School holiday idea – Skating in the City review

Ice skating penguin-insurance!

Part of the fun of having kids is the chance to revisit childhood activities when the kids eventually grow old enough to actually do fun stuff – bring on the ice skating!

Open-air winter ice skating rinks bring the fun family sport of ice skating right to you. Head on in to the Canberra city centre of Civic, and you can go shopping or skating – or both!

Out door ice rinks look so pretty all lit up, so idyllic, so magical, so…..cold! As soon as the kids saw it, they started yelling, “let’s go mum!”, so we thought we’d give it a test-run – and what fun we had!

This school holidays activity can work out to be a nice little hour of fun for those bored, “entertain-me” ankle biters.

 …it helps to think of Penguins as a kind of insurance policy…

You can even hire a sliding penguin for those less-than-steady beginners (and yes, I do mean me as well as my 6 year old!). They cost an extra $7, however it helps to think of Penguins as a kind of insurance policy – they help protect against spending the entire hour flat on your back and soaked to the skin whilst trying to regain your slippery, slippery ice-skate-shod feet (and pride).

Us (upright) having fun at Skate in the City – be sure to rug-up for warmth!

As mentioned, sessions are an hour long, however when you and your youngest are less than adept on the ice, and you spend most of the time trying to break their fall and then haul them back up off the ice, all whilst trying to save yourself – so actually, an hour is plenty long-enough!

Luckily, Brooke my eight year old had reached the age of ice-skating independence, and whizzed around, laughing off the odd crash whilst viewing her clumsy mother and younger sister with – was that embarrassment? Surely not!

For some, balance comes naturally (I have to work at it!)

Grab some of the kids best friends and get out on the ice – even if you don’t cope well with the cold (and Canberra is cold right now!), then it’s still worth it, if only for the well-deserved hot chocolate you can snuffle into at a nearby café afterwards. After all, it’s absolutely fine to ingest a thousand calories if that treat falls into the “traditional” category. Have fun!

Canberra Skate in the City important info and tips

Tickets: are priced at $17 per adult, $15 concession and $15 per child – under 5yrs are free.
Tickets cost more if an ice show is scheduled
Located: in Garema Place, Civic, Canberra City
Parking: Don’t forget that city parking will cost you extra. The Canberra Centre shopping mall is closest.
Check session times and it’s advisable to pre-purchase tickets/book penguins online, particularly during the busy July school holiday period. Go to the Skate in the City website here
There is themed night skating on Friday and Saturday nights for the teens and romantics!
Skate in the City is open until July 20th 2014
Tip – Don’t forget the kids long thick socks, gloves and beanies (as the kids shed them, you get to wear them too!)

Canberra Skate in the City ice rink getting a quick clean-up between sessions