I don’t mind what sports my kids play, I just want them to have fun and enjoy playing.  I’ve been trying and exploring new sports all my life from tennis and basketball growing up to trying kitesurfing, petanque and sailing in recent years and watching everything from curling (that favourite winter olympic sport) to Gaelic football (well what wouldn’t appeal in a mix of Australian Rules football and soccer/football).  I’d like to think my kids will enjoy trying new things, working out new sports, making team mates and having fun.

My 7 year old daughter, the oldest of my kids, has recently decided she wanted to try basketball.  Besides swimming she has not shown a lot of interest in sport and I think the interest now is because some of her friends play at school. Unfortunately the current teams were full so a couple of the parents (including me) have organised a new team to see if some other girls from her grade wanted to join in.

A few weeks in we have a team of eight, ready to start practicing at 8am every Tuesday (starting this week) at the school court (come rain or shine) for the rest of the term to see if they like it.  Before they then start playing games on Friday afternoons.

The early morning start is a bit of a problem for most parents getting off to work so I’m the designated coach with some fill ins available if I can’t make it. My wife is default manager of the team, and will coordinate parent contact details and handle questions. My five year old son who started school this year will be my assistant coach since I’ll be bring him to school and he can join in on the practice. I know organising anything takes some time, but both my wife and I have been surprised about what is required, from checking with the school, to getting balls for practice (we had to buy some new ones), to organising how practice will run all requires some focus.

Having played basketball when I was young I vaguely remember some drills so I have been scouring the internet for some resources.  I’ve found some free and comprehensive guides to drills and play from Breakthrough Basketball on one hand as well as a multitude of guides that come at a cost (clearly I never realised how big business coaching 7 year old girls basketball could be, particularly in the USA).

Hopefully I’ll get the girls having fun, develop some basic skills and play as a team before I’ll worry about playbooks.  I also hope my daughter will join in, enjoy being coached and have fun playing sport with her friends.  To start the following each week seems to make sense to me:

• 10 minutes of warmup
• 20 mins of skills development
• 15 minutes of playing

If you’ve got some tips on coaching kids sports teams (particularly 7 year old girls basketball) let me know? I ’ll let you know how I get on and what I learn.  Since this is the first of my kids where I’ll coach a team I know I have plenty to learn and improve on.  I think it will be fun!

No matter, having been to Olympics in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004), I resigned myself to the fact I’d enjoyed previous games and perhaps some lucky locals would have got the tickets.

Today though reading this article it reminded me that maybe only locals, olympic officals, media, sponsors and the athletes themselves will be going. Getting to the Olympics has become progressively more expensive, time consuming and complicated to organise, and many are discounting the idea of going without even trying.  Coupled with this the potential that travellers avoid London (and the UK) in the lead up to the games is also a reality (the displacement factor).

I would love to go to the Olympics in London 2012 and have enjoyed my three prior Olympic trips but this time around unless I come into some tickets magically (LOCOG any spare tickets perhaps?) I think I will also have to give it a miss and join the billions who will only watch it on TV.  Of course I’ll miss the atmosphere, melting pot of fellow travelers and the chance to see beach volleyball at Horses Guard Parade but looking forward perhaps Rio in 2016 is in my future.

Its Freedom, Speed, Diving,… 

and there we were listening to Darcy O’Connor, a retired Air Force pilot now flying Airbus jets for Jetstar, one of

Mustang from RAAF Museum air display

Australia’s budget airlines. But on weekends he still gets a buzz talking to groups of kids and adults and putting on a short display of aerobatics at the RAAF Air Force base at Point Cook, just outside of Melbourne – the longest continuous operational Air Force base anywhere in the world.

The plane being put through its paces today was a Mustang, built at Fisherman’s Bend in Australia in the 1950’s as the only place outside of the USA licensed for production.  With a huge 12 cylinder Merlin engine, this plane had speed and endurance and as it completed loops and high speed rolls above us as a dad I couldn’t help wish that I had learnt how to fly as a kid. As Darcy returned to the ground in the Mustang my 7 year old daughter asked “Dad, when can I learn to fly”

Mustang in flight

I imagine amongst the group there to watch the display this weekend, it was a common thought for kids and adults alike. 

The air displays are a regular (and clearly popular) attraction at Point Cook with displays at 1pm each Tuesday, Thursday and Sundaythroughout the year with regular aircraft featured including the Winjeel, Harvard, CT4A, Sopwith Pup replica, Tiger Moth and Mustang. In addition visiting aircraft such as the DC3, Bird Dog or even a modern PC-9 can sometimes be seen. 

RAAF Museum - military transport display

The adjacent museum capped of the display with some history of the RAAF and several hangars of aircraft. Next door was a hangar showing how restoration of these historic aircraft takes place. 

Flying boat at RAAF Museum

And if you really want more then airshows featuring military, commercial and historic aircraft and aerobatics and regular events at cities around the worlld including world famousFarnborough show in England or the Paris (Le Bourget) show in France.  The USA also has a long season of shows including for example Miramar Airshow in October or Aviation Nationat Nellis AFB every November.  In Australia try catching the Avalon airshow held every 2 years and just down the road from Point Cook towards Geelong.

