Gruelling stuff eating satchel. Rather him than me!

The Maritime Museum in Birgu is holding a ‘Life at Sea’ themed event all day this Sunday, 31 January. This is definitely one for the kids on what looks like being a showery weekend.

If my seven-year-old is anything to go by, a lot of children in Malta are fascinated by the islands’ maritime history especially the legends of Babary pirates and Corsairs. Not to mention the galleons of the Knights, who washed up here after floating around homeless in the Mediterranean for a few years. Then there are Lord Nelson and the British Navy’s Mediterranean fleet, which was to go on to use Malta as a strategic naval base for almost two centuries. Trade, piracy and war dominate throughout the centuries – and the latter two tend to grab kids’ attention.

The day covers the 16th – 19th centuries, so the colourful eras when life at sea was hardship, weevils, stew made from cooked leather satchels and two or more to a very small bunk. Apparently, the day is focusing on ‘food and beverages consumed at the time’, but let’s hope we don’t get the Real McCoy served up!

The Museum
I’ve always felt the Maritime Museum in Birgu to be one of the best suited to adult and kids’ excursion. Located in the old British naval bakery and right by the creeks and docks of Grand Habour, it is a wonderful location to visit in itself.

The museum’s vast, well-laid out collection ranges over three floors. It takes you from the time of the Phoenicians to the end of the British naval bases in Malta. Its permanent collection doesn’t have hands-on kids’ activities as such, but it does have a lot to feast your eyes on – amazing model boats, a mock-up of a typical, harbour-side bar that British sailors would have used, uniforms, memorabilia, letters from kings, queens and Admirals, medals and a huge engine room devoted to the Anadrian, a steam-driven grab dredger built in 1951 for Malta by a Glaswegian firm. If visiting kids are reading age, then they’ll enjoy deciphering scrawled handwriting of official letters and documents, and peering at fading photos.

The Life at Sea Event includes:
Firing of cannon and muskets, and military drills.
The opportunity to eat typical Maltese food associated with life at sea and cooked as documented in recipes at the time.
Screening of footage of underwater wrecks
The chance to chat with Malta’s Maritime Squadron
Restoration in action – seeing maintenance works on an old boat.
Boat-model building demonstrations
Face painting so children to look like Corsairs!

Info:
Date: Sunday 31st January
Venue: Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa
Time: 09.00am and 5.00pm.
Tickets can be bought on site at the price of €5.00 for adults, €3.00 for senior citizens and students. The reduced rate of €2.00 applies for Heritage Malta members, AFM employees, members of The Friends of the Maritime Museum and Dockyard workers. Entrance will be free for children under 16.

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Behind the mask of madness lies a heap of history.

Carnival is on the horizon. If you’ve children, carnival seems to happen almost back to back with Christmas and New Year as kids always leap at the next chance to have a holiday. So, with around three weeks to go, I am being told of local shops with costumes for hire and pestered about hiring one now, should the best be gone by the time I bother.

Carnival’s history in Malta is well documented here. It was a key festivity in the religious calendar in Malta under the Knights of St John. While encouraged at first, its growing licentiousness, rowdiness, brawls and wild festivities in general made some Grand Masters curtail and even censure it in various periods.

Certainly, it has included elements that might make today’s kids pale as they make their annual and harmless trek mid-term to Valletta to see the floats in their ‘grand défilé, with the King Carnival pride of place. You’ll find the 2010 Carnival Programme (12-16 Feb) here. Carnival is centred on Valletta, where the city gate was demolished in the late 1950s, as urban legend has it, to build one high and wide enough for floats to pass through!

Some aspects of the darker sides of carnival’s history – the macabre, lewd and grotesque – live on. The Nadur carnival in Gozo, is one of the only surviving spontaneous (rather than totally organised) carnivals today, and definitely includes some blacker moments, though probably none as vicious as those in the times of the Knights. Last year’s did see some of the revellers, who had dressed as nuns and one as Jesus, hauled up in the courts for violating a ban on villifying the Catholic Religion. The case spawned a Facebook group calling on lots of people to go to the Nadur carnival this year dressed as Jesus.

