School Holiday Activities – Melbourne July 2012

We are going to be staying in Melbourne these holidays, taking time to a have mid year break with plenty of rest and some fun local activities.

Here are some which have caught my eye!

Melbourne Vixens netball clinics

Melbourne Vixens School Holiday Clinics
Our daughter started netball this year and is loving it. So I searched out netball clinics during the school holidays and these ones by the Melbourne Vixens look great:

The NetSetGo! program is an introductory netball program for children. The program has been developed to provide children with the best possible learning and playing experience that enables them to develop a positive introduction to netball, ensuring enjoyment and continued participation within the sport.

Ages: 5 – 8 year olds

Dates and times:

  • Tuesday 3 July – Knox Regional Netball Centre, 9.00am – 3.00pm
  • Wednesday 4 July – Specialist Clinic State Netball Hockey Centre
  • Thursday 5 July – Net Set Go! 10am – 11.30am, State Netball Hockey Centre, 5-8 yrs
  • Thursday 5 July – State Netball Hockey Centre, 1.00pm – 4.00pm
  • Tuesday 10 July – State Netball Hockey Centre, 9.00am – 3.00pm
  • Thursday 12 July – Ballarat Netball Association, 10.00am – 2.00pm

Location: Various
Cost: $40 – $55
Bookings: required and can be made online
More information: Melbourne Vixens

LEGO Workshops

I do love LEGO! I was told about Create and Learn by a mum from kinder, who run LEGO workshops in our local area during the school holidays. The dates for this school holidays are not on the website, but will be updated soon, so take a look in another week or so.

For those who live closer to Albert Park, Create and Learn are running a couple of workshops at Gasworks as well:

Simple Mechanisms – These activities encourage children to work as young scientists, engineers and designers through hands on activities by real world investigations and problem-solving. In pairs, the children build the models following appropriate instructions and then observe their behaviour.
Funtasy – The Funtasy workshop sparks children’s imaginations as they create their own stories and act out beloved fairy tales and popular themes (pirates, witch and wizard, king and queen, and many more) using a variety of settings and LEGO figurines. This activity also encourages development of children’s social and communication skills.

Ages: 4 – 14
Date/s: Monday 9 July
Time/s: 10.15am to 11am OR 11.30am to 12.15pm
Location: 21 Graham Street, Albert Park
Cost: $25
Bookings: required and can be made online
More information: Gasworks School Holiday Program

Ski City School Holiday Program

Indoor Skiing Melbourne
We went to Ski City earlier this year and had a fantastic time. This school holidays they are running 3 day programs for skiing and snow boarding across both weeks.
Ages: School age
Date/s:Tuesday 3rd July, Wednesday 4th July, Thursday 5th July and Tuesday 10th July, Wednesday 11th July, Thursday 12th July
Time/s: 9am -11am and 1pm – 3pm
Location: 4/148 Chesterville Road Cheltenham
Cost: $105 for 3 x 2hr sessions
Bookings: required and can be made online
More information: School Holiday Programs Winter 2012

Instant Rockstar

School Holiday Activities – Melbourne July
Create your very own song using lots of cool music samples and then use the track to make a great music video. All participants will receive a DVD of their work.
Ages: 8-12. All kids must be accompanied by an adult. Accompanying adult free.
Date/s: Wednesday 4 July and Friday 6 July
Time/s: 10.30am Duration: 2.5 hours
Location: Digital Learning Hub, Arts Centre – St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Cost: $22 per child
Bookings: by phone 1300 182 183 or online
More information: Arts Centre website

Family Art Session


We have attended a number of family sessions at Box Hill Community Arts Centre and enjoyed them all. You can see our family canvas here and we have also made a family of ducks (clay) and a massive collage. The collage was agreed by all the kids to be the most fun and it was the one I found most enjoyable with the kids too.

This school holidays they have the following family sessions:
Family Clay Birdbath
Monday 2 July
$33 9.45am 11.45am

Family Clay – Funky Flower Pot
Monday 9 July
$33 9.30am – 11.30am

Prices include 1 Adult and 1 child, extra children $13.50.

