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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 NOVEMBER 2017 Events 46 @ maltatoday We are on Instagram Emirates reveals the secret to keeping your kids entertained on the plane with the Child Boredom Quotient • Under 12s bored 49 minutes and 47 seconds into their long- haul journey • Top 3 worries for parents when travelling with their children on a plane include entertaining their children (64%), disturbing other pas- sengers (43%) and keeping their kids hydrated (23%) • Sitting sweetly: 41% of par- ents admit that they have re- sorted to bribing their chil- dren with sweets, chocolate and crisps in exchange for good behaviour whilst on a f light • A third of parents (33%) also rely on electronic babysitters by loading up their phone or tablet with their favourite games, apps, television epi- sodes, and films • Emirates launches the Child Boredom Quotient – helping parents work out exactly when their kids will get bored and what to do about it Young f lyers will take just 49 minutes and 47 seconds to ask the dreaded, ''Are we nearly there yet?'' so with parents bat- tling the boredom threshold, Emirates has teamed up with Dr Sandi Mann, a psychologist and boredom specialist at the Uni- versity of Central Lancashire to find a solution. Mann has worked with the airline to cre- ate the Child Boredom Quotient (CBQ), helping parents iden- tif y the exact moment their kids will get bored so they can enjoy stress-free travel. The study of more than 2,000 UK parents of under 12s along- side observations of children during their playtime helped Dr Sandi Mann categorise activities into Active (A), Passive (P), In- teractive (I), Creative (C) or Sen- sory (S) to formulate the CBQ, and ultimately help parents mix the perfect blend of activities to catch boredom before it sets in. The findings which also saw two thirds of parents (64%) worry about entertaining their children and 43% expressing concern about their children disturbing other passengers, found little travellers aged 3 – 4 to be the most volatile. Bribery techniques such as giving out snacks (41%) in exchange for good behaviour were often used just to keep the peace. Other tried and tested methods of distraction for parents include employing electronic devices (33%) even if they're not allowed at home, handing out new toys (27%) to keep their tots happy or trying to tire out their children by running around the airport before boarding (16%). However, it's not just bribery that parents resort to when trav- elling with their children on a plane. An honest 7% revealed that they simply try to relax with an eye mask to block out the disturbance. When engaging in an activ- ity on board, films are the most popular for keeping children oc- cupied from around 40 minutes for the youngest age group (0-2) to 1 hour 45 minutes for the old- est (11-12). This is followed by games either on a smart device or on the inf light entertainment system (keeping kids occupied from 30 minutes for the young- est to 1.5 hours for the oldest). Meanwhile, creative pursuits such as drawing was the most popular until age 9 when quiz- zes and puzzles become more engaging. Colouring and sticker books have most appeal to the younger ages. Sandi Mann has created a sug- gested guide for how to struc- ture a plane journey for each age range. The activities are catego- rised as Active (A), Passive (P), Interactive (I), Creative (C) or Sensory (S) and the idea is that by mixing these up and stopping an activity at the right time, boredom and restlessness will be minimised. Passive – watching films, listen- ing to music Active – walking up and down the aisle, playing with a pack of cards Creative – drawing, colouring books Sensory – refreshments Interactive – reading a story- book, chatting The CBQ tables are attached as well as a guide to Emirates' top tips for travelling with children. Emirates Cabin Crew provide children on board with toys from the Fly With Me Animals collection Outstanding works get recognised in second edition of Malta Architect Awards For the second consecu- tive year the Malta Ar- chitect Awards was a showcase for outstanding works in the architecture and interior design pro- fession. The winners of this year's awards were announced at a special ceremony which was held at Villa Arrigo in Naxxar. The awards initiative, which is a collaborative effort between the Plan- ning Authority and event organisers iMNG Ltd saw an increase in submission entries over last year. A total of 44 pro- jects competed for eight differ- ent award categories. The win- ners were chosen by a jury made up of Maltese and foreign pro- fessionals, supported by techni- cal teams, made up of experts in each of the fields represented by the award categories. The award for Innovative De- sign, Rehabilitation and Con- servation was won by Perit Karl Ebejer for his innovative solu- tion in constructing an addition- al floor to an existing building in the urban conservation area of St Julians. In this same category, a com- mendation was given to Perit Ed- ward Scerri for the restoration of three churches in the village of Għarb, Gozo. In the category for Urban De- sign Projects, the award was giv- en to Perit Edward Scerri for the sensitive regeneration of a main square in the village of San Law- renz, Gozo. The Award for Housing Archi- tecture was given to Perit Chris- tian Spiteri for the way the multi unit residential project was de- signed and integrated within the topography of the landscape in Madliena. A commendation within this same category was given to Perit Ian Critien and Perit Andrea Vassallo Cesareo for a private residence in San Pawl tat-Tarġa. The Award category for In- terior Design was won by Perit Anthea Huber for her work at the AAT Research Laboratories offices in San Gwann. The pro- ject showed the designer's ability to create a spatial sequence of well-articulated 'humane envi- ronments' without falling into the all-too-common pitfall of ending up with sterile institu- tional space. Two commendations were also given, one to Perit Ray Demi- coli for the interior design of the Vodafone Headquarters at Skyparks in Luqa and another to Perit Paula Agius Vadala and Perit Katja Abela for Bertie's Place in Sliema. Dr Edwin Mintoff won the award for Hospitality, Tourism Accommodation & Leisure for the conversion into a hotel of the historic building known as the Macina in Senglea. The project gave a new lease of life to a his- toric military building, thus en- suring its preservation through an economically-viable use. A commendation in this cat- egory was given to Perit Victoria Farrugia Galea for the Hilltop Gardens retirement village in Naxxar. The category award for Sus- tainable Development Award was given to Perit Roderick Camilleri and designer Mario Cassar for the Water Conserva- tion Awareness Centre in Rabat. This project is an educational building that disseminates knowledge and awareness for the need to conserve water. Perit Steve Scicluna won the award for Emerging Architects for a private residence in Msida. This project showed the archi- tect's capability to transform conceptual ideas from freehand- drawings to three-dimensional spatial solutions. Perit Alan Galea for a housing development project in Swieqi and Perit Diane Psaila and Perit Dirk Psaila for a KUBU instal- lation in Valletta, all received a commendation within this same category. No award was given for the category covering Commercial Buildings. For more information visit http://www.pa.org.mt/malta-ar- chitect-awards-2017 Good turn-out of Vassallo Group employees in yearly CSR event A record number of employees from across Vassallo Group par- ticipated in this year's annual Corporate Social Responsibil- ity event carried out at St Fran- cis de Paule home for children in Birkirkara. Run by The Malta Archidio- cese's Commission for Children's Homes, this home in Birkirkara is currently hosting a number of children who previously resided at Fra Diegu Home. The area within and around this home was a truly hive of activity with Vassallo Builders employ- ees doing the construction work required while other employees from the same company as well as from CareMalta and CaterEssence helped out in clearing old tiles and furniture from the ground floor which will soon be transformed into modern and comfortable liv- ing quarters for the children. A number of employees helped out in cleaning the area where the children are currently living. HR Director Charlo Bonnici explained that once again a num- ber of employees joined this CSR event giving up their free time on a Saturday morning to help out in making the lives of a number of children a more comfortable one. "This event brings out the al- truistic and caring spirit of our employees reflecting the general philosophy within our group that of being a private company with a public and social conscience," he said. Vassallo Group Chairman, Naz- zareno Vassallo as well as the Director of Children's Homes, Andrew Azzopardi visited the employees during the event and thanked them for their work.