If you do delve into the history of Malta’s carnival though, you’ll find the debate about its returning to its roots (whatever they really were) has come up time and again over the centuries. No single era seems to have harnessed carnival and avoided its propensity to surprise, defy, and live on!

For children though, carnival is an annual and predictable event. It’s a time to not wear school uniform, and to eat a gooey mound of prinjolata (a carnival-time cake of sponge, cream, citrus peel, glace fruits, biscuits and more calorific things) and to enjoy the organised processions in Valletta.

Photo: Courtesy of Valletta Suites

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Malta's Xmas Pantos: aimed at kids, but with adults in mind!

Today, most schools have broken up for the Christmas holidays.  Staff parties start to ripple concertina-like over the island.  What’s left of manufacturing companies and many offices prepare for the ‘Christmas shut down’.  Perfectly-bland people drink too much and pour their lives out to strangers.  It happens all over the world, even here.

Ask anyone with kids in tow, and the vast majority have tickets for the Christmas pantomine.  Or pantomines, as since last year, we now have two companies rolling out boys in frocks, girls with swashbuckling swords and lewd dames.  MADC has taken up residence at the MFCC with ‘Peter Panto‘ and Masquerade is at the Manoel with ‘Aladdin‘.  Both pantomines kick off today and stay in production till the first week of January 2010.

Pantomines have a rich tradition in Malta, with the MADC panto going strong for over 30 years.  The British legacy has gradually been superseded by a very Maltese version of the genre.  At face value, the pantomime ticks all the traditional check boxes of English language, story-line, sing-alongs, dames, dancing, cross-dressing and overall family fun.  But since the early eighties, the original script has been aimed at a local audience, and no opportunity is wasted to rib politicians, media personalities and society people, and most subjects are fair game (with the possible exception of the Church).

Things to look out for:

Audience Participation. People do get pulled on stage for ritual abuse, and get rewarded with a gift or two.  Some parents see this as an opportunity to propel their offspring to the local version of Hollywood fame.  If you don’t want to get roped in, avoid sitting by the aisle, as you’re then easy prey for a beady-eyed Dame.

Flying Sweets. Have a stock with you in case you’re accompanied by a young child who gets upset if the Dame does not throw some candy in his or her direction.

Length.  Prepare for a marathon session.  Last year’s MADC version ran for over four hours – far too long for most children’s attention span.

Foul-mouthed Dames.  The most legendary one in recent years is Alan Montanaro (this year playing Hook in the ‘Peter Panto’).  You need to understand a smattering of Maltese to get the full-gist of many of the ‘double-entendres.’  It can get a bit saucy, so be warned if you have your prudish Aunt in tow.

Peter Panto plays at the MFCC at Ta’ Qali from the 18th December 2009 to the 3rd January 2010.  All shows start at 8.00 pm, with matinees on Saturday 26th December and Sunday 3rd January at 3.00 pm. There are no performances on the 24th, 25th and 31st December and the 1st January. Ticket prices start at Euro 10, with discounts for kids aged 10 and under. Click here to book online or call 79796232.

Aladdin plays at the Manoel Theatre from the 18th December 2009 to the 6th January 2010.  All shows start at 7.30pm, except for Saturdays and Sundays, with matinees at 3pm and evening shows at 8.00pm.  There are no performances on the 24th, 25th and 31st December and the 1st January.  Check the Manoel Theatre site for ticket prices and availability.

More ideas for amusing the kid inside you over the Christmas period on this page.

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A living crib at the 'Bethlehem of Ghajnsielem', Gozo

We list the Christmassy things to do on the Maltese Islands this festive season. We all know (and usually love) the regular pantomimes that run throughout the holiday weeks, but there’s a host of other seasonal things to do. We’ve the overtly religious and the less religious, but fun and festive – ranging from the magical carol concert in St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, to fun events like theatre for the kids.

