Johannesburg Kidz Stuff:

A city as big & sprawling as Jo'burg or Jozi has a host of fun things to keep the little ones entertained, educated and enlightened - edu-tained!

Picnic at the Zoo

A great place to start is the Joburg Zoo in Parkview.  It's an old favourite, set in sprawling gardens and a paradise for children with animals of all shapes & sizes to watch and meet.  There are lions, elephants, monkeys, gorillas - and the only polar bears (in Africa).  There's also a farm-yard section for the under 6s with lots of cuddly animals to pick up and hold.  There are spacious green lawns and shady trees, so it's a good place to meet other mothers ... or take a picnic basket and let the children run & play.  It's quite a walk if you want to do the entire area, so perhaps jump on the tractor ferry, or hire a buggy for a couple of hours.  Keep an eye out in the local papers for special events (or visit their website - see link above) for special events & educationals eg Mother's Day concerts, moonlight tours - great opportunity to see noctural beasties doing their stuff. The zoo is open 08h30 - 1730 daily.  Safe parking at the entrance on Upper Park Drive, Saxonwold.

Feed the Ducks

Three local favourite parks where you'll find a host of ducks & geese are Zoo Lake, Emmarentia Dam and Gillooly's Farm.  All offer spacious lawns to play and picnic, cycle & skate and walk the dogs.  Other green spaces in the city include Wemmer Pan, Thokoza Park (Ntuli Street, Moroka), and the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (Malcolm Road, Poortview, Roodepoort) - home to a nesting pair of black eagles!

Exotic bird park

An fascinating outing is at the Montecasino Bird Gardens in Fourways.  There are more than 100 species of birds on display.  There's a huge, walk-through aviary with raised walkways filled with colourful birds, including beautiful scarlet Ibises.  Make sure you're in time for the bird shows (held every morning & afternoon) in the arena where crows, owls, pelicans & vultures entertain the crowds (with the help of their clever trainers) to strains of classical Italian arias (in keeping with Montecasino's Tuscan theme). There's also a very interesting collection of rare & unusual animals, monkeys & snakes, and a dedicated room where you can see colourful reptiles & frogs from the Amazon rain forests and other exotic countries.  Open Tuesdays -Sundays, 8am to 5pm. (Closed Mondays) Tel: 011 511-1864.

Animal petting zoos

If your kids love to touch & stroke cuddly, small animals, there re loads of farmyard animals at Lifestyle Garden Centre (Cnr Beyers Naude and Ysterhout Drive, Randpark Ridge). Open everyday from 8am to 5pm. Tel: 011 792-5616.  Drake's Party Farmyard has cows, bunnies and sheep and have pony rides.  Parents can enjoy tea under thatched lapas: 30 Beacon Avenue (entrance in Reid Road), Linbro Park. Open days are Mondays and Wednesdays when you'll pay R15 per head and get free tea and coffee. Other days are reserved for birthday parties. Phone 011 608 2703.

Animal & Reptile Park Zoo

Book a tour to see monkeys, lions, pumas, wolves, jackals, warthogs and many others. Afterwards, you can relax in the tea garden next door. It's open daily, 10am to 5pm Children under 2 years get in free. Phone Stella on 082 646 8792 to make a booking. Visit the Animal & Reptile Zoo website for more info.

Gold Reef City Theme Park

Arguably the best fun fari rides this side of the Sahara are at Gold Reef City Theme Park.   There are heaps of fun & exciting rides - some really scary ... there's the Anaconda ... the Earthquake Tunnel ... The Tower of Terror ... The Jozi Express ... The Giant Wheel ...The Miner's Revenge ... for the bigger ones.  For under 10s, there's a dedicated fun-fair with a whole bunch of gentler, fun options too: dodge'em cars, carousels, Flintstone cars, etc - all  in a secure area with refreshment stalls.  Kids over 6 can do an underground tour down a mine (was an actual working mine in its day). Gold Reef City is in Ormonde, just off the M1 South freeway. The Gold Reef City Theme Park is open Tuesday - Sunday  (Closed Mondays except during Gauteng School Holidays). Closed on Christmas Day. Open daily: 9.30am to 5pm. Kids under 1,2m get in free.

For rainy days, try some arts and crafts fun. At the Colour Café in Hyde Square in Hyde Park, 011 341-0734, kids can paint fairies, money boxes, mugs and vases. Tea and coffee is available, plus cakes and muffins. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they're open from 10am to 10pm, on other days from 10am to 5pm. Or check out what fun the Paintbox at 44 Stanley Road, Milpark, 011 482-2795, offers: fabric painting, decoupage and ceramic painting, from Tuesdays to Saturdays. There's a kiddies hour from 3-4pm on Fridays, when everything is half-price.

