A Rainy Day School Holiday in the City

The City Playground Pass is an excellent resource to navigate around the CBD with children of all ages in tow.  We visit the city at least once every school holiday to take advantage of the kid friendly activities and discounts.
 
We traveled to the city by train mostly for the benefit of my 2 year old.  Like most little boys, he absolutely loves the train.  I like it too because I am able to chat and play with the kids rather than concentrate on driving.  Also, I don't need to worry about parking, or maneuvering around all the one way streets and pedestrians in the CBD.  Although the price of a family rider pass has just raised to $11 as of July 1, it's still less than paying for fuel and parking, and it's more fun for the kiddies.   


Hagen loves the train.

 

Collecting our Playground Pass in the rain.

The City of Perth Library (not to be confused with the much larger State Library) had a a great list of free activities to book during this school holiday.  We booked the "Scitech Flight Show" because it was geared for ages 9-12 and accommodated two out of three of my kids.  Besides, both of my older kids are all about everything science.  It was an interactive show that really got their minds thinking. We will definitely be checking out the school holiday programs at The City of Perth Library again. 



Next, "The Big Top Olympians" entertained us under the big red tent.  The acrobats in this hilarious show managed to pull off amazing stunts in a comical way that amused all three of my kids and especially me.  It was the first time my 2 year old remained seated for an entire show.  Ever.  The show was free, but we had to pick up our tickets in the morning to be sure we got in, as there were no pre-bookings available.


McKinley & Everest ready for the Big Top!

The wet, cold, rainy weather didn't stop this crew. We grabbed discounted kids' meals at Nando's for McKinley & Hagen, and take away sushi handrolls for Everest. Then, we filled our backpacks with purchases from the Australian Geographic and the Reject Shop. Our last stop of the day was the One Direction Store for my crazed 11 year old daughter.  She is nuts about this new boy band.  She pined over which t-shirt to buy while one brother slept in his stroller, and the other shot rubber bands at all the merchandise.

On the train ride home, I looked at the time and was amazed it was 3:30, nearly six hours after we boarded the train in the morning.  Now, I'd call that a successful day in the CBD.