Family Prayer Flags
Wednesday 11 July
1 Day $5 per person

Enrolments can be made by:

  • Phone 9895 8888. Credit card payment required.
  • Mail  – register your enrolment then send a cheque payable to ‘City of Whitehorse’ to BHCAC, 470 Station Street, Box Hill 3128.
  • Visit The Centre office at 470 Station Street, Box Hil,l  Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm. We accept EFTPOS, credit card, cash or cheque.
  • Online Complete online enquiry form and they will contact you to confim the details and your registration.

For those not near Box Hill, check your local community arts centre to see what they have on offer for the July School Holidays.

Scienceworks Wallace and Grommit

You can see my full review of Wallace and Gromit At Scienceworks, but in short we thought it was fabulous!
Location:
Scienceworks – 2 Booker St Spotswood, Victoria, 3015

Opening Times:
Daily, 19 May – 11 Nov 2012
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Cost:
Entry to Scienceworks only:
Adult $10.00, Child (3-16 years) Free, Concession Free (Museum Victoria Members receive discounted entry.)

Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention (on top of Scienceworks entry):
Adult $9, Child $6, Concession $7.50

Bookings:
Can me made online here.

Or by phone:
13 11 02 (Victoria only) 03 9392 4800 (Australia-wide) +61 3 9392 4800 (International)

IMAX – To the Arctic

We saw Born to be Wild at IMAX a few months ago which we all adored. It is currently still screening at IMAX Melbourne.

To the Arctic will be screening over the school holidays and it looks just as gorgeous:

Ages: Family
Date/s: Various from 21 June. Check website closer to date for exact session times.
Location: Rathdowne Street, Carlton within the Melbourne Museum complex.
Cost:
Adult $18.00
Child $13.50
Concession $14.50
Student $14.50
Family 1Ad + 1Ch $30.00, Family 1Ad + 2Ch $40.00, Family 2Ad + 1Ch $45.00, Family 2Ad + 2Ch $55.00, Extra Child $11.50
Bookings: can be made online on the IMAX website
More information: IMAX Melbourne

Melbourne Museum – The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia

melbourne museum
I have heard great things about The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia Exhibition at Melbourne Museum.

It will feature over 170 artefacts from the world famous Middle East collection of The British Museum. From massive carved stone reliefs depicting scenes of battles and hunting to stunning gold jewellery.

This exhibition focuses on three of the great centres of ancient civilisation – Sumer, Assyria and Babylon – bringing their rich history to life through objects and multimedia.

Ages: Family
Date/s and times:
Daily, 4 May – 7 Oct 2012
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Extended Hours
Thursday evenings, until 9:00 PM
Last entry 7:30 PM

Location: Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton Gardens
Cost:

Adults $24, concession $16, children $14, school groups $10 per student. All tickets include entry to Melbourne Museum. MV Members receive discounted entry.

Buy tickets online

Telephone Bookings: 13 11 02 (Victoria only), 1300 130 152 (Australia-wide), +61 3 8341 7777 (International)

Local libraries

Local libraries have great low cost activities for kids during school holidays. They generally book out very quickly so, booking now would be a good idea! Here is just a snap shot of what is happening around Melbourne:

Boroondara Libraries Go Global – School Holiday Program
Bookings open June 22 and Highlights include:

Cityscapes @ Ashburton
Suitable for school age children
When: Wednesday 11 July, 11am
Build your own global city in miniature using recycled goods.

Dreamtime Down Under @ Balwyn
Suitable for school age children
When: Friday 13 July, 11am
Learn about the art of Australia’s indigenous people and create your own beautiful dot-painting.

Full details here.

