Pierides Museum Activities for Children

The Pierides Museum exhibits a fascinating private collection of Cypriot antiquities 

acquired over the years from 1839 by five generations of the Pierides family, one of 

the most well known families of Larnaka. It is housed on an old family mansion house 

built in 1825. It includes exhibits from the Neolithic times, Copper Era, Mycenaean, 

Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian and Ottoman 

periods. This unique museum covers 9000 years of Cypriot art. 

1. Educational Programme ¨We are Archaeologists¨


It is a Summer Educational Workshop for children of 9-13 years old. Through

this interactive programme the children meet the ancient world and are being

introduced to the science of Archaeology. They are following the procedure of a

prober excavation, as archaeologist do and at last they participate in a mock

excavation. Through this “game”, which is based on the story of Goddess

Astarte and her sanctuary situated in Ancient Kitio, the children will trace and

discover a lost treasure and create art works to remind them of this experience.


Duration: 3 hours, 9:00 - 12:00

Language: English, Greek

Minimum number of group: 5 children

Maximum number of each group: 20 children

Cost: €10



2. Arts and Crafts


The children of all ages have the opportunity to work with several materials and

create art works such as t-shirts, pottery and sketches related to the museum

items. This experience will give the opportunity to the children to get familiar

with the museum and the world of arts through the ages and use their creativity

by creating souvenirs and gifts.


Duration: 1- 2 hours, 9:30 - 11:00

Language: English, Greek

Minimum number of group: 5 children

Cost: €10 

Contact details:

Address: Zinonos Kitieos 4, Larnaka

Tel: +357 24 814 555

Email: pieridesmuseum@bankofcyprus.com

Web: www.pieridesfoundation.com.cy

Food for thought - Paula Manoli-Gray

Once upon a time, children were given the best food in the household because parents knew that little growing bodies and minds needed the most nutrients. And if that meant that the parents went without the meat or fruit and vegetables, then so be it.

Fast-forward to today, and a strange phenomenon has appeared; the division of food into 'adult's' and 'children's'. Adults get to tuck into the real food and children get given the manufactured, toxic bomb of 'pretend food', because it is made into funny shapes and characters to appeal to immature palates… and also because it is cheap.

One of the things I love about the island is that food has yet to completely become fake. At present, you won't find the hugest selection of ready-meals and fake food in supermarkets like you would in the UK. I like the fact that if you buy a pre-packaged Cypriot burger or sausage, the ingredients will be mostly meat with some herbs, spices and breadcrumbs. Its European counterpart will have a long list of contents trying to pass themselves off as ingredients, with meat faring rather low on the list.

Many (Cypriot) children still get to eat at yiayias at lunchtime where real, hearty food is served, and of what I know of many nurseries, the food is real and traditional there too with dishes such as lentils, black eyed beans and pea casserole on the menu.

But the play places of the town are rapidly changing this and letting us down with their disgusting kids menus…

My son was recently invited to two birthday parties in play places. Kids were served a plate of nuggets, chips and mini pizza. Adults were served a buffet, which, whilst it had some fried rubbish, also had chicken skewers, salads and rice. I felt sick watching my son eat anti-nutrients whilst I got to eat some real food. But of course, I couldn't single him out so I let him eat it whilst trying not to look!

Children's menus – at play places and many other establishments – are littered with fried, reconstituted or manufactured dishes, given cute names to entice kids to eat, whilst mum and dad tuck into something fresh. Why can't these places simply have one menu that offers half portions for kids? I can resign myself to the fact that if my children are eating well at home, the occasional trip out for a bad meal won't damage them, but that is not the point; the issue is that we are not given other alternatives at some establishments.

There will be many reading this that do not share my views, and I often get teased by friends that I am too militant when it comes to my children's food. I do not accept my children being offered sweets and junk by other people and people have to start respecting mothers who want to be in control of their children's nutrition. We are not 'mean' mums because we want their food to heal and nourish rather than raise their sugar levels, suppress their immune system or make them hyperactive.

So, just as I accept the right of parents to give their children junk food – and I don't judge for it – I want others to be more tolerant to parents like me who want their kids to eat REAL food, and for eateries to recognise this with healthier options on their 'kids' menus.

Cyherbia - Lavender Fest !

From June 14th until 29th we'll be hosting the 3rd Lavender Festival at Cyherbia! You can enjoy the lavender gardens in full bloom, see the extraction of essential oil of lavender and try out our home made ice tea, cookies, liqueur and ice cream made with lavender. There will be a range of lavender products available in the herb shop and lavender craft workshops will be given in the tea room. A unique experience for the whole family to enjoy!

ThreeDots ArtLab

SUMMER ART LESSONS

Month: JULY

Days: MONDAY - FRIDAY

Time: 10:00 - 13:00

Ages: 4+

Cost: FULL MONTH: 200 euro (10 % discount for siblings)

2 WEEKS: 100 euro (10 % discount for siblings)

FOR MORE INFO CALL ON: 96 590 324

A fine balancing act

As the sun has now properly turned its dial up to 'hot' on the island, our town's popular hot spot of McKenzie is once again coming to life, which means I will now give it a wide berth!

It's just too trendy for me! I won't deny that the place looks great and it is lovely to see it so full of atmosphere and good times, but I personally miss the McKenzie of a couple of years back, which was a family beach lined with a mix of trendy and traditional; busy but not sardine-can busy. Its new incarnation plays its music too loud and leaves its sands littered with cans.

There is a fine balancing act between progress and tradition. We want to progress, we want to be modern, we want the latest things and the coolest places, of course we do. But we want to keep our identity too… our charm, our character, our customs, our original face. But we simply cannot have our cake and eat it too.

The danger of fighting so hard to keep the traditional is that we end up making the traditional false. We put the old in (metaphorical) glass cases so that we can preserve it, desperately trying to make it last, but in the process it becomes contrived. It becomes just a jewel on display. I don't want this! I want our Larnaca of old to naturally continue and for people to love it and cherish it so much that we don't have to fight to stop it dying – and in the process put it in a glass case. I want it to naturally, and normally just be part of the town.

I am not against modernisation or progress – without it we would still be riding donkeys and having to go to the toilet in a hole in the ground. Without it we wouldn't be getting our lovely new Piale Pashia, new bicycle lanes and attracting the trendy folk from all over the island to McKenzie. It's just such a fine balancing act and I don't know how long we can continue to juggle.

Larnaca is a fantastic blend of old and new, but my fear is that people will so embrace the new that they forego the old and we will eventually end up being some space-age town. We are not there yet, but the changing face of McKenzie is a small step in that direction, as sooner or later, the traditional restaurants that have been there for years just won't be able to compete with what the young and beautiful want. They will be ousted for yet another trendy place to take their spot and we will be left only with fast food and over-priced salads.

I have no conclusion to this comment, other than to encourage everyone to rediscover the roots of Larnaca – as well as enjoying the modern trappings – so that both can continue to co-exist, and so we can prevent the traditional from eventually being bullied out.