The winter holidays can be the most challenging in the cold country of New England, but there’s plenty going on to keep the kids occupied and out of the house.
Food and film festivals, theatre projects and roller discos are among the activities the NSW Government will make available to young people in regional NSW during the upcoming winter school holidays through the Holiday Break Program.
Minister for Youth Rose Jackson said more than 120 programs covering everything from art and science to sport and cultural connectedness will be on offer to young people, allowing them to expand their horizons over the break.
“The Holiday Break program offers a range of free activities for young people and will cater to all sorts of interests ensuring there’s something for everyone these school holidays,” Ms Jackson said.
“Every young person in regional NSW should be able to access fun and engaging activities regardless of where they live.”
A full list is searchable on the NSW Government website here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/regional-nsw/holiday-fun-for-regional-youth
Here’s some local highlights:
Armidale
PCYC School Holiday Program
Children aged 6-12 can attend PCYC Armidale between 9am and 3pm throughout the holidays where they can enjoy a variety of safe, fun, creative, and inclusive school holiday activities. Activities include laser tag, mini Olympics, puzzles, and discos. View the full range of activities here.
Cost: $40 per day. An annual Junior membership of $15 per year is also required. Creative Kids vouchers can be used.
How to Book: Email armidale@pcycnsw.org.au or phone 02 6772 1023.
New England Regional Art Museum School Holiday Workshops
NERAM Armidale is holding Cake Decorating and Batