Last winter, my family stumbled upon an outdoor production at Wollongong Botanic Gardens that was loosely based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. For copyright and royalties reasons, Harry Potter was turned to “Harry Hotter” and Hogwarts turned to “Mugworts” etc with all the cross-referencing adding an extra layer of fun for the genuine Harry Potter enthusiasts.
The outdoor setting came in handy for Mister 3 as we had the nature to distract and calm him down with every time he felt restless. Whilst this meant having to stay at the edge of the picnic blanket provided so as not to distract other families, picking grass blades, lying down to look at the clouds, and watching birds were a much more welcome relief compared to our sometimes “leaving-the-show-and-mummy-getting-cranky-because-we-missed-everything” routine when watching shows indoors. Our chats and giggles with the kids mingled with other families, ironically muted by the open space. Our $40 family ticket to the show included entry to all the craft activities and the treasure hunt that followed.
With end-of-year school holidays fast approaching, click here to find your nearest botanic gardens and to check details of outdoor productions available. All the world’s a stage. Literally.
“I liked the show because they were telling the story and they dressed up and they had lots of feelings in their voices. And they have different stuff to do. That was cool. And the big tree was singing which wasn’t really true but I used my imagination to make it come true. It was more fun than TV.”
Miss 5, Outdoor Enthusiast
