While this may go against everything we are as a children’s retailer, as parents we need to say it…
Kid’s don’t always need toys.
Having said that, we fervently believe that our little ones need good quality, educational and fun toys to for their mental, physical and social development because that’s how they learn – through play, experimentation, interaction and engagement.
“Play is the highest form of research.”
- Albert Einstein
But as children get older, the need for “toys” diminishes. They no longer need accessories to bolster their development because they move from learning by doing to learning by being.
Which is great because once they get to a certain age, our houses are already full of stuff and so the less things we need to buy as parents, the better.
But it begs the question, “What do we get them for birthdays and Christmas?”
I’m glad you asked.
Experiences.
Things to do, places to go, socialising to be done, the world to explore.
But not all experiences are created equal. As our kids have gotten older and we’ve looked for things to do with them, we’ve had all the typical ideas like the zoo, the water park, the dinosaur place and the like. The problem is, we’ve done them all before.
When it comes to big events like birthdays, we are now at a stage (with an 8 and 10 year-old) that we want unforgettable experiences that will create life-long memories. Things that are amazing. Things that you might only do once or twice in your life.
But what?
That’s the puzzle that faced us recently with the looming birthday of Miss 8.
So we thought. And thought. And thought some more.
Then we started thinking about all the amazing experiences we’ve had and our favourite stories to tell the kids about our life before them and BOOM, it hit us.
Hot air ballooning.
I have been lucky enough to do it twice in my life (once in the city and once over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt) and it was bloody amazing. Why not give my kids the same experience?
So we got in touch with the folks at Global Ballooning Australia and organised a trip for the family over the Yarra Valley. If you follow us on social, you probably saw our Instagram/Facebook stories. It was an early start but a grand adventure.
I don’t want to give too much away because part of the magic of an experience is trying something new and unknown but take a look at this photo slideshow.
And remember, photos NEVER capture the true magnificence of things.
Finally, because Global Ballooning Australia are awesome local people, AND you’ve read this whole article, they are giving our customers a great deal to teach their kids that the sky is no longer the limit…
If you want to give your kids the memory of a lifetime, head to the Global Ballooning website and when you book a flight (or purchase a Gift Card), use the code HFK20 for a huge 20% Off!
HAVE FUN!