There's a fantasy world of fairies, gnomes and unicorns waiting for them at Unicorn Wish in Sun Valley. Besides the lovely fairy garden, there's a restaurant, and a shop especially for little ones.  Some of the activities include: pony rides, candle making, fabric and bisque painting.  They can enjoy the llamas, camels, and an owl.  It's open 8am to 5pm weekends, and 10am to 5pm weekdays  closed on Wednesdays.Tel: 011 464-2424 or 084 546 4701.

Adventure zone

Rainy weather?  Or just a kid with turbo-charged, manic overdrive energy? Get to the Adventure Zone at  Norwood Shopping Centre, corner 6th and Grant Avenues. Phone 011 483-3833. There's stacks of stuff to keep them busy: from jumping castles, jungle gyms, trampolines, soccer fields to Lego and Chicco toys. It's open 10am to 5.30pm daily.  Kids 3 to 10 years welcome.

Ice skating

Always a great day out - no matter how good/novice they are.  Usually have sessions for boffins to really let loose & then sessions for learners & average skates.  At Northgate Shopping centre - open daily for the Try something more skilful at the Northgate Ice Arena in the Northgate Shopping Centre, entrance 6, Olievenhout and Northumberland avenues, Northriding.  Open daily, 10am to 5pm, and 7.30pm to 10.30pm (Tues nights half price).  Skating lessons & courses available.  Tel: 011 794-8706

Theatre Groups

Johannesburg Youth Theatre in Parktown offers classes, plays and many opportunities to learn about the exciting world of theatre.  Tel: 011 484-1584, Saturday morning classes from 9.30am to 12.00 teach children about music, movement and drama.  There are 4 annual productions and students may be selected to perform in these.

Space Travel

Bring them for a star-gazing session at the Johannesburg Planetarium, 011 717-1392, in Yale Road (near Wits University).  Each Sat at 10h30, there's a space travel show for 4- to 8-year-olds. Other shows are on Fridays (8pm), Saturdays (3pm) and Sundays (4pm). Check out the Planetarium website for details.

Quad bikes

Do they feel a need for speed?  The Daytona Adventure Park near Fourways has quad bikes of all sizes, catering for children from 4 years and up. For older kids there's a guided outride into the bush and across rivers. You can book for birthday parties too. The park is open from 9am till dark. Tel: 011 795-1091 or 072 202 7434

Mini-Johannesburg

Santarama Miniland at Wemmer Pan is a perfect minature of Jo'burg and it's landscape. There are mini trains, jumping castles and fairy boats, plus an indoor play centre. It's open everyday from 9am to 5pm Tel: 011 435-0543.

Hold lion cubs

Visit the 300-hectare Lion Park in Lanseria, north west of Johannesburg.  Often, they have lion cubs and other baby animals like karakul, leopards and hyena which you can hold and play with.  These make wonderful photos! There's a restaurant which is open fom 8.30am to 5pm, 7 days a week. Tel:  011 460-1490.

Paintball mania

One of the latest crazes to hit the kids' scene is paintball, even for under 10s.  Players don protective gear, hire guns and masks, and line up in teams behind barricades to wipe out their opponents by shooting marble-sized paint pellets at them.  Try: Paintball City is on Main Reef Road,  Germiston. Tel:  011 828-7583 and River Raiders near Fourways: Tel: Roy on 082 447 1554

Water Park

Open on weekends for most of the year, plus every day during school holidays is Wild Waters in Boksburg with 7 different water slides, pools and picnic areas.   Open 10am to 5pm, under 6's get in for free, and can splash about in a baby pool.  Tel:  011 826-6736.

Sci Bono Discovery Centre

Science doesn't always have to be about chemicals and formulas worked out in stuffy classrooms. It can be a truly exciting learning experience at Newtown's Sci Bono Discovery Centre. For more info,l 011 832 3363 

Info courtesy of Johannesburg News Agency

Another excellent resource for kids is the website :  Jozi Kids

It was started by a mum frustrated with trying to find out what to do and what's available for kids in a huge and often confusing city. Merle Dieterich has created this excellent site that is bound to answer most of these questions ... and give you even more to think about.

It's user-friendly, has a great directory and event calendar.

Give it a go!