THE March holidays are here again, and seven days of having the kids tear around the house may still seem like an eternity to frazzled parents.

LifeStyle tosses up some ideas on how to keep the hyperactive ones occupied.

Baby, you're a star

THINK you've got a budding Zac Efron or Vanessa Hudgens (minus the nude scandal, of course) on your hands?

Check out these holiday programmes that can help unleash your child's talent:

Kids Performing (28 Maxwell Road, 03-13 Red Dot Traffic Building, tel: 6327-8919, www.kidsperforming.com), a song-and-dance school run by local entertainer Kuo Po, is conducting two workshops. Its High School Musical II Workshop (Tomorrow or Wednesday, various times, $62 for children from four to six, $82 for children from seven to 14) teaches youngsters songs and dance moves from the hit children's musical.

STAGE A SHOW: Unleash the performing talent in your little ones with workshops that teach music and dance.

A Hairspray Workshop (Thursday, 4.30 to 6pm, $82 for children seven to 14) will also have them dancing to the beats of Broadway. Bouffant hair not included.

Walk like an Egyptian at The Serangoon CC (10 Serangoon North Avenue 2, tel: 6284-4137) and its Belly Dance For Children Class (Thursday, 2 to 2.45pm, $15 for members, $20 for non-members, sign up at www.one.pa.gov.sg).

The session gets kids to hone their co-ordination skills and rhythm. Moves to master include head slides, shoulder shimmy and rolls and snake arms.

The Metropolitan YMCA (60 Stevens Road, tel: 6839-8355), together with music school FamilyInTune, has a March 2008 Music Holiday Camp (Tomorrow to Tuesday or Wednesday to Thursday, 9.30am to 5.30pm, $80, $60 for StarHub customers and Metro-Y members).

Children will learn about orchestral instruments through fun and games in an environment touted as a 'musical playground'.

When your tyke starts talking about jammin', you'll know who to blame.

Flour power

GET the kids out of your kitchen and into someone else's instead. Cooking classes for kiddies seem to be all the rage. Here are some choice ones:

Children's baking school Genius R Us (75B Tanjong Pagar Road, tel: 6221-4561) has a series of Kidz Can Bake/Kidz Can Craft (Tomorrow to Friday, varying times, $65) holiday workshops for kids aged four to 12. The menu changes with each session, but goodies that can be made include peanut cookies, cornflake cookies and a 'little penguin' cake.

Kids-friendly restaurant Globetrotters (101 Thomson Road, 02-02 United Square, tel: 6356-5285)also offers programmes for kids and parents: A Pizza Workshop (Tuesday, 3.30 to 5pm, $35 per child or $60 per adult-and-child pair) and a Muffin Baking cum Cupcake Decorating Class (Wednesday or Thursday, 3.30 to 5pm, $35 per child or $60 per adult-and-child pair). Children under seven, or every three kids aged seven to 10, have to be accompanied by an adult.

Over in the heartlands, inspire the little ones to pack their own lunchboxes at Fuchun CC (1 Woodlands Street 31, 01-02, tel: 6365-6911) and its Kiddies Sandwich Making Class (Tuesday, 10am to noon or 2 to 4pm, $10 for members, $15 for non-members, sign up at www.one.pa.gov.sg).

Children aged four and above can sign up. No cooking is required so you don't have to worry about scalds, burns and other kitchen disasters.

At Pasir Ris East CC (1 Pasir Ris Drive 4, 01-08 Pasir Ris East Community Building, tel: 6581-1861) and Siglap CC (300, Bedok South Avenue 3, tel: 6449-8040), kids can join The Little Chef Workshop (varying dates and times depending on location, $15 for members and $25 for non-members at Pasir Ris East CC, $16 for members, $21 for non-members at Siglap CC, sign up at www.one.pa.gov.sg) to whip up cookie and cake concoctions.

Pasir Ris East CC also has a Hamburger Making Class (Wednesday, 10am to 1pm, $18 for members and $25 for non-members), where students can learn to make minced chicken burgers.

At Katong CC (51 Kampong Arang Road, tel: 6345-8258), a Japanese Sushi Making Class (Saturday, 2.30 to 4.30pm, $22 for members, $25 for non-members, sign up at www.one.pa.gov.sg) introduces children aged eight to 14 to the art of Japanese cuisine.

