Book Review: 101 Things to Do on the Holidays

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The holidays are coming, and the cries of ‘I’m boooooored’ might be more than you can handle for those long weeks. And once that call starts, it’s hard to get rid of.

Enter Anna O’Donnell and Tessa Wilson who, at the ages of twelve and thirteen respectively, have written a book to help kids combat holiday boredom. And it’s brilliant.

This pair was so bored on their holidays, struggling to fill in the time at home and sure of going stir-crazy, that they knew they had to come up with a plan. What could they possibly do? Well, that one question sparked a two-hour brainstorming session, which in turn resulted in a list of 100 possibilities. All they had to do then was spend the rest of the holidays ticking things off their list.

Let’s take a look…

First up – inventions. You could make up a new language, design a t-shirt or create a new hairstyle. Next – missions. How about staying up til 2a.m. or listening to 100 different songs in a day or writing to the Prime Minister? Then – experiments (this could get messy). Try making slime, eating breakfast for dinner or planting a seed. Next up – games, with cricket, water bomb war and treasure hunts on the list. Finally – creations. Give a time capsule, a movie, writing a song, or puppet-making a go.

There are lots, lots more ideas to be found inside the book, and I wonder if you can guess what the 101^st thing could be?

This is not just a book of ideas; it is a veritable treasure trove that will remove the call of ‘Muuuuum, I’m booooored’ from your life. All holidays long. The ideas are all fun, safe and cover a range of interests, with many of them able to be tailored to suit boys and girls who love doing different things. But they’re not too safe, either, with enough ideas to spark imaginations and make the younger members of the family feel incredibly adventurous and wild.

All they need do, before the first signs of boredom appear, is flick open the book and run with an idea. They may choose to do them all in order, or make more random selections that hold their interest on a particular day – either way, they will have a ball.

And there is not a computer game or television in sight.

The book also allows for some interaction, with space for ideas to be written and drawings to be jotted, making this one useful guide to holiday fun.

Every child must have a copy of this book. Quick – grab it before they can even think the dreaded ‘B’ word!

Title: 101 Things to do on the Holidays
Author: Anna O’Donnell and Tessa Wilson
Category: Non-fiction
Publisher: Hardie Grant
ISBN: 9781742700106
RRP: $14.95
Publication Date: December 2010