This 3 week special begins tomorrow, 23rd March through to 12 April!  Get on it!

This is our first ever 3 week special!  It makes sense for us to kick it off at the much anticipated Altona Beach Festival where Single Parents Active Kids will be represented, and to finish a week after what will be a massive Family Fun Day also in Altona!

So, beginning tomorrow, you can get the following deal:

• $25 gets you 7 months of amazing opportunities galore instead of 6
• $45 gets you 14 months of opportunities thrown at you left, right and center rather than 12 months.
• Our current loyal members are definitely not forgotten, instead of getting 12 months for renewing you will receive 14 months of fun galore.

Single Parents Active Kids Membership is incredibly cheap already, here is the chance to save even more money!  To apply/renew, please contact us!

And don’t forget our upcoming Family Fun Day, it’s free!  So why not come down on the day and check out what we are about, you can join on the day AND receive the special described above!

Wow, what an active group we have, full of members and their kids who like to just get out there and have as much fun as possible!  In the first two months of this year alone we will have run seven camps/trips – you have to admit, that is pretty amazing!  Here’s a bit of a wrap from some of those trips:

CAMP PHILLIP ISLAND

Such a fantastic location, great accomodation, and everything is catered for, even the activities!  If the Flying Fox, Giant Swing, and Archery aren’t enough, there’s the pool, the gym, the playgrounds, and the beach!  The kids had a ball, so many new friendships were made, it was amazing to see just how much fun everyone had.

THAILAND

A dream holiday was imagined, 464 emails were written, heaps of phone calls were made, and 2 meetings took place to make that dream into a wonderful reality! The time had in Thailand exceeded expectations, and the way the kids got along was better than wonderful.  Holidays like these build bonds that last forever, a holiday is only as good as you make it, it is an opportunity to make the most of every second, minute, hour, day while you are there, and happy to say those that went to Thailand certainly did just that!

CAMP MANSFIELD ZOO

Those that went on the sleep over at Mansfield Zoo highly recommend this adventure!  An awesome time was had with great members and lovely to get to know some new people as well. The kids got up close and personal with so many of the animals it was a fantastic experience for all.  They even enjoyed the lions roaring at night very, very loudly, and kept thinking whilst laying in their tents if those fences are really strong enough?!!

We are now taking RSVP’s for ANGLESEA, MT HOTHAM, and WARRNAMBOOL, so if you want to be part of the fun get in contact with us, what have you got to lose?!

It’s fun to take the time to reflect on what was one amazing year, and the list below doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the events we did throughout the year! I hope you enjoy taking a look back at 2012 with Single Parents Active Kids, and if you weren’t part of the fun, well, what are you waiting for?!

JANUARY
Phillip Island camp, 3-day Great Ocean Road trip, a night at the Australian Open with Jimmy Barnes as a main act, Kyneton Races, Geelong Adventure Park, Angelina Ballerina, Moonee Valley Night Racing (a fantastic and fun night out on a perfect summer’s evening and a chance to see the mighty Black Caviar strut her stuff. Putting on all sorts of crazy bets kept us and the lady at the TAB entertained!).

FEBRUARY
Mansfield Zoo (One of the highlights of the year. Kids had so much fun hand-feeding all the animals and sleeping in a tent in the middle of the zoo. Can’t wait to do it again.), Stunt Car Driving (Hot, dusty but so much fun learning how to do hand brake and J –turns and being driven up on two wheels. Oh, and the president’s car breaking down in the middle of the track was the perfect ending to the day!), Dinner at Limor’s.

MARCH
Teppenyaki lunch (great fun for the kids to experience this for the first time. Catching food being thrown definitely something we don’t do at home!), Family Fun Day in the West, Cairns holiday (simply amazing would do again no doubt), Blues Train (perhaps the parents only highlight of 2012. A fun-filled weekend enjoying the company of 22 other members dancing to great Blues music on the train, an overnight stay at the YHA and lunch the next day at the lovely Queenscliffe.), Snorkeling with Stingrays.

APRIL
Anglesea Camp (stayed for 4 great days), Cocktail Night, Wonderland, 1-night camp at Marysville (an amazing success that all are keen to repeat), Amazing Race, Anzac Day at a member’s house, All Stars Comedy Supershow (a great night at The Palais filled with laughs from our favourite comedians).

MAY
Golf, Lebanese lunch, A Day on the Green (a great experience in amazing surrounds enjoying the music of Icehouse and Hall & Oates), Michael Jackson History Show (Wow! An amazing show paying respect to one of the greatest artists of all time).

JUNE
Family Fun Day in the East, Cocktail night, 4-year Celebration, Rap Jumping (what more needs to be said about the adrenaline pumping experience of jumping off a building).

JULY
Warrnambool Camp (Seeing Reece Mastin in concert was the highlight for the kids), Bali parents-only holiday (the walk up Mount Batur in Bali, 1717 meters pushing yourself to the limits and enjoying every minute of the challenge!), Burlesque on a boat, Lake Mountain Resort (a great trip to the mountain to enjoy flying fox, laser skirmish and dune buggies. Dinner at the Buxton pub and a night at the caravan park rounded off the weekend).

