform of whichever profession they choose and get to work earning and spending “kidlars”, the official KidzMondo currency. “Work” activities are designed to engage and inspire children while teaching them life lessons and professional skills. This also encourages their independence, self-esteem, confidence and ability to work with othersDoha Family Rating:Overall: 4.5/5Convenience: 4/5Safety: 5/5Facilities: 4/5 Inside this 8,000-square-metre…
Get ready to hop, jump, skip, spring and leap to your heart’s content at Bounce Doha, the largest indoor trampoline park in the Middle East. Encased in circus-grade padding, this 4,000-sqm facility of wall-to-wall trampolines is the ultimate spring-loaded playground for kids and adults.Trampoline workouts offer an excellent way of keeping fit and improving overall health. In fact, exercising on a trampoline for ten minutes provides a better cardiovascular workout than half an hour of running. It’s a low-impact sport, which reduces the risk of injury and, as with all exercise, it releases endorphins. So get jumping to improve your…
The long-awaited Qatar National Library (QNL) is a spectacle to behold. Beyond the monolithic façade and breath-taking interior, it embodies all the scholastic functions of a library with around one million books; half-a-million ebooks, periodicals and newspapers; and multiple special collections in 20 different languages. But the library’s offerings extend far beyond its large catalog—an extensive online collection, cutting-edge technology rentals, and a full calendar of events transform QNL into a community hub for innovative.An amphitheatre of booksAptly located in Education City, the Qatar National Library is an impressive building. Designed to appear like an amphitheatre of books, tiered floors…
All-in with an all-inclusive vacation in AustriaWe all know the routine: you want to go on a holiday but everyone in the family has slightly different interests, so how do you plan a family trip that everyone will enjoy?This past winter, I found myself in such a predicament. I was looking for a skiing holiday for my family. Worried that my three-year-old daughter might not take to skiing, I didn’t want to limit our activity options to the slopes. I had been reluctant of all-inclusive hotels or family resorts, but after spending a holiday at the Post Family Resort in…
Resorts and hotels offer the perfect antidote to summer temperatures with their swimming pools and beach facilities. Equipped with a day pass, not only can you enjoy lounging by the pool or splashing in the sea, but you only need to bring the essentials.They also offer a myriad of cafés and restaurants to choose from, an array of chairs and loungers to relax in (shaded and unshaded), and clean and well-equipped changing and showering facilities. You don’t even need to bring your own towel.Some hotels and resorts also offer fantastic bonus features for kids, such as play parks, kids’ clubs,…
Located in the Indian Ocean, 1000 kilometres off of the coast of Madagascar, Mauritius is a tropical island paradise that enjoys an agreeable climate all the year round. The island is a mixture of mountains, valleys and hills, fertile plains and plateaus, interspersed with rivers, gorges and waterfalls, and surrounded by white sandy beaches and coral reefs. The landscape provides an excellent playground for outdoor activities that suit all ages, or for simply marvelling at the natural splendours of our world. The island, since its discovery in the 10th century, has been visited and colonised by the Portuguese, the Dutch,…
Hop on for a travel adventure you and the kids will never forgetThere is something about standing in an open train doorway, watching the world unfold in front of you as the air rushes by. In Sri Lanka, train journeys take you through some incredibly beautiful and iconic scenery in often charmingly ramshackle carriages.Easy, cheap, safe and exciting, kids will love the old-fashioned trains, sitting with their legs dangling out of doorways, waving to locals and tea pickers in the fields as they pass. Even the chance to meet locals on the trains, and to try some of the street…
My first experience of camping years ago was in a tent with no in-built groundsheet. We slept wrapped in blankets and woke in the morning to find the inside of the tent covered in a horrifying number of creepy crawlies. Fortunately, over the years camping has become more and more sophisticated. Tents now come in all shapes and sizes, and mercifully with in-built groundsheets and insect screens. However, what do you do if you want to go camping, but you’re still not ready to sacrifice the creature comforts of home? Try “glamping” of course.Glamping—a blend of the words glamorous and…