It’s a New Zealand institution – one that Emily Writes wanted no part of. So no one was more surprised than her when a family getaway to the local Top 10 turned out to be kinda blissful. About 15 years or so ago, my husband and I were planning a holiday. I am of the … Read more
For a lot of people, there’s not much joy to be found at Christmas. Emily Writes spoke to Dr Sarah Bell-Booth and Gwendoline Smith about how to deal with the hard stuff in the face of all that relentless holiday cheer. Despite my anxiety, I generally enjoy Christmas now that I can do it on … Read more
ART-TASTIC is a big heavy beauty of an activity book, written by Sarah Pepperle and produced by the Christchurch Art Gallery. We think it’s marvellous and so do the judges of the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Keen to try it out? Here are four ART-TASTIC spreads guaranteed to keep … Read more
In January 2019, a National Party MP called for summer school holidays to be shortened from six weeks to five or even four. Emily Writes did not agree. Like most parents I have days where I think the school holidays are dragging on and on and on. Some days I want to shoot my children … Read more
Keeping kids entertained during the holidays just became a lot easier, thanks to the new and improved Freeview On Demand. Tara Ward explores some of their best shows for children. With the spring rain an almost certainty, Freeview is the answer to every frazzled parents school holiday nightmares. The new on-demand platform combines all the … Read more
Ever wondered if you can go tramping with little ones? The answer is yes! Meg Drive shares one of her tramping adventures and gives tips on where to start if you want to take your family on a tramping trip. The Waihohonu Hut is a great example of false advertising. It was billed as a … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has all the tips you need to get you through the last half of the school holidays. I said to my husband earlier in the week “These school holidays are unending!” and he said “Emily, it’s 10am on the first day. Are you drinking wine in a mug?”* and it … Read more