As September approaches and a new school year looms on the horizon, parents around Egypt are faced with a flurry of after-school and weekend activities for their children. Cairo residents often say, “The two businesses that will always make money in Cairo are those involving food and children." And this seems to bear out, as neighborhoods across the city continue to offer more and more nurseries, classes and activities for children. For some parents, these activities can be difficult to keep up with - in many households, both parents work and picking up children from school or the nursery is hard enough, not to mention then having to take them from activity to activity afterward. For stay-at-home moms, though, this is different - watching ballet class and sitting through a story-telling session are luxuries they can afford. Here are some of the most exciting activities for ages 2-14 planned for this fall: Kindermusik by Dalia (Zamalek) Stop by http://kindermusikegypt.com/ to sign up for a specially designed music program that mentally stimulates children from birth. Different classes are offered for different age sets: "Our Time" is for the 18-month - 3-year-old age group and "Village" is for babies, while a more regimented "ABC Music for Me" is offered for children aged 5-7; a schedule is available online. The center is located at 46 Bahgat Ali Street in Zamalek and courses run in either the morning or the afternoon. This fall's courses begin 8 September and discounts are available if you sign up online now. Your first class is considered a free trial. Youth soccer league (Maadi) Boys and girls aged 5-14 can enjoy a fall of soccer practice, matches and a tournament, all for US$85. Although children are required to meet at Maadi's Cairo American College or Victory College campuses for practice and games, players and families are not required to have ID cards at either of these institutions and anyone is welcome to join. Pass by the Cairo American College campus Saturday, 27 August or Saturday, 3 September to sign your children up! Keep in mind the schedule is demanding - practice takes place once or twice a week from 5:15-6:00 pm and matches are anytime between 8 am and 1 pm on Saturdays. Check out http://cairoysl.org/ for more information. Samia Allouba Children's Classes (Mohandiseen) For more than 20 years, Samia Allouba has offered children's classes for ballet, jazz, gymnastics and taekwondo. Classes are usually between 2 and 6 pm, and you'll need to stop by the Mohandiseen or Maadi centers to pick up information on the proper dress code for the class and a schedule of events, which includes an end-of-year performance. This fall's schedule can be found at http://www.samiaallouba.net/. Weekend workshops for children (Heliopolis) After a summer full of workshops for children, the Diwan book store in Heliopolis is settling back into its regular schedule of weekend workshops. Although the schedule is set to be released after Eid, Diwan Heliopolis will offer everything from painting and story-telling to jewelry-making and cooking classes. Stop by 105 Abu Bakr al-Saddiq Street in Heliopolis for more information or check out the Diwan Facebook page.
