Aside from trekking, what kid friendly activities are on offer in Bukit Lawang!?
Best activities for kids in Bukit Lawang
If you are looking for some traditional and cultural activities to help enrich your children’s Sumatran experience, please look no further! We here at SEE offer many different affordable, creative and cultural child-friendly activities, that will no doubt spark your children’s interest and help them understand the Sumatran way of life a little bit better.
As the Sumatran people still live very closely to the land, you will find that a lot of the activities on offer involve a real hands-on approach with a lot of natural resources. This provides the perfect opportunity for your children to learn about and explore the world in a holistic and creative way.
Below you will find many artistic, physical and agricultural activities that are suitable for most ages. Please note, children must always be accompanied with an adult and those marked with an asterisk require children to be 7+yrs old. Those marked with a double asterisk * are seasonal sessions, dependent on crop/weather.
1. Organic Batik workshop- using local leaves and flowers your children will create their own beautiful textile pattern, resulting in a beautiful table runner, scarf or decorative piece of art. This activity will not only help to devlop your child's creativity but will also allow them a hands on experience into the cultural practices of the Indonesian Isles.
2. Organic soap workshop- Using natural flavours and scents such as cinnamon, lemongrass, lavender and honey collected from the garden, your children will learn the art of organic soap making. With the use of both cold and hot press techniques this activity will expose your children to some of the age old manipulations of alchemy, with the added benefit of having some beautiful non-toxic soaps to use on your travels, or gift to your loved ones!
3. Traditional carving workshop * -
In this activity you children will work with reclaimed river wood and traditional carving tools to create their very own and authentic souvenir. The duration and complexity of the class depends very much on the children’s ages, skills and time available, so make sure you give your little ones enough time to get stuck
into this once in a life time activity!
4. Bamboo workshop- Learn how to weave and sculped the age old material of bamboo into useful household items and decorations. Enjoy this relaxed and creative workshop whilst supporting local artisan craftsmen and women.
5. Village tour- Explore the local area by traditional tuktuk (becak) and learn all about how to make the Sumatran staples of tempe and brown sugar. This is a lovely activity to combine with the cooking class; why not tour the village in the morning, and use the produce in your cooking class in the afternoon!? This will provide your kids with a very thorough and interconnected understanding of the Sumatran culture, whilst giving them hands on experience to help consolidate this knowledge.
6. Cooking class- Once you’ve had a chance to sample a variety of Indonesian/Sumatran dishes, why not try your hand at cooking them yourself! Learning how to create the unique and authentic recipes will help develop your kids understanding of the local landscape, produce and traditional cooking techniques, no doubt instilling them with a much deeper and richer depiction of the Indonesian culture. With meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan buffet recipe classes on offer, this is an activity that every family out there can enjoy!
7. Rice padi workshop ** - Try your hand at rice harvesting or planting and uncover the traditional farming practices that have sustained life on the Sumatran/ south east asian plains. This experience will really open your eyes to the incredible amount of work that goes into cultivating every single grain of rice, no doubt making you grateful for all you have back home. This is a really fun and engaging activity, however it is very hard and hot work. We suggest children only over the age of 7 to participate. Refreshments and snacks will be included.
So now you've read all about the selection of kid-friendly, cultural activities available here at SEE- we hope partaking in these activities helps to enrich your children's experience of the Sumatran culture and way of life. Make sure to post about your families experience in the comments, and dont forget to send us any pictures of your 'final products'!
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