AUGUST
Mount Buller, Day trips to the snow (we were lucky enough for it to actually snow on the way up and when we got off the bus), Le-Mans Racing, Indian and then Prince Alfred nights, Copacabana (a favourite parents-only night out for the year), Dave Hughes and mates.

SEPTEMBER
Mount Morton, Wicked Campervans trip to Halls Gap, Sumo out at Sunshine, Family Fun Day in The North, Dame Edna (a laugh-filled evening being entertained by the irrepressible Dame Edna – maybe for the last time. Walked back to my car enthusiastically waving my gladioli!).

OCTOBER
Parents-only Friday night at 120 bar (dancing for hours), Hot Air Ballooning (The look on my daughter’s face when up in the air was one at peace with the world, serenity at it’s best), Lobster Cave, RAAF Museum, Lebanese lunch.

NOVEMBER
David Strassman, Family Fun Day in the South, More Sex Please we are Seniors Comedy Show, Santa’s Magical Kingdom.

DECEMBER
HouseBoating Weekend (Even better than the first), 2 Christmas Parties (both very well attended), Ultimate Xmas party, Seafood dinner, Horse Riding and Peninsula Spas (all still raving about it), Christmas Eve (a very special night).

The end of September saw 11 families from Single Parents Active Kids embark on a new adventure – a Wicked Camper Roadtrip to the Grampians!  What a sight they were on the road…what a sight they were driving in one-by-one to the caravan park in those wicked, graffitied vans, a few heads turned that’s for sure!  The kids loved the adventure that this event provided, the big kids (the adults) loved it even more…well, maybe not the thin mattresses they slept on so much!

Check out the photos of their adventure below, but before you do, check out this awesome summary by one of the families that attended: “We slept with spiders, the kids swapped beds, we stood in the rain, we drove up the hills and climbed the falls, we smiled and we laughed, we chipped in when needed, we got bored, wet and thought at times WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE while kids cried, fell over in the mud and down the steps, but now and then a smile, a laugh, a challenge. Single Parents Active Kids – SPECIAL PARENTS AMAZING KIDS!”.

We just thought we would share a few things about how our fabulous organisation works and what we have to offer:

• To join Single Parents Active Kids there is membership fee of $25 for 6 months or $45 for 12 months, more details can be found on our Membership page.
• Non-members are more than welcome to attend two of our normal events such as parks, restaurants, zoo’s and so on before you become a member.  Check out our amazing Events Calendar for what’s on, and we simply ask that you rsvp at least two days before any event.
• We also run four Family Fun Day’s a year, which are free events, and a fantastic opportunity for new families to experience our wonderful, friendly group in a relaxed atmosphere.
• For any camp or special event you must be a member of Single Parents Active Kids to come along.  Current upcoming camps are: Mount Morton, Houseboat weekend and Phillip Island, spots are filling up fast!
• We even run loads of bargain special events like Le Mans Go-Karting, Sumo Wrestling/Laser Gun/Bucking Bull and there are plenty more, but you must be a member to enjoy these.  This is because we purchase vouchers on your behalf, to give you more time to pay.
• In the last 20 months we have saved over $90,000 for Single Parents Active Kids members.

Now we ask you…who wouldn’t want their social lives organised for them when there are so many amazing opportunities to experience?!  All our members receive these opportunities to do amazing events at half or below half price, a group of us are even going to Thailand early next year, all organised through Single Parents Active Kids!  Our email address and phone number can be found on our Contact Us page.

While we are talking about great organisations, we thought we’d mention a fantastic supporter of Single Parents Active Kids, as well as a great resource, and urge you to pay them a visit!

Australia’s Single Mother information website for separated, divorced, ex-defacto, pregnant and solo mums offering exclusive single mother articles, help directories, competitions, product reviews, media call-outs and much more!

Five parents of Single Parents Active Kids recently returned from a trip to Bali which they describe as a holiday that will never ever be forgotten!

Most days started out with a buffet breakfast, then it was on to the activities!  Day One included a 15 minute camel ride in the amazing Nusa Doa Resort, a great experience!  That was followed by parasailing, banana boat, glass bottom boat, and the very interactive Turtle Island.

Day Two was the VW safari where the group got to see all different sites of Bali in an open VW convertible car, very cool!  Lunch was at a spectacular point, and they even got to come back and see wood carvings, paintings, and silver smiths.  A great day was had by all!

Day Three, wow, what an experience!  Firstly, lunch was at one of the most breathtaking views on this planet, then it was on to white water rafting.  A four metre drop was part of this enthralling and also tiring experience!

Sea-Walker was on the cards for Day Four, you are actually in a space helmet walking under water with the fish, you’re given something to feed the fish with and they come up to you.  Wow!

