It’s the staycation we had to have. The school holidays kick off this afternoon through to Tuesday morning 5 October and though the ACT is still in lockdown, there’s plenty of fun to be had.
Here’s a list of things – indoors or outdoors, free or with a fee – to keep the family entertained through these school holidays at home. Just be sure to abide by lockdown restrictions wherever you go in the ACT.
If you have a suggestion, please email [email protected] and we’ll aim to add it to our growing list. More to come!
OUTDOORS – FREE
Visit historic Duntroon Dairy
If you want to stay away from the crowds walking around Lake Burley Griffin central basin, historic Duntroon Dairy is well worth a visit. (It was otherwise deserted when CW visited earlier this week.) Duntroon Dairy is believed to be the oldest standing building in the ACT and has an interesting farming history. This National Trust treasure is located off Kelliher Drive in Russell. There’s a locked gate up to the dairy but you can park the car and walk up to the site. Find out more here.
Explore Jerrabomberra Wetlands
A unique ecosystem in the heart of Canberra, Jerrabomberra Wetlands serves as refuge to the protected Lathams’ Snipe and many other species. All mapped walks are pram and wheelchair accessible. You can even take free guided tours of the wetlands using a free app. Kids will enjoy spotting birdlife from one of the bird hides – an added bonus for grown-ups being some quiet time as everyone needs to shush so as not to scare the birds away! Free off-street parking at the end of Dairy Road in Fyshwick and also Eyre Street in Kingston. Visit www.jerrabomberrawetlands.org.au for details.
Take a walk
Make the most of your two hours of permitted outdoor activity outside the home by taking a walk in nature. Canberra has an abundance of nature reserves and parks with at least one in almost every suburb, so you’re sure to find some green space not too far from home. If climbing a hill might be too much for the little ones – or the adults – on day one of school holidays, many of the ACT’s higher peaks, like Mount Taylor, have gentle undulating paths around their base. Or challenge yourself by going a little further or higher each day. Note, places like Mount Taylor lack toilet facilities. BYO water and snacks and take any rubbish home with you.
Follow the tulip trail
Floriade might have been cancelled again this year due to you-know-what, but tens of thousands of bulbs and flowers have been distributed across the ACT from north to south, east to west and are bursting with colour throughout spring. To find plantings near you, check out the interactive map here.
Canberra Outlet Activity Box
In lieu of the Canberra Outlet Centre’s usual school holiday events, they’re shipping out the fun these hols, through boxes packed full of activities including a DIY bird house with paints, a herb and seed planting kit, DIY spring straw flowers, a backyard scavenger hunt, kid friendly recipe cards and more!
“Normally, we’d be executing amazing school holiday activities in centre, but we didn’t want children to miss out simply because we’re in lockdown,” says Centre Manager, Claire Read.
“We’ve created these activity packs with spring at the forefront. Our kids have spent the past few weeks in front of the computer screen. These activity packs provide a reason to switch the screens off and get outside and enjoy the sunshine in your backyard,” she says. The best part about the packs is that they’re completely free.
To access, parents need to sign up to the Canberra Outlet Kid’s Club via their website, then follow the email prompts.
INDOORS – FREE/LOW COST
ACT Library resources delivered free
Canberrans have more opportunities to lose themselves in a good book now they can register for free, contactless delivery of ACT library resources. The popular Mystery Box and Home Library services are back, delivering books and DVDs to your front door for free, in a COVID-safe way.
Canberrans who want to request a Mystery Box can choose from a list of categories that interest them. This can include books or DVDs, across categories like mystery, thriller, romance, and children’s picture books. The library team will use this list to hand-pick a surprise collection for delivery.
With library branches closed, the digital resources section of the Libraries ACT website has boomed. Many Canberrans have used it for the first time, and downloads from the video streaming service Kanopy increased by 67 per cent over the last few weeks.
A new digital-only program – the ‘Too Busy Book Club’, including a Facebook discussion group – got off to a great start, with more than 300 members.
Enquiries can be submitted through the Libraries ACT website, and skilled library staff will assist and respond.
Create a sensory bin out of household items
Sensory bins are a great way to help young children explore and interact with different textures and consistencies while developing their fine motor skills. They give children the opportunity to increase their cognitive development with hands-on tactile play that engages all their senses.
Step 1: Find a good-sized container that will work for your child.
Step 2: Choose a filler for the container. Some great options are:
- Rice dyed with food colouring
- Sand
- Water
- Orbeez
- Playdough
- Coloured dry pasta
- Shredded paper
Step 3: Add tools to the container. Some great options are:
- Measuring cups
- Tongs
- Spoons
- Funnels
- Toys
And that’s all your preparations done! You can now just sit back and watch them play independently for hours.
Sustainability and Your Stuff: Workshop for Kids
Brought to you by the Canberra Environment Centre, Sustainability and Your Stuff is an online, interactive workshop for primary school aged kids on how sustainable the stuff in our homes is, where the materials come from, and why we should care.
This workshop focuses on educating little environmentalists on how our choices of what we buy and use impact our planet, why we should look at the stories behind our stuff, and a few practical steps we can take to create a more sustainable future.
The first class is Monday 27 September, running 12-1pm. This is a pay-as-you-feel event, with a suggested price of $10 per child. Book via Eventbrite.
Sustainability Scavenger Hunt
The second online, interactive event that Canberra Environment Centre has on offer is the Sustainability Scavenger Hunt. To join in the Zoom scavenger hunt, you’ll need a notepad and pen, as well as a desire to learn about sustainability by exploring your own home.
The workshop will teach primary school aged kids about things we have around our homes that are making a difference to our world. Attendees will also get to join a sustainability tour of CEC coordinators, Julie and Chrissie’s homes, before they embark on scavenger hunts around their own houses.
The scavenger hunt will be on Wednesday 29 September 3-4pm and is another pay-as-you-feel event, since everyone is welcome. Book via Eventbrite.
Canberra Centre’s Magical Secret Garden
Canberra Centre has created an exclusive indoor activity pack to keep the little ones engaged and entertained at home.
From Monday 20 September until Sunday 3 October, children can explore the Secret Garden virtual reality activity that can be accessed from home, on-the-go, or anywhere their mobile device takes them!
To access the Secret Garden, parents will be asked to fill in a registration form via Canberra Centre’s website.
Upon registering, they will receive an email to download a fun colouring in booklet that contains the drawings of four doors and their unique QR codes taking the kids to different parts of the Secret Garden.
Kids will explore different sights that will allow them to complete colouring in sheets after visiting the Secret Garden.
It’s free to register for the Secret Garden, plus, each participant will go in the draw to win 1 of 20 School Holiday craft packs valued at over $100 each.
To register, visit Canberra Centre’s website: Explore The Magical Secret Garden.
INDOORS – COST
Jamie’s online cooking classes
In association with The Good Foundation, Jamie Oliver’s online school holiday cooking program will be Zooming into kitchens all over Australia once more, starting 20 September. His online courses were a hit in lockdown last year, and now they offer locked-down parents some much-needed alone time, while kids get positive screen time.
The school holiday program will teach students aged 12 and up the basics of food, nutrition and cooking, as well as some of Jamie’s special tips and tricks! Participants will learn how to make meals from scratch, by baking, grilling, sautéing, boiling and roasting fresh ingredients.
Why not use this lockdown to arm your kids with skills to take well into adulthood? Jamie’s one-hour classes are running Monday 20 September to Friday 24 September, each day at 1.30pm.
For more information, fees and bookings, visit www.thegoodfoundation.com.au