Wyndham City Libraries
School holiday activities Melbourne

Wyndham City Libraries don’t have their winter program online yet, but you can see a snapshot above of what their autumn program looked like. Check their website as it gets closer to school holidays

They also have excellent programs which are FREE during the term like:

Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Yarra Plenty Regional Library also have a number of free activities for the July School Holidays. Highlights include:

Race a Cardboard Boat – 2nd Annual Scrapheap Challenge
When: Fri Jul 13 2:00 pm
Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Library Location: Mill Park
Join us as we up-cycle boxes and other cardboard wonders and then race them in the Library
More info here

African Drumming Workshop
When: Tuesday 3 July 10.15am
Duration: 1 hour
Library Location: Diamond Valley Library
Make some noise with Shabba from African Star Dance & Drumming Company in this hour of fun drumming.
Suitable for primary students. Bookings required.

You can find out more info on the Yarra Plenty Regional Library website and you can download the school holiday program brochure here.

Stonnington Libraries July 2012 Holiday Program
Stonnington Libraries have a great school holiday program lined up which you can see in full here – some activities are already booked out!

Crafty Craftworks – round robin style crafternoon and choose from three creative projects to make and take home with you.
Wednesday 11 July, 1.30pm – 3pm, Toorak/South Yarra Library.
Bookings: 8290 8000 or Book Online

Kidsflicks: Pinocchio (G, 85 mins) – Originally released in 1940, this classic tale about a wooden puppet and his quest to come to become a real boy still captivates and enchants children of all ages.
Friday 13 July, 11am – 12.30pm, Prahran Library. Bookings: 8290 3344 or Book Online.

 

Queen Victoria Market School Holiday Activities Week 1 – Kids Footy Forum

Bring the family down to Queen Victoria Market over the Winter School Holidays to celebrate your love of the game and meet some of your favourite players. Don’t forget to dress in your team colours and bring your Guernsey to get signed by your favourite AFL star.

Come down and try your luck at the Handball Competition.  Hosted by a Nathan Brown, the workshop is a fantastic way to get your kid’s involved in the footy action. You can even take on one of our AFL champions. Heats will run daily from 10am with Finals and a Grand Final being held each day.    We will even reward the best handball skills with some special prizes.

Tuesday 3rd July

  • Footy Panel from 10am to 12pm with Drew Petrie from North Melbourne Football Club and Angus Monfries from Essendon Football Club.
  • Handball Target Competition.

Thursday 5th July

  • Footy Panel from 10am to 12pm with Leigh Montagna from St Kilda Football Club and Jack Trengove from Melbourne Football Club
  • Handball Target Competition.

When: Tuesday, 3 & 5 July

Time: 10am – 1pm

Where: L Shed, Queen Victoria Market

More info: http://www.qvm.com.au/qvm/events

Wonderland Fun Park Circus Spectacular

school holiday activities melbourne
Wonderland Fun Park presents the amazing and hilarious Circus Spectacular under the Big Top Spiegeltent with acts of intrigue and wonder from Australia’s top circus performers.

Dates: 30 June  to 15 July

Times: Various

Location: 110 Pearl Road, Docklands

Early Bird Ticket prices:

You can buy a Circus Spectacular Show only ticket or a Super Unlimited Rides Pass which includes the show, unlimited rides and walk on water balls.

Circus Spectacular show only ticket $15. Buy now for $7.50.
Super Unlimited Rides Pass (show, rides and walk on water balls) $35. Buy now for $25.
Early bird tickets available until Friday June 22nd so book in early for these cheaper ticket prices.

Duration of show: 50 minutes

Ages: Family

Contact: 03 9602 1311 or fun@wonderlandfunpark.com.au

Booking and more info: Wonderland Fun Park 

Vegecation

Kids Activities Melbourne

From potting their own plant to learning about bugs in the garden, kids will rediscover the joy of outdoor play, even as the weather gets cooler. With an aim to inspire curiosity about the world around them while emphasising the importance of sustainability around the home, Vegecation is a school holiday program that is great for children and parents alike.

Where: Centro Box Hill North Precinct (opposite the food court)

When:  9 – 13 July 2012

What time: 11am to 2pm each day, interactive play times: 11.30am and 1pm

Age : Aimed at children aged six – 15 and their families

Price: FREE to attend. Every child receives a free apron to take home.

What are you doing in the upcoming July school holidays?

Please note I have attended many, but not all these events. You will need to use your own discretion as to whether they are suitable for your family.