LITTLE COOKS: Let your kids try out baking and, who knows, they might end up wanting to make their own cookies instead of buying them.

Get outdoorsy

DON'T coop the kids up at home. Let them loose with these active options:

Channel your children's boundless energy into a game of focus: golf. KinderGolf (Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, 03-03B, tel: 6339-2600/6441-3383) has a two-day Golf Express Holiday Camp (Thursday to Friday, 10am to 1pm, $180) for beginners aged two to eight. Skills to pick up include putting and chipping, together with rules, safety and etiquette.

Or gear up for F1 fury at the go-kart track at Kart World Singapore (Open field, Yung Ho Road, tel: 6266-2555). Children aged seven to nine get special kiddy karts ($28 for 10 minutes) that go slower, up to 40kmh.

Anyone older gets the normal karts ($40 for 10 minutes), which go considerably faster.

Prefer something more laidback? Say 'om' at Inspire Mum & Baby (112 East Coast Road, 03-44 Katong Mall, tel: 6348-7881), which conducts wellness classes for parents and children. Its two-day Kids Yoga Camp (Wednesday to Thursday, 1 to 4pm, $150) is designed for children to relax and rejuvenate their body, mind and spirit.

Activities include themed yoga, non-competitive games, craftwork, storytelling and visualisation sessions.

Otherwise, get back to nature at the Singapore Zoo (80 Mandai Lake Road, tel: 6269-3411, www.zoo.com.sg, $16.50 for adults and $8.50 for children), which has declared 2008 Year of the Frog.

Among the attractions during the break are a Fabulous Frogs Tour (Saturday, 10.30 to 11.15am, $10.20) that takes you through the frog exhibits and a Frog's Night Out Tour (Saturday, 7 to 7.45pm) which educates visitors how to identify the different species of frogs in the dark.

Check the zoo website for details of other programmes.

The National Parks Board is also organising a Native Plant Hunt @ Hindhede Nature Park (Saturday, 10 to 11am, to sign up, call 6554-5127 or e-mail vanessa_chang@nparks.gov.sg).

Form a team of three to five members with the kids and pick up the clues at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Visitor Centre. You have an hour to locate various plant species and get the youngsters hooked on botany.

Museum mania

HERE'S how to immerse the kids in some real culture:

Go on a museum tour. For today, all National Heritage Board (www.nhb.gov.sg) museums are offering free admission to students 16 and below.

The Asian Civilisations Museum's (1 Empress Place, tel: 6332-2982, $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, children and students) Family Fun Sunday (today, 1 to 4pm, activities free unless otherwise stated) lets kids listen to stories or create art, among other activities.

From tomorrow to Friday, families with at least one child aged 16 and below in the group enter ACM for free.

The National Museum of Singapore (93 Stamford Road, tel: 6332-3659, $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, children and students) and Louvre Museum are presenting Greek Masterpieces From The Louvre (Till next Sunday, 10am to 6pm). See some 130 exquisite pieces such as the statues from the French royal collection, precious vases and terracotta figurines.

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A BREAK: Oh, schoolwork can wait. Bring on the smiles on the faces of your kids by letting them loose outdoors instead.

There is also a special interactive tour, Ancient Greeks Alive! (Saturday, 2pm, $15, inclusive of ticket price into the galleries), by drama company Act 3 Theatrics. Kids get to meet ancient Greek characters while touring the gallery.

Join the Singapore Art Museum's (71 Bras Basah Road, tel: 6332-3222, $8 for adults and $4 for seniors, children and students) Big Art Discovery Trail (Tomorrow to Friday, 9am to noon, $10, includes admission to museum, to register, call 6332-3220 or e-mail nhb_sam_programs@nhb.gov.sg). It takes visitors through the museum and selected North-East Line MRT stations which showcase art pieces.

Ah, peace at last

JUST want to get the kids out of your hair for a few hours? Then check out:

The JWT Kids Gym Singapore (46 East Coast Road, tel: 6348-1889, www.jwtkids-singapore.com) has regular noparents-allowed play sessions for children at one of its branches.

Sign your tykes up for this month's Kids Night Out (Friday, 6 to 10pm, $59 for members and $79 for non-members), where they can indulge in pizza, arts and craft, a movie and more.

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Mar 9, 2008.