Last year I visited Dew's Studio in Salmiya to experience for the first time the pleasure of pottery. I've always wanted to try it and finally had the chance. The studio is beautiful, light and airy with lots of sunlight, warm hardwood floors and shelves and shelves showcasing hand made pottery, glazed and unglazed, in every imaginable shape and form.

Throwing is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable things I've ever experienced. The wet clay, the spin of the wheel and the complete focus needed to manipulate the clay create a full immersion, sensory experience and you walk out afterwards hardly realizing that two hours have gone by. I highly recommend it for quality time with hubby or the kids and even if you just want to relax and create something with no pressure and no expectations.

In fact, Nada, the owner, encourages you to focus on the experience and the process rather than the final product and this is a perfect approach for children and beginners.

So this weekend, I decided to take the girls and give them a chance to experience it. Sabel took to it like a natural, spending nearly the entire time immersed in the process. She played with the clay (we tried both the lush white stone clay and then the soft brown earthy clay), creating bowls and cups and saucers, flattening it out and then building it back up. She's only seven and I was surprised with how focused and immersed she was the entire time. Safyre enjoyed it to but then got distracted by the soft furry Lujain (the resident rabbit).

The studio offers walk in classes for children, teens and adults (see pricing below) as well as full length courses, studio access, birthday parties and private events.

A rain forest in Dubai?  

Last year over  winter break we took the girls for a short trip to Dubai. I wasn't up for shopping so we instead visited The Green Planet. Located near The City Walk in Al WAsl area, The Green Planet is a five-story simulated rain forest inside a building. I was a bit skeptical at first but hubby convinced me that the girls would really enjoy it and he was right. 

The Green Planet looks like another Dubai building from the outside until you round the corner and see the cylindrical glass casing that houses the ‘rain forest’. Inside there are literally thousands of plants, free flying birds, butterflies (sadly these are quickly eaten by the birds when released) and other insects and reptiles.
  
The Green Planet is multi-storied, so you start at the top and wind your way down, around a massive rain forest anchored in the middle by a simulated tree. Birds including toucans, parrots and others native to tropical rain forests fly freely around the atrium. The staff are friendly and offer short lectures on the animal and plant life.

Our girls had the chance to pet a snake – something both weren’t too keen to try but eventually did. They learned that contrary to popular belief, snakes aren’t slimy but as Safyre noted, “they are squishy under their skin, like they just ate a giant rat!”. 

There is a butterfly exhibit showing the butterflies hanging in the chrysalis stage with a staffer to explain the process. Reptiles, a sloth, jeweled beetles and other small animals comprise the most exciting of the exhibits and there are a few interactive videos that help explain what an ‘ecosystem’ is and how it works.
 
To walk the entire ‘forest’ takes about an hour, more if you pay to pet the sloth or feed the feed. We stopped to watch birds being fed and take photos.  

If you are planning a trip to Dubai over the winter break, I highly recommend this. It was an unusual and educational experience that we all enjoyed. Totally worth it and one of the highlights of our trip.  


Entrance is AED 99 (AED 89 if you book in advance).
Hours:  
Sunday – Wednesday: 10am-7pm 
Thursday – Saturday: 10am-8pm  
(Last tickets are sold one hour before closing) 

http://www.thegreenplanetdubai.com/en