The RAAF Museum is a 25-minute drive south-west from Melbourne. Air displays and museum entry is free and the museum is open Tuesday to Friday: 10am–3pm;  Weekends and Public Holidays: 10am–5pm. 

If you want to extend your day the point cook area just next to the Air Force base is the Point Cook Coastal Park, with walking trails and great views across Port Phillip Bay back to Melbourne as well as a wetland area teeming with bird life.  Not far away is Weribee park and the open plains zoo.

On our recent trip to new Zealand, a few family friends told us the highlight of a visit to Rotorua was to spend a day at the Luge.  For me luge conjured up the Winter Olympics image of a head to toe spandex bodysuited person laying flat down on a board attached to some skates inches from the smooth cold ice hurtling like a torpedo down a mountain.

 Sounds like Fun!!         But does that sound safe for the kids?

The Luge, Rotorua

 Well the Skyline complex including a gondola ride, luge, restaurants and great views over Rotorua provided the answer. Their luge, proudly claimed “a world’s first” and designed and built in Rotorua, involves no rock hard ice track, bodysuit or lying inches from the ground.  Instead sitting in specially designed 3 wheel carts (with room for the kids between you and the steering) with easy to control steering and braking meant an exciting ride whether you’re 6 or 60 years old.

With three levels of track (slow, intermediate and advanced) each with respective increases in terms of speed, we spent the better part of the day going down the hill and again and again – kids couldn’t get enough.  While you have to be six years of age to go down by yourself, (and my 7 year old daughter Leila had fun learning to control the luge even at slow speeds) it was my five and two year olds that had the most fun, sitting in front of me or my wife, while we hurtled down the hill.

Opening at 10am I suggest you get there early as by lunch time lines had grown quite long but even so they moved pretty quickly.  Price wise its not a cheap day out, the cost of the gondola comes first but a family pass can come with 6 or 8 luge rides included and then you may purchase additional packages of rides. Of course for adults or teenagers an unlimited day pass might be a better option.  Also if you pick up a Rotorua/ NZ brochure they frequently have a 10% discount option as well

Enjoy!

Kids after a day at the luge, Rotorua

Boat house on the lake at Ripponlea

Ever struggled to come up with something that’s interesting but a little different to do on a Sunday afternoon with the kids?  Of course there are playgrounds, parks, museums, playcentres and the like.  But have you ever considered the historic and heritage societies like National Trust who manage historic mansions, castles, and other properties of note in your area?  They are starting to turn on the fun for kids and families to attract a younger (in this case very) crowd.

While living in the UK I belonged to National Trust (mostly historic houses) and English Heritage (mostly castles) each for a year so I could take in these famous places.  While like any good gallery or museum these days they all have the obligatory colouring tables for kids to keep them busy while you rush around the historic site the move is towards big event days usually during holidays to attract big crowds (sometimes too big) of locals as well as tourists.   The same can be said in the USA, Europe and elsewhere where there are some many options for leisure that it important to stand out and be noticed for special activities. 

And now living in Melbourne, while there is no where near as many historic houses as in the UK the selection rests well on the impression of Melbourne as one of the world’s most liveable cities. Well kept gardens and well thought through activities are the order of the day for enjoying the outdoors with the historic house/ building a bonus if you have the time.  Places like Como House and Rippon Lea estate have beautiful gardens close to the city and are easily accessible, while National Trust has recently reopened the Polly Woodside, a famous sailing ship set outside on the Yarra River with set days of great activities for the kids.

Ripponlea House, Melbourne

Conveniently I’m living around the corner from Ripponlea Estate, which for over a century was occupied by only two families but is now owned and run by the National Trust Victoria.  Famous both for the expansive and beautiful gardens and the Ripplea Bear (based on the teddy bear of one of the girls who first lived on the estate over 140 years ago) Ripponlea is a tranquil oasis close to the city.

Today I took my three kids to Ripponlea for a “Summer Session” held every Sunday from noon-4pm until the end of March.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon as my kids tried croquet and mini tennis on the lawns in between making badges and getting their face painted and other supervised craft activities.  And all the time a band played some soothing Jazz while families and friends sat on picnic blankets relaxing.

Sunday session at Ripponlea

An afternoon very hard to beat so if in Melbourne or anywhere around the world take another look at National trust or those heritage societies near you  – they probably have some events on that are fun for you and the family! And the bonus is that you help preserve the wonderful historic buildings and gardens in your area so you can keep enjoying them for years to come.

Note: Ripponlea estate is free for National Trust members but otherwise costs for garden only ($7 Adult & $2 child) or for garden and the house ($12 Adult & $6.50 Child)

Ripponlea is open 10am – 5pm seven days a week.

A Teddy’s bear picnic is another big event popular with the kids held every year in February.  For 2011 its Sunday 27 Feb from 10am – 4pm.