So, scroll on down the long list, and take your pick from the bunch. See also our What’s On for a whole lot more…

Cribs & Nativity

Christmas Village at Ghajnsielem, Gozo
6 December – 9 January 2010
Details: Bethlehem in Ghajnsielem website
Ghajnsielem Local Council has come up with a new and unique attraction this year – a Nativity Village which is set up just off the town’s main square. It includes an animated crib as well as a mock-up village with a carpenter, blacksmith’s, bakery, a market selling natural fruits, fresh fish and vegetables, a tavern, a local crafts area and a stable hosting the animals. For more information contact Ghajnsielem Local Council
Email: info@ghajnsielem.com

Christmas at the Inquisitor’s Palace
Friday 11th December at 19.00 hrs.
Heritage Malta is organising a Christmas-themed ‘experience’ at the Inquisitors Palace, Vittoriosa. The event includes a tour of the miniature cribs on permanent display, and a crib and pasturi (figurine) making session and a themed supper. Ideal for all the family.
Tickets from the Inquisitors Palace, The National Museum of Fine Arts the Domvs Romana and the Museum of Archaeology in Gozo. For details, contact Judy Camilleri on 22954312.

Christmas Cribs Exhibition, Auberge d’Italie, Valletta,
19 December 2009 – 6 January, 2010
The Tourism Secretariat and the Malta Tourism Authority join forces with the Ghaqda Hbieb tal-Presepju, (Malta), to put on a Christmas Cribs exhibition inside the premises of the Secretariat at the Auberge D’Italie.
25 cribs on display together with two impressive floral decorations and numerous paintings and ceramic and displays. One particular crib features Herod’s temple.
Times: open daily from with the exception of 25 December, 1 January and Sundays. 09:00 to 18.00hrs, Monday to Friday; and 09:30 – 12:30 on Saturdays. Entrance is free.
Details: and to find out about Malta’s crib traditions visit: www.presepjumalta.org.

Carol Concerts, Church Mass & Music

St George’s Square XMAS Events, Valletta, 10 December, from 17.00.
17:00 – Concert by Tenor Aldo Busuttil and the University Junior College Orchestra
18:30 – March by the National Philharmonic Society La Valette and the King’s Own Band Club
19:30 – Musical concert by the Valletta Band Clubs
Note: St George’s Square has events on other days in December: 11, 12, 16, 18,19, 20, 21 (Malta Police Band Xmas concert, 21st & 24th), 22 (Malta Armed Forces Xmas Concert).

‘Musical Tidings’, choral concert by The New Choral Singers
St Francis Church, Valletta
12 December, 20.00
Details: www.thenewchoralsingers.com
The programme includes traditional carols from medieval times and the renaissance through to contemporary works. Audience participation for some popular numbers!
Entrance: Free but a collection will be held in aid of Caritas Malta.
Email: info@thenewchoralsingers.com

Mass for School Children at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta
16 December, 11.30
See Cathedral website for details.

Ceremony of Carols at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta
17 December, 19.30 – 22.30
A Ceremony of Carols is The Amadeus Chamber Choir’s 19th edition of ‘A Prelude to Christmas’. It comprises a selection of traditional Christmas carols, featuring compositions by Benjamin Britten which the 30-strong choir sing to the accompaniment of a chamber orchestra. All proceeds will be in aid of Puttinu Cares.
Entrance: Invitations may be acquired against a donation of €5 per person.
Invitations available at: Lotto Office Kiosk, Valletta (opposite BOV in Republic Street) – mob. 7920 0118
Marlow’s Stationery, Triq il-Qasam Swieqi – mob. 9989 0931, tel. 2137 1210, or
Email: theamadeuschoir@gmail.com

A Christmas Celebration, St Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina Cathedral, Mdina.
18 December, 19.30 – 21.00.
The St Monica Choir will be teaming with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra once again for a concert that’s billed as ‘a perfect introduction to the festive season’. The event will be held under the patronage of H.E. Dr George Abela and Mrs Abela to raise funds for the Community Chest Fund. Conductor: Michael Laus.

Carol Concerts & Christmas Mass: St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral (Anglican), Valletta, and other Anglican churches in Malta.
Various concerts and services in the run-up to Christmas. For details, see: www.anglicanmalta.org
11 December: Arlene Barlow’s Christmas Concert 19.30 pm
16 December: Ecumenical Carol Service – Fontana Parish Church Gozo
20 December: Nine Lessons & Carols – Pro Cathedral, Valletta 18.00
21 December: Nine Lessons & Carols – Holy Trinity Church, Sliema 18.30
23 December: Eucharist, Lessons and Carols – Seminary Gozo 11.00
24 December: Midnight Mass – St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral 23.30
24 December: Midnight Mass – Holy Trinity 23.30
Christmas Day Service – Holy Trinity 10.00
Christmas Day Service – St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral 11.00

Enkor Gospel Choir, St James’ Church, Merchants Street, Valletta
19 December, 13.30

Vocal & Harp Reciptal, St Barbara Church, Valletta
23 December, 11.00

Special Outdoor Events

St George’s Square XMAS Events, Valletta, 8 December
Parades, face-painting, brass bands, concerts and more, at this public holiday event in the capital. Starts at 11.00 with the Scout and Guide parade and goes on into the evening with a gospel choir at 8pm.

Kids

Pantomine (in Maltese): Robin ‘inn’ Cruise Ohhhhh!,
St. Mary’s Church – Gudja
5, 6, 7 & 8 December. 19.30 – 20.00.
Tickets: tel: 7920 3805
Another rip-roaring panto by the Gudja Youth Group. Robin ‘ZINN’ Cruise Ohhhhh! promises to be in the full panto spirit of song, dance and wacky costumes. Good all-round family entertainment.

The Children’s Magical Christmas
8 December, by drama group Curtain Raiser at Buskett Roadhouse, Buskett Gardens, 10.00 – 20.00
All day long Christmas activities for children with five different interactive shows, as well as bouncy Castles, christmas treasure hunt with Captain Hook, face painting, children’s Christmas disco, Christmas food stalls, Christmas characters such as gingerbread man, snowman, Father Christmas, elves and more …
Details: tel: 2189-5072 / 7991-8857 or email: info@curtainraiser.org> or see www.curtainraiser.org.

Fantasy Circus
10 December – 3 January, 2010, venue: Blata l-Bajda (approach to Valletta)
Ticket hotlines: 99999964/ 71494106/ 99515042
Price: Adults €10; Children €5

Downtown Fairytown, a musical Christmas bash for children aged 3-7 at St James Cavalier, Valletta.
19 December – 10 January
Talking houses, aliens visiting at Christmas time, fairies preparing for their Christmas show, a nasty Witch ready to spoil all the fun, a robot who wants to know all about Christmas, and much more!
Monday – Wednesday shows at 6pm
Thursday: No shows
Saturday – Sunday shows at 2pm and 6pm

Santa’s Kingdom, Splash & Fun Grounds
18 December – 3 January, 2010. 18.00 – 23.55.
See: www.splashandfun.com.mt or call: 21 374286.
Billed as two weeks of magic, music and merriment. Visit the Enchanted Forest and walk through Santa’s House. Meet Santa, Mrs Claus and those mischievous little elves. A Fairytale come to life. Plus crib, animated figures and the Christmas story relived.

Aladdin, The Pantomine, Manoel Theatre, Valletta
18 December 2009 – 6 January, 20.00hrs.
Details & Tickets see: Manoel Theatre website
Masquerade presents a traditional pantomime at the Manoel Theatre. New ideas may be, but set in a traditional context, with a well-written and locally-based script. A must for pantomime lovers.
Performance dates: Mon – Fri at 7.30pm; Sat & Sun 3pm & 8pm; and from Saturday 2nd January 2010 to Wednesday 6th January 2010:
Time: Mon – Fri at 7.30pm; Sat & Sun 3pm & 8pm.

Peter Panto at MFCC, Ta’ Qali
18 December 2009 – 3 January 2010.
Runs: 20.00 to 23.00 hrs.
Details, see: Malta Amateur Dramatic Company website.
The MADC presents a fresh take on the classic tale of Peter Pan with a script written by Nanette Brimmer and directed by Alan Montanaro, who is also playing Captain Hook. The MADC has secured the services of Nick Kirkby, whose great-grandfather took care of the flying for J.M. Barrie in the original production of ‘Peter Pan’!
Tickets start from Euro 10. Children’s tickets are discounted and are valid for children aged 10 and under. Booking is open at www.madc.biz or tel. no: 7979MADC (6232).

Photo: courtesy of Bethlehem of Ghajnsielem

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Kids are always curious; this weekend doors of some museums open specially for them

So often, among fellow mothers at the school gate, I hear moans that Malta’s museums lag way behind other EU countries – Scandinavia and Britain in particular – when it comes to activities for kids. My son spent an entire afternoon on a mock-up ‘archaeological dig’ at an Iron Age hill fort in southern England last summer. And had a ball dressed up as a Roman Gladiator at an open day – with ‘live’ gladiatorial fights – at a Roman Villa museum also in the UK. I did of course pay for what I got, as family entrance tickets weren’t that cheap!

In Malta, few and far between are the museums and heritage sites that have even the simplest of hands-on activities or questionnaires for kids to fill in as they go round a site or collection. Palazzo Falson in Mdina is an exception, but (given the type of collection it houses) kids have to be six to enter. So, a lot of families miss this fine building as they have kids of differing ages. We parents in Malta, have got very good at inventing our own games as we tour local sights and museums. No harm in that. But perhaps, occasionally, tired parents would love some sort of info or activities to help us interpret the heritage that bit better!

To be fair, heritage sites have done more in recent years, and are thinking more pro-actively about their younger ‘customers’. Arts’ venues like St James Cavalier lead the way with busy programmes for children. City festivals, like those at Mdina and Birgu, are always popular with kids. And this weekend is also a case in point; it’s World Children’s Day on Sunday 22 November, and to celebrate it, Heritage Malta, the country’s national heritage agency, is opening the doors of several Valletta museums for kids’ events. Taking part are the National Museum of Archaeology, the Grand Masters Palace and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta. Participant numbers are limited: for details, see below.

Malta Children’s Festival also runs this month and into next, with events and activities ranging from theatre (performance and workshops) to crafts, science, technology, film, theatre, dance, music, sports, history and traditions. Saturdays in the programme see workshops in Valletta’s heritages sites – the Old Opera House, for instance.

The month, running up to 6 December, is being organised by the Education and Culture Ministry to celebrate 2009 as the European Year of Creativity & Innovation. This first Malta Children’s Festival is aimed at “helping children connect to the arts and culture in an inspiring, entertaining and impressive manner”. Long may those aims live! Contact: tel: 79001551; website: www.childrensfestivalmalta.com

Heritage Malta kids’ programme: 22 November

Grand Masters Palace: two activities – a guided tour and a drawing session – at 10.00 hrs and at 14.00 hrs.
National Museum of Archaeology: a Memory Game and a Mystery Object Game at 13.00 hrs and 14.00 hrs respectively.
National Museum of Fine Arts: From 10.00hrs onwards, children will be able to participate in a treasure hunt in the museum and at 11.00 hrs there will be a guided tour.

How to Participate & Book:
Children under 12 years of age can participate in all the events free of charge, but booking is necessary. According to Heritage Malta, it’s now too late to officially book as the offices aren’t open to take calls tomorrow Saturday. But, they did say it might be worth turning up early at the museum you’re interested in, and seeing if they have a space. All adults visiting the three sites between 10.00hrs and 15.00 hrs will be pay half the usual price. The contact numbers given are: email:icmch@heritagemalta.org or phone: 23954239 or 23954242. See also Heritage Malta for museum opening times on Sunday.

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Mdina, always captures the imagination of little ones

For me, the ideal ingredients for a good outing with under 5’s (and even older kids, come to think of it) are:

• space to run around
• not too much to see or do – avoid over-tiredness at all costs!
• toilets – preferably clean and with loo paper
• snacks/drinks/food for sale – preferably some healthy options
• easy parking or transport options.
• something to keep the adult/s amused – including decent coffee

One place that fits the bill right now in winter, and for that matter is pleasantly cool enough to still enjoy in peak summer, is the medieval walled city, Mdina. In winter, it’s far less crowded so kids can run around that bit more without getting lost in passing tourist groups! In summer, it provides welcome relief from the beach, a good dose of history, fantasy and culture. Mdina, at any time of year, has something age-appropriate to offer most kids 0-15. And adults can relax knowing that attractions are all a few steps away from each other – the whole outing is in a contained, historic, pedestrianised space.

