outdoor kids ??

[dekandwends]

hi all,
we're relocating to Perth northern suburbs, probably the Tapping area, at the end of January, me,wife and 3 kids aged 11 and 7, and a mutt. i was just wondering if the kids over there go out to play after school and at night, as I've heard from someone over there just now that none of the kids seem to go out and play, they just sit around the house. I suspect that the kids who do this are just doing the exact same as they did back here, not really much of a lifestyle change, eh? I thought there were loads of clubs, organizations, etc for the kids to attend. Am I right ? Any info would be much appreciated.
tara the noo,
dek

[Gollywobbler]

Hi Dek


My sister & her hubby live South of the river in a place called Jandakot. They have two sons aged 13 & 10. Neil is Australian and Elaine has lived there for a little under 30 yars now, so their lifestyle really owes nothing to the norms and influences in the UK. They are all dyed-in-the-wool Aussies.

The boys have always attended Catholic schools. Both of them were given homework to do - every single day - from the age of about 6 and they are given homework projects that they have to complete during the school holidays as well.

I'm not sure what time they finish school because I've not visited during term time. However, Elaine frequently has to drop Peter, the elder one, off at cricket or soccer practice whilst she takes Mark, the 10 year old, to his swimming and music lessons. Peter is a member of 3 different soccer clubs so I suppose he is also a memember of two or three cricket clubs. Mark isn't a clubby sort of child - he's a budding cartoonist ad gets hours of pleasure from that. At the moment, either Elaine or Neil have to take Peter to cricket matches every Sunday morning. Apparently the matches start at 8am and can go on till about 2. Elaine feels itincumbent upon her to sit and watch.

When they eventually get home on schooldays, Elaine makes the kids sit in the study and get on with their homework whilst gets supper ready. By the time they have eaten it is about 8pm. The children are sleepy by then so they need a shower apiece and their beds, because the whole family gets up with the lark but they all go to bed soon after supper.

Elaine has many animals - she is a frustrated farmer, I think! The children are expected to help to feed them and to muck out their cages or whatever. She also keeps chickens, ducks and quails for their eggs, so the kids have to go and collect the eggs every morning before Elaine takes them to school.

Most of the men who work out of doors, as my brother in law does, start at 6 or 6.30 am - after having driven to wherever theyare working - so realistically they need to be up by 5 or 5.30am.and finish at around 2.30pm. By the time 8pm comes around, he is fed and sleepy as well.

Their lifestyle is very, very typical of an Australian family in Perth and it really doesn't leave any time for the kids to play with neighbours' children during the week. Also, I don't think they know them because Elaine & Neil's house is set in a 5 acre plot, as are all the neighbouring properties and as far as I know, none of the neighburs' kids attend the same school as Peter & Mark. They may well also attend private schools but there are loads of those in Perth. I don't think the school that Elaine's kids' attend is particularly close to where they live. I think it is at least 4 or 5 suburbs away.

The children's friends tend to be schoolfriends and, in Peter's case, friends from the sports clubs. Plus they have 4 young cousins who live nearby and who are frequent visitors chez Elaine. The cousins like going round because Elaine and Neil built a big games room for the children. It is crammed with various games including a 3/4 size Pool table. The friends and the cousins frequently sleep over at weekends.

In Summer, native Aussies (Elaine is one by now!) don't actually encourage the children to play outside in the heat of the day because they all have a mortal terror of skin cancer. Apparently there is a massive hole in the ozone layer right above Australia and the incidence of skin cancer is very high. Both children are fair haired and fair skinned (their father's family migrated from Sweden two generations ago) and the younger one in particular tends to burn very quickly. Apparently he is at particular risk of skin cancer precisely because he is so fair skinned. Hence the large, airconditioned indoor games room instead.

Like most boys, the kids are keen on camping so if nothing else is happening, Neil and his brother in law Buffy get to take all of their own 6 plus any of their friends who have been invited along on camping/fishing trips but they tend to head for the lakes inland because there is lots of shade from the trees and the water is cooler for swimming in than the sea. When it is really hot in Feb, the children would burn the soles of their feet on the dry bits of the shade-less beaches, anyway.

So in our family (I can't describe any other Australian household because this is the only one I know where children are involved) the children almost never watch telly because they have so many better ways of entertaining themselves. I think their lives are probably far more structured than those of some of the kids I see in the UK.

I don't have any children and I live in the UK, but if I walk up to the village centre at about 7.30 pm to get something from the local shops before they close, there is invariably a mob of kids hanging around the door trying to get adults to go in and buy them booze and tobacco. Some of them look no more than 11 or 12. That isn't playing and I cannot imagine why their parents permit it.

