Below I outline some fun school holiday activities in Melbourne for the upcoming September/October school holidays.
If you are after tips on making the most of the school holidays and actually enjoying them with the kids, you might like to check out my School Holiday Tips post.
You can scroll through the school holiday activities or click on the activity of interest from the list below to jump directly to that item.
Melbourne School Holiday Activities:
- Scooby Doo Live
- Technology Workshops
- The Little Mermaid High Tea
- Men of Steel’s Hard Rubbish
- Cooks’ Cottage Spring Holiday Program
- Box Hill Community Arts Centre School Holiday Program
- Footscray Community Arts Centre October School Holiday Workshops
- Puppets at Fed Square
- ArtPlay Backyard
- School Holiday Programs at Riverslide
Scooby Doo Live
SCOOBY-DOO LIVE! MUSICAL MYSTERIES will return to Australia in time for the September school holidays. The strictly limited return will land in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and tickets are now on sale.
SCOOBY-DOO LIVE! MUSICAL MYSTERIES was originally written and developed by Australian producer Life Like Touring in Melbourne and enjoyed two successful Australian tours, which played to over 50,000 people in 2011 and 2012. Based on the ever-popular SCOOBY-DOO animated series from Hanna-Barbera, the musical includes an original script and original songs, alongside the fan-favorite classic SCOOBY-DOO theme song and beloved characters.
The production was such a success with a resounding response in Australia that Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Life Like Touring brought the show to North America during the first half of 2013.
Ages: All ages, suitable largely for 5 – 10 year olds
Dates/Locations: Monday 23 September
Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, VIC
Saturday 28 September
Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, WA
Wednesday 2 October
Capitol Theatre, Haymarket, Sydney NSW
Time/s: Three shows each day per city – 11.30am, 2pm and 4.30pm
Cost: $39 – $49 per ticket
Bookings: www.scoobydoolive.
More information: www.
Technology Workshops
Allison Briscoe is a co-founder of new local business called Techkids. Allison is also a mum from the kinder my son attends and is one very smart lady, so I imagines these sessions will be fantastic.
Lego Education WeDo Workshop
Ages: 7 to 9
Date/s: 23/9 or 27/9
Time/s: 9am – 3pm
Location: BATCH (Bulleen and Templestowe Community House) @ 284 Thompsons Road, Lower Templestowe 3107
Cost: $99
Bookings: Online at http://www.techkids.com.au/
More information: Does your child love building with LEGO? TechKids’ workshop uses LEGO construction sets to introduce young children to robotics. The children will work in groups to build LEGO models featuring working motors and sensors and then learn to program their models.
Elementary Robotics Workshop
Ages: 7 – 12
Date/s: 24/9
Time/s: 9am – 3pm
Location: BATCH (Bulleen and Templestowe Community House) @ 284 Thompsons Road, Lower Templestowe 3107
Cost: $99
Bookings: Online at http://www.techkids.com.au/
More information: This TechKids workshop is designed to allow children to learn principles of engineering through play, building and experimenting.
The children will get to learn with the latest innovations in educational technology like Cubelets (magnetic blocks that can be snapped together to make an endless variety of robots with no programming and no wires) and Makey Makey (an invention kit that can turn everyday objects into touchpads). There is no other technology workshop like this around!
Girls’-Only Technology Workshop
Ages: 8 – 12
Date/s: 25/9
Time/s: 9am – 3pm
Location: BATCH (Bulleen and Templestowe Community House) @ 284 Thompsons Road, Lower Templestowe 3107
Cost: $99
Bookings: Online at http://www.techkids.com.au/
More information: TechKids girls’-only technology workshop inspires girls to express their creativity while designing and building their own projects based on a theme. They will even get to insert littleBits (electronic modules that snap together with magnets) into their projects and watch it come alive!
Stop-Motion Animation Workshop
Ages: 7 – 12
Date/s: 26/9
Time/s: 9am – 3pm
Location: BATCH (Bulleen and Templestowe Community House) @ 284 Thompsons Road, Lower Templestowe 3107
Cost: $99
Bookings: Online at http://www.techkids.com.au/
More information: Does your child love movies like Wallace & Gromit and Fantastic Mr. Fox? TechKids stop-animation workshop introduces children to the science and art of stop-motion animation by making their own short film in groups. The children will write their own story, use materials to create the animation and capture the footage.
The Little Mermaid High Tea
My daughter and I have the immense pleasure of attending a Children’s High Tea at the Langham last year. You can see my full review here. We had such a lovely time together. It made for a beautiful special occasion for us to share together. This school holidays the high tea theme is The Little Mermaid.
It is a sweet treat twist on the Disney classic which includes King Triton Cupcake, Flounder Honey Joys, Ocean Jelly Square, Sebastian Cakepop, Ursula Cookie, Star Fish Fairybread, Ham & Cheese Sandwiches and fluffy scones. Served with Ariel Red Hair Lemonade or Babyccino’s.
Ages: 3 – 12.
Date/s: Weekdays from Monday 24 September to Friday 5 October
Time/s: Between 10am and 1pm
Location: ARIA Bar & Lounge, Podium level, The Langham, Melbourne. One Southgate Avenue, Southbank VIC 3006
Cost:
$30 per child*
$45 per child with take home little mermaid book & 3D model set*
$49 per adult
Bookings: Langham restaurant reservations on 1800 641 107 or www.ariabar.com.au
More information: www.ariabar.com.au
*Please note that this event is a food themed promotion. There are no entertainment /activities on the day. Must be accompanied by a full paying adult.