Mdina

The walled city is virtually car-free (but do watch out for the odd car or horse-drawn carriage careering round a corner), so is ideal to explore with kids and pretend you are stepping back in time.

The Mdina Cathedral Museum
Well worth a visit, or three. The exhibits are eclectic, there’s not much in reach that is breakable, and all of it in a large building which is fairly sound-proof. In common with all Maltese museums, there isn’t much “Hands on” or “Interactivity”, so you have to ad-lib a bit “Wow look at that carriage – you remember when the Emperor went out with no clothes on? Well he would have been in a carriage like that”. You get the gist. The tickets to the museum also give entrance to the Cathedral, where the biggest attraction for kids are the multi-coloured inlaid tombstones in the floor – many of which include comic-looking skeletons leaning against trees. You will need to keep the volume down a bit inside the Cathedral though.

Mdina Cathedral Museum
Archbishop Square, Mdina
Tel: ( 356) 21454697
Open: 09:00-16:30 Mon – Fri. Closed: Sundays and Public Holidays
Tickets: adults €2.33

The Natural History Museum
This vast building has idiosyncratic displays, including those of some 3,500 birds, and is usually devoid of visitors. So between the ‘Ooooh! Look at that stuffed albino hedgehog’ the kids can roam around and make lots of noise. One of the best sections is the mock-up of various local habitats of Maltese bird and small mammals; they show how common birds nest in walls, farmer’s outhouses and so on. Outside, in the large courtyard there is a little gift shop and a stuffed cow – not any old cow, but the last pure-blood of the now extinct Maltese breed. No cafe here or at the Cathedral Museum, so wander off to the Trattoria at the Xara Palace Hotel round the corner – great ice creams, good menu (massive servings), tolerant staff and if you sit outside the kids can roam around the courtyard. But accompany them to the loo – there is an open trap door en-route…

National Museum of Natural History
Vilhena Palace, St Publius Square, Mdina
Tel: (356) 21455951
Adults (18 – 59 years):€6
Students (12 – 17 years), Senior Citizens (60 years and over), ISIC Card Holders, EURO<26 Card Holders, ISE Card Holders and ICOM Card Holders: €4.50
Children (6 -11 years): €3.00
Infants (1 -5 years): Free
Open: Monday to Sunday: 9.00-17.00. Last admission: 16.30
Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday

The Carmelite Priory
Relatively newly-opened as an attraction, the priory has a good, but pricey, coffee shop, treat them to the excellent hot chocolate and then herd the progeny into the courtyard where they can jump up and down. If you want to pay the entrance fee, the rooms inside are worth seeing, and will hold the interest of most kids for half an hour or so. The priory had its first taste of kids big time when it offered an activity programme at half term.

Elsewhere in Mdina
There are several audio-visual displays and walk-through tableaux attractions, such as the Mdina Experience, or the Mdina Dungeons, but my kids tend to get scared just looking at the door, so I am waiting a few years before paying for entrance.

Just outside the main entrance is an old but fit-for-purpose playground. Beautiful views, bad coffee and OK snacks at the kiosk at one end, better food and even better views from the cafe at the other end.

When the kids have had enough of the swings, cross the road to Howard Gardens just outside Mdina’s walls. If it’s not raining, consider a ‘Horsey Carriage Ride‘(Karrozin), a bit pricey as it can cost around €30 for an hour, but is fun as a one off. Alternatively, keep walking through Howard Gardens (clean toilets on your left, but watch out for climbable railings and a vertical drop on your right) towards the Roman Villa. There you will find Peprina, the trackless ‘train’, replete with clear blinds if it’s raining, which winds around Rabat and Mtarfa (adjacent towns to Mdina), leaving on the hour (10.00-16.00 in winter; and 10.00-20.00 in summer).

Photo: Amanda Holmes

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Kids' schooling is at the centre of any expat family's decision to move to Malta

If you are planning to move to Malta and uproot with your family, it’s a life changing event, not only for you but for your young budding Einsteins. You may be able to take it in your stride, but your kids – if they’re over the age of five – will probably have an opinion about your plans and so may not be in agreement with them.

I remember so clearly the day we all sat around the kitchen table in the UK to discuss our move to Malta. The news was met with, “Where’s Malta?” and then floods of tears. Our eldest child aged 10 at that time found the news the most devastating having had a best friend from day one reception with whom he was inseparable.

English and Friendly
The first visit to a new school can be pretty daunting for any child, but for those that are on the shy side it can be more difficult. As English is the language of choice in the playground, and of teaching in most of Malta’s private sector schools, it makes it much easier for an English-speaking child to settle.

On the first day of school the Maltese children were particularly welcoming, all saying “Hello” without being prompted by the teacher and appearing genuinely interested and pleased to meet a new member of the class. The Maltese children, as well as being friendly, appear to have a strong sense of self worth and are particularly confident, a real positive attribute that I have begun to notice in my children.

How does the curriculum compare?
Our concerns about the quality of the curriculum in comparison to the UK were settled quite quickly as our eldest child was using exactly the same text books in maths and it seemed very similar in other subjects. The examination process at IGCSE levels also appears comparable to the UK, which is great if you are only here for a few years and your child is at that important age.

Homework
The homework workload during term time is particularly high. The senior school children have between one to two hours of homework every evening, this does take sometime to get used to, however, on the flip side 12 weeks holiday in the summer goes some way to compensate for it. Homework is taken extremely seriously at school and therefore is always completed in our home!

Maltese and Religion
Maltese and religion are not compulsory subjects for non-nationals, and you can decide whether you would like your child to participate. If not, then there’s some time to study or read in the library for the senior school and, in our case, a course of media studies for younger children.

Life now they’ve settled in
We have now been in Malta for 18 months and have all settled down to Maltese life. Although I know my children would never have chosen to come to live in Malta, I feel that they have grown through the experience. They have both Maltese and expat friends and have formed some strong friendships. They have friends for tea and sleepovers as we did in the past and masses of affordable after-school activities. I am sure they will find it more difficult, than they expect, when the time comes for us to return to the UK.

Photo: Leslie Vella

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Now, what to do with the little tigers this mid term?

Next week, Malta’s school kids have three days off for mid term. It’s barely a month since they went back to school after the endlessly long summer holiday, so thankfully mid term is short.

I had no idea until around a week ago that things are organised in Malta to occupy the little dears for the mere three days. So, if like me, the usual outings – beach (weather permitting) or Playmobil Funpark don’t appeal (horrendously crowded and been there, done that lots of times), you’ll be relieved to hear that there is something intelligent, fun and creative for kids to do. And some new venues and activities are coming on stream, which, word has it, are proving popular. They might be booked up for this mid term, but get on the mailing lists for the future!

Two that stand out are: the workshops at St James’ Cavalier, Centre for Creativity, Valletta; and the music and art sessions at the Carmelite Priory Museum, Mdina. And for something authentically seasonal, the Manikata Pumpkin Fair should be a nice diversion for kids Sunday 1 November, from 10.30. See our article on pumpkins too.

St James Cavalier

The Centre has been running a programme of Family Sunday afternoon sessions in the creative arts. I went to Halloween mask and model making last week, for instance. Now, the Centre is running on 2 & 3 November, a creative workshop for 4-7 yr-olds, from 09.30 – 12.30. Price per child, Euro 15, and booking by Friday 30 latest!

Older children (9-12 yrs olds) are catered for with a performance workshop animated by Austrian artist Luise Kloos who has been working with children, their fantasies and stories for several years. Children will be encouraged to form, perform, invent and move. Sessions are free, but on a first-come-first-served basis for 25 places. For this, and the younger kids’ workshops, contact: Amanda Palmier on (+356) 2122 3216 or email schoolsprogrammes@sjav.org.

The Carmelite Priory Museum

A newcomer this year as a cultural venue and a real gem of a place to visit any time, the Priory in Mdina is opening its doors to children for mid term workshops in music and art. Sessions are 2 & 3 November; choose from morning or afternoon. The Music Workshop will be held in the Oratory under the direction of Christine Gauci; in it, children will work on melody, rhythm and other related activities. The Visual Art workshop will be held in what’s described as “the peaceful surroundings of the Cloister” (peaceful, with kids?) under the direction of Maxine Claire Attard. All materials are provided.