Elaine & Neil did have a swimming pool in their first house, but when their present house ws built in 1999/2000, the children were still pretty small - 6 & 3. Although by law pools have to be fenced off and the gate must be padlocked, they feared that the children might find the key and that there could be a calamity, so they decided not to build a pool at the new property until they are absolutely sure that their own children, their cousins and any visiting friends would be absolutely safe in a pool without supervision. The youngest cousin is about 6, and I think they will wait till she is older and a properly competent swimmer before building a pool. Although Peter & Mark have both done Junior lifesaving courses, this girl is the only one in the group. If the lads get absorbed with something else, I doubt that they would notice the girl floundering in the pool, quite honestly.

Cheers

Gill

[ali]

Hi, My children are 12 and 8, Alex (the eldest) was always in her room in the UK, not particularly sporty but loves reading and writing, art etc The difference here is she will sit outside and do those things (we have an undercover area), she also goes horse riding once a week loves the beach and we spend hours there with the kids on their body boards.

Tom loves the outdoor life, he plays soccer on Saturdays, he's wanting to do Oz Kick (aussie rules next year) too as long as they don't clash, he's having his first taste of basket ball camp during the holidays and plays outside all the time. During weekend days obviously it's lots of suncream and a hat, but we live on a great street with kids of a similar age and they play together alot. Apparently, the street get together for an xmas street party and there's a great community feel. At times they still want to play on the computer, x box etc., but generally it is a good outdoor life

The big difference here that I've noticed is that things are run on term times e.g. Alex does her last riding lesson next week then it re starts in Feb, same for Toms soccer training. You tend to pay up front for things rather than subs every week.

Ali

[billy braveheart]

Hi

I have 2 boys 13 & 17. The older one works part time but for his age it tends to be staying over at friends houses, going to concerts & generally hanging around each others houses. My 13 year old has just started having friends over (as we only been here 4 months) he has his soccer scholarship in School & has also joined the local football team as well. We also spend a lot of time at the beach at the weekend well its got to be done hasn't it lol & after being at Kings Park last weekend I will be spending some time there with a picnic soooo relaxing. There are alot of clubs, Life savers, cricket, football etc just depends what the kids are interested in. I agree will Gill (Gollywobbler) it is a early to bed early rise country which I still haven't got the hang of but I will get there lol.

Janette

[dekandwends]

thanks for the superb replies folks, it looks to be a pretty full schedule for the young uns, which can only be a good thing.
cheers guys,
catch up with you all soon I hope,
dek.

[Bobcat]

Originally Posted by dekandwends

hi all,
we're relocating to Perth northern suburbs, probably the Tapping area, at the end of January, me,wife and 3 kids aged 11 and 7, and a mutt. i was just wondering if the kids over there go out to play after school and at night, as I've heard from someone over there just now that none of the kids seem to go out and play, they just sit around the house. I suspect that the kids who do this are just doing the exact same as they did back here, not really much of a lifestyle change, eh? I thought there were loads of clubs, organizations, etc for the kids to attend. Am I right ? Any info would be much appreciated.
tara the noo,
dek

Heaps for the kids to do over here........... but they do tend to get bogged down with homework. we moved from Wanneroo to Carramar when we built our new house......... and our first reaction was what the heck have we done........ it wasn't even known as Carramar then......... it was Neerabup and was well and truly out in the bush. Tapping was unheard of then..........so there we were stuck out in the middle of nowhere .......... a poxy unreliable bus service........... miles from anywhere........... no shops.............. and 3 lads to bring up.

It was a struggle then as the lads played for Wanneroo British Soccer club which was miles away............ They had Karate classes to attend.......... and they were in the Army Cadets too.

It's not the same being up here now. Neerabup has become Carramar........... Tapping has sprouted up. Carramar has expanded............ schools are now local and are excellent schools too............... shopping centre is currently under construction......... plus there is now a community centre in our suburb. Plenty for kids to do in the northern suburbs............. and don't forget .............. Carramar/Tapping area is at most 10 minutes from the beach........... then there's our magic golf course on our estate....... plus crazy golf just across Wanneroo Road. Aquamotion is currently getting a revamp so that should be up and running again by the middle of next year........... if not....... Joondalup Arena is only a short drive away.

I think you'll be pretty impressed from a kid's activities perspective up round the Joondalup and surrounding areas.

[dekandwends]

thanks for that mate, just wanna be there yesterday now, especially when it's pitch black and pissin down here. cannae wait.
dek