Men of Steel’s Hard Rubbish
From the award-winning Men of Steel comes a new show for the whole family. Soon to be replaced by Swedish flat-packs armed with allen keys, a pile of unloved old furniture learns it’s destined for the council tip. As the hour of their removal approaches, the hard rubbish comes out swinging against their Nordic counterparts. With wrestling armchairs and pirate toilets, this will be a battle for the ages!Bringing new meaning to the term ‘moving house’, these wildly inventive object puppeteers will have the young, and young at heart, rethinking the most ordinary household objects and questioning our disposable culture.
Info and Bookings: http://www.
Cooks’ Cottage Spring Holiday Program
It’s springtime at Cooks’ Cottage. Come and celebrate the season that brings in rejuvenation, replenishment and regrowth to these wonderful gardens.
The Spring is in the Air school holiday program offers a range of fun garden activities for all ages daily during the spring school holidays.
Dates and times: 21st Sept to 6th Oct, 9am – 4.30pm
Location: Cooks’ Cottage, Fitzroy Gardens Wellington Parade, East Melbourne
Cost: Child $5.50, adult $3, concession $2.50
Bookings: No bookings required
More information: 03 9419 5766 or www.cookscottage.com.au
Box Hill Community Arts Centre School Holiday Program
Box Hill Community Arts Centre has a comprehensive school holiday program. You can see the full details here and I have included some highlights below. These sessions always book out so get in asap!
Photogram Workshop Youth
Create, Capture, Print – Photograms – 1 Day $28
Wed 25 Sep 2.30pm – 4.30pm 13 years plus
Create stunning prints in the manner of Surrealist artist Man Ray by placing objects on photosensitive paper and exposing it to light.
More information and bookings: www.bhcac.com.au
Shoot a movie
Shoot a Movie – 2 Days – $120
Thurs 3 Oct – Friday 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Working in small teams, learn the basics of how to plan, write, storyboard, direct, shoot and edit a short film. *Price is for 2 Sessions
More information and bookings: www.bhcac.com.au
Family Totem Poles
Sat 7 Sept, 11:30am – 1:30pm
Spend Saturday morning creating a unique totem pole for the garden in this fun family activity. (Firing and Clay is included in this cost)
Cost: $34 – 1 Adult and 1 Child – $14 for each extra child.
More information and bookings: www.bhcac.com.au
Footscray Community Arts Centre October School Holiday Workshops
Footscray Community Arts Centre has three fun arts-filled days of circus, animation, dance and visual arts to foster the skills of your young artist.
Bookings now open. For information contact reception {at} footscrayarts(.)com or phone 03 9362 8888
When: 10am – 3pm Tuesday 1 October, Wednesday 2 October and Thursday 3 October
Cost: $165 full / $110 concession (3 days), $70 full / $50 concession (single day)
Before care: $8 After care: $15. Places limited. Bookings essential. Phone reception on 03 9362 8888.
Puppets at Fed Square
Fed Square has two puppet activities this school holidays, both which are free.
In this innovative program, animation, puppetry and learning are brought together in a workshop where children can make their own animated puppets that come to life on Fed Square’s public screens. Kids can create their own robot-like characters, control them with Kinect technology and see them animated on the screen in real-time.
Produced by motion graphics artist Georgie Pinn, this free program is a fantastic way for your children to learn creatively in a relaxed environment.
Where: The Atrium
When: 23, 24, 29, 30 September + 1 October, 10am – 12pm + 2pm – 4pm
Price: Free
More info: www.behance.net/georgie
ArtPlay Backyard
Come and play in the ArtPlay Backyard. They’ll have all sorts of materials on hand for you to create your artwork. Draw in the sand, build sculptures with recycled and natural materials or muck about with water. Make a mandala, wrap up some rope or ribbon and dream up your own mini landscape. Anything is possible. And don’t forget to bring a hat!
Come along in the September school holidays on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Location: ArtPlay Birrarung Marr Batman Avenue
Age: Family
Dates and times: 25/09/2013 to 24/11/2013
Wed: 10.30am – 12.30pm
Fri: 10.30am – 12.30pm
Sun: 10.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: This is a free event.
Bookings: N/A – No bookings required
More information: That’s Melbourne
School Holiday Programs at Riverslide
Want to learn to skate, scoot or BMX? Enrol in a skate, scooter or BMX lesson at Riverslide Skate Park these school holidays.
The sessions are fun with a focus on getting active. Each lesson is one-hour in duration and all the equipment you’ll need is supplied.
Ages: for ages four and up.
Location: Riverslide Skate Park, Residence Alexandra Gardens Alexandra Avenue Melbourne
Dates and times: 24/09/2013 to 04/10/2013
Mon: 10.30am – 2.30pm
Tues: 10.30am – 2.30pm
Wed: 10.30am – 2.30pm
Sessions are one hour in duration and start at 10.30am, 12pm and 1.30pm
Cost: $16.50 per person (in a group lesson). $45 flat rate per person (private lesson).
Bookings: available via 03 9663 0495 or Click here to book
More information: That’s Melbourne