What I really like about the Priory’s sessions is that “accompanying adults are invited to relax in the Old Priory Café or attend a Lectio Divina which will be conducted by a Carmelite Friar.” Now, call me elitist, but that seems a dream compared to many a mid-term venue I’ve had to suffer. Children and adults also get a tour of the museum by curator Michelle Galea.

Workshops are Euro 6.75 a child (including light refreshments) and are not suitable for the under fives. Booking is recommended since attendance is limited to 20 children per session. Places are still available as we go to press. Phone on 27020404 or email: carmelitepriorymuseum@gmail.com.

Photo: Anne Muscat Scerri

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Malta's schools start back after summer - finally!

For most of Malta’s kids, today marks the autumn return to school and routine. I spent three hours last night labeling school books, pens, bags, drink bottles and you name it, anything that can and must be named. At the 11th hour, I discovered I had to mend a school shirt minus buttons that have vanished somewhere over summer… and midnight saw me making the dreaded ‘No, I don’t want sandwiches’ lunch box.

There’s nothing so far in my preparations for the start of the school year that’s so very different from those parents anywhere in Europe face. But, hang on, yes, there is a one glaring difference – I’ve had a month more than my European counterparts to get to grips with book lists and buttons. Because Malta gives its kids a whopping three months summer holiday; this year’s lasted a record for my son – a total of 13 weeks! The holiday is so long that my son’s teacher of last year gets a cabin crew job with Air Malta for the summer season.

September has been considerably cooler than June, their last month at school, so they could have started back at least three weeks earlier. Only one school in Malta I know kicks off at the beginning of September, because it follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum and needs to.

So, parents out there contemplating an expat move to Malta, be warned, especially if you are both working parents and don’t have convenient family around to lend a hand with childcare.

There are three camps of parents I’ve come across in Malta:
(1) those who shrug shoulders and just accept the status quo. They say the teachers will never agree to shorten the summer recess, and in any case, public sector workers here mostly do half days in summer so it’s the accepted norm to ease off a lot in summer;
(2) those who have only one full-time working parent in the couple. The non-working one feels quite relaxed about summer with the kids, enjoys time off from the school run routine, and relishes an excuse to laze on the beach or at beach clubs more or less every day; and
(3) the working parents who rip their hair out and are frazzled by end August (still with a month to go) after having spent summer driving around in the heat taking and picking up kids from summer schools and various activities so they can snatch their working hours.

Today, I celebrate the return to school but incredibly so does my son; even he says three months is a long time, and he’s keen to get back to see friends and have some structure and routine.

Perhaps that’s the lesson in all this. Malta’s long summer holidays prevent the “whining school-boy, with his satchel…creeping like snail unwillingly to school” (to quote Shakespeare’s As you Like it‘). And to steal from Shakespeare again, you could say there’s method in this madness after all.

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Malta Air Show is for kids of all ages

When I was a young child, I wanted to be was an airman, like my father. Every year, there seemed to be a reason to hang around on some rooftop, eyes skywards, waiting for a plane to plummet out of the sky and skim a church spire. My father always made more noise than us kids. Years later, he found an ally in my father-in-law, a former RAF and BA pilot – in the rare occasions that they meet, they get all smug and giggle about young airmen’s antics at RAF Luqa in the 1950s.

Malta’s love affair with flying machines did not stop with the closure of the British forces military base in 1979.
This afternoon, and tomorrow, is the annual Malta International Air Show weekend at the Malta International Airport in Luqa. For €8, you get a great family day out: there’s the static display of aircraft and helicopters, from tiny ultra-light aircraft to the giant KC-10 from the Royal Netherlands Air Force and a US Air Force KC135, both aircraft having the common main mission of refuelling other aircraft in flight. The aerial display kicks off around lunchtime, with the Breitling Jet Team providing the highlight – a formation of seven L-39 advanced trainers. You can access the full programme and how to get to the venue from the Air show website.

Events like the air show also bring out the picnic crowd. Summer is officially over, the kids are about to go back to school and parents with cameras and videos can get to munch ftiras, meet old friends and scream louder than their kids. So even if you do end up hanging around for the next fly-past, the air show is a great opportunity to do some serious people watching and catch up on all the gossip against a soundscape of jet engines.

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