Police in high-speed chase with ‘land baron’

THERE are plenty of learning and leisure activities that are both educational and fun during school holidays! Do they bring you joy or dread? Spending quality time together is lovely, but you might be wondering how to keep your child engaged and stimulated — especially during this December break!

So, what can you do with your child during the school holidays? This guide outlines both educational and enjoyable school holiday activities for children.

Impact of school holidays on education

If children neglect their learning, they can fall behind. During the school holidays, your child could experience a setback in Maths equivalent to 2.6 months of progress. Evidence shows that low-income learners, on average, lose two months of reading achievement.

The temptation may be to continue your child’s learning during the holidays. However, it is crucial to strike the right balance between learning, relaxation, and fun, as too much academic focus may lead to resentment.

How to facilitate learning during school holidays

To prevent learning setbacks, consider engaging your child in educational activities during the school holidays.

Here are some ideas:

◆ Encourage reading by visiting the local library, allowing your child to choose books that interest them. Have them

write reading lists or book reviews. ◆ Use the holidays for homework, revision, and addressing challenging subjects.

◆ Explore summer schools and utilise

online resources.

Educational family outings

Turn family outings into educational experiences with these ideas:

◆ Plan a day out as an educational holiday

activity in itself.

◆ Visit places of interest

◆ Turn trips and shopping into educational activities by having your child devise their learning projects.

Organised activities for children

When the holidays seem endless, consider enrolling your child in organised activities: ◆ Explore sports activities at the local leisure centre, including swimming, football, dancing, and more.

◆ Check out community and youth centres for holiday activities.

◆ Consider joining local cubs/scouts/

brownies/guides groups.

◆ Explore school holiday clubs, summer camps, and theatre projects for a variety of experiences.

Home-based activities

◆ For days spent at home, keep children entertained with these ideas: Encourage making gifts or trinket boxes, following online instructions.

◆ Involve children in cooking or food preparation, baking treats to share with relatives and neighbours.

◆ Sort through old photographs, create scrapbooks, and watch home movies for a trip down memory lane.

◆ Create a family tree, visit relatives, and record interesting stories with illustrations or photographs. ◆Facilitate virtual connections with friends through WhatsApp or phone calls.

◆ Encourage outdoor activities like den building, treasure hunts, and family film days.

◆ Have children maintain a ‘school holiday diary’ to document their experiences.

So, what can you do with your child during the school holidays? Plenty—both educational and fun! Whether your children spend time working, playing, or exploring independently, school holidays offer opportunities for fun, learning, and trying new things.

These breaks are a chance to keep children’s minds active, preparing them for their return to school.

From page 1 and word reached the accused persons that law enforcement agents were after them, police were involved in a highspeed chase with Yard in Mutare.

It is alleged that Yard managed to escape, only to be arrested on Monday after being cornered at Herbert Chitepo Barracks in Chikanga.

The court also heard that if granted bail, the accused persons are likely to interfere with witnesses, especially Yard as he is known to other witnesses whom he threatened with unspecified action if they reported the matter to the police.

“The accused persons are likely to commit other offences as they were once warned by their senior party officials to stop the parcelling out of land in Gimboki and defied the order, hence they might continue committing similar offences using the same modus operandi,” said Mrs Muuya.

To buttress her arguments, Mrs Muuya called in the investigation officer, Detective Assistant Inspector John Mvundura from the Police Anti-Corruption Unit to take the witness stand and testify.

“After the matter was reported to the police, word reached the accused persons that police were looking for them.

“The police intercepted Yard’s car and were involved in a high-speed chase with him and he managed to escape.

“Accused One (Yard) was cornered the following day on December 11 after several attempts to arrest him were unsuccessful, hence if the accused persons are granted bail, they are likely to abscond,” said Detective Assistant Inspector Mvundura.

In his bail submissions, Mr Ndlovu said it was a Constitutional right for any accused person to be granted bail pending trial.

He said his clients were ideal candidates for bail as they never resisted attempts to bring them to book.

“My clients are ideal candidates for bail as they are not facing any serious offence. There is no reason for them to abscond because in the event of a conviction, the charge they are facing attracts a fine or six months imprisonment.

“Allocating stands is not developing them as stated in the charge they are facing. As for allegations that Yard was involved in a high-speed chase, there is no evidence to that effect. There were no traffic violation charges that were levelled against him for that alleged offence,”said Mr Ndlovu.