Day Five is a day that will live in the minds of the group forever, for many reasons.  Picked up from the hotel at 1.30am, and on to have a beautiful banana pancake breakfast. Then it was time to head to Mount Batur, which is a live volcano 1,717 metres high!  The group headed up this very challenging, majestic volcano, along rocks, sand, and lots more rocks!  The weather was not sensational, but what was to follow was inspirational.  The passage was a very tough one, there were falls, but the adrenalin was pumping.  About half way up the group started having more breaks, as very steep steps take their toll.  After pushing themselves over, around and through amazingly hard terrain they reach about 30 minutes from the top, and this is where most of the group stop.  A small number wanted to go to the next point, so onwards and upwards!  The next thirty minutes was even harder then the first ninety, and at different stages they had to crawl up the volcano.  There was a sign when they reached the top of this 1,717m volcano which read “Congratulations you have conquered Mount Batur”, a sign that was very welcomed!  The view of the sun above the clouds was majestic, and absolutely breathtaking.  The small group got to put their hands inside of a live volcano, and they even cooked bananas and eggs inside it, wow!

Day Six and there is even more to enjoy with a sunset cruise and cabaret show to remember.  And the day after that, traditional dance, Ubud Markets, and Bali Zoo were all enjoyed, including an enthralling adventure of elephant trekking!  Such huge, yet gentle creatures that are very careful with each and every footstep.  The group enjoyed feeding the elephants and tigers, and had photos taken with the tigers and crocodiles.

As well as shopping for Day Seven, the group enjoyed their best ever setting for a seafood feast on Jimbaran Bay along the beach, with ambience to kill for.  Many hours were spent by the pool having a few drinks, lots of massages, such a fun and relaxing holiday!

SUMMARY
15 months of planning went in to Bali and every moment was carefully taken care of. There were so many laughs, so many amazing activities, so many views that the group thought were the best ever, so much learnt about the Balinese culture, it was the trip of a life-time.  Every moment we spend on this planet is a gift, we are very lucky individuals to take those gifts and make the most of them, and we are so thankful that Single Parents Active Kids gives us the opportunities to do so!

Third Cog to the Wheel?

Isolated?

Friends going out and you’re stuck at home?

Friends don’t understand single parenthood?

Looking for like-minded single parents for you to hang out with and looking for kids for your kids to play with?

Don’t want to go camping by yourself?

Would like to go and see theatre shows and special shows with like-minded people?

Would like your social life organised for you?

Would like to have choices thrown at you on a regular basis?

Want to save money on special events?

Would like to take your kids to the Gold Coast but don’t want to go alone?

Want to take the kids to the snow but don’t want to drive up the mountain yourself?

Don’t want to spend Christmas Day/New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day alone?

If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions and they relate to how you might be feeling as a single parent then Single Parents Active Kids is what you have been looking for. We could go on but our Events Calendar sums it up even better than we can.

On Sunday the 10th of June Single Parents Active Kids held their quarterly FREE Family Fun Day, this time it was the East’s turn to host.  This is a day that will be etched into our history books.  150+ attended, 10 new families signed up on the day itself, as well as more to come in the next week! What an amazing effort, you can’t help but feel so darn proud of what Single Parents Active Kids keeps on producing.

There is nothing like standing back and watching a day like yesterday unfold, it’s pure magic, we laughed, ate, played, chatted, laughed, met some new friends, re-connected with some old friends. Three months of preparation culminated in a day all present will remember for a long time. Watching new members talk to more experienced members, you can actually see the nerves at the start of the day and the absolute joy as the day progresses. Single Parents Active Kids is in an amazing position to move forward together, with Family Fun Day number 14 already being organised.

Here is some feedback from a new member, just to give you an idea of how they felt after attending such a great event, it’s heart-warming stuff:
“Thank you for a great day out. The kids had a ball and are looking forward to the next event to see all their new friends! Just what I hoped for, a great big extended family. I also met lots of new people and enjoyed the chance to socialize. I need the practice! So, once again thank you and please pass on my thanks to the sub-committee who all did a great job!”

As one huge event ends, another one arrives to take it’s place, this time it’s the FREE Single Parents Active Kids Fourth Year Celebration!  The date is Saturday June 23rd at 6:30pm, the place is Kids Space in Epping, RSVP’s need to be in by THIS Wednesday, and you must be a member to attend.  More details will be posted in our next post, stay tuned!

Hi everyone, and welcome to the new and improved Single Parents Active Kids website!

We have jumped head first into the twenty first century, and you can now find us updating regularly here on the website, our new Facebook page, Twitter, and you can even subscribe to our RSS feed, whatever takes your preference!  We hope to bring you a mix of announcements, event news, and fresh content that you won’t all see in our member emails, maybe even a little teaser here or there.   Not only that but our Meetup page is going strong, it’s all so great to see!

Please take some time to have a look around the various areas of the site, we recently had Anna, one of our wonderful members create an amazing video using photos from Single Parents Active Kids events, and it showcases beautifully what our group is all about!  Thanks so much Anna!  You can find the video on the right-hand side if it isn’t already playing for you!

If you’re new to Single Parents Active Kids….WELCOME!  Please take a leap of faith and contact us, you’ll be so glad you did!