DUBAI // Two mothers have teamed up to develop crafty children’s games that buck the technology trend.
Leyla Lahsini and Shirin Benamadi created KenziBox, a treasure trove of activities for children between the ages of 3 and 8.
Each KenziBox – which is about the size of a large shoebox – is designed to look and feel like a cardboard version of a blue treasure chest, and is filled with arts and crafts projects that focus on a monthly theme.
The KenziBox was their answer to the dilemma of how to get their four-year-olds away from the television and tablet screens and into creative and constructive play.
“Kids finish school early and you feel this need to keep them busy in the afternoon,” said Mrs Lahsini, who is of Turkish and French descent.
“We don’t want to put them in activity classes every single afternoon, but you want to keep them busy in a nice way in the house.”
Like many parents, Mrs Lahsini said she originally turned to social media app Pinterest for arts and crafts projects she could take up with her four-year-old son, Taha. But she soon realised that bringing the clever Pinterest pins to life was not as simple as it appeared.
“When you’ve never done it, it’s actually quite difficult and overwhelming,” said Mrs Lahsini. “It takes a lot of work to put it together.”
Just finding the right materials was a chore – “a pain”, according to Mrs Lahsini. She said she had to visit numerous supermarkets and stationers to find the right items just for one project.
However, she saw the value in exposing her son to different materials and in challenging him to think creatively while working with his hands. So she turned to her friend, now-business partner Mrs Benamadi, who always seemed to make the arts and crafts projects look simple and easy. Both women are in their early 30s and have master’s degrees in business administration.
“I thought: ‘Can we bring that simplicity to everyone? Can we make it a bit more standard? How could we do this?’,” said Mrs Lahsini.
Together they researched themes and developed activities around those ideas. In November, their first KenziBox, called Circus In Town, debuted.
Children could open the box and find everything they needed – materials and picture guides – in order to construct a circus diorama, with an acrobat clown who spins in a wheel, an elephant whose trunk doubles as a party horn, and make-your-own clown outfits.
The sixth and latest edition of KenziBox is called Medieval Tales and offers activities such as constructing a castle, a catapult, a dragon puppet and a crown.
“We’re trying to kind of give you a way of thinking of materials that are right in front of you in a different way,” said Mrs Benamadi, a Palestinian who was raised in the US.
“It’s so much about getting back to basics. Kids’ lives are so hugely commercialised these days. I don’t want it to ever feel like a commercial product that is too prefabricated. I want it to feel home-made. I want mums to open it and see that it’s from other mums who are trying to ignite a spark of imagination in their kids.”
Emma Fisher, a Dubai private schoolteacher who, as a friend of the co-founders, was one of the first clients, said the KenziBox was a hit with her son.
“I think it’s a great concept,” said Mrs Fisher. “To have a box delivered every month with imaginative crafts, materials and everything you need to make them with, is such a relief. Each box is themed around a particular topic and my son can’t wait to open the box each month.
“There are lots of skills that the children explore just from making the projects, such as fine motor skills, creativity, imagination. Then after the project is finished, there are links to literature, science, maths, art, music, et cetera, and imaginary role play, providing hours of play-based learning.”
The boxes are sold individually for Dh185 at kenzibox.com or at a reduced price for those who get a three, six or 12-month subscription. Delivery is free within the UAE.
rpennington@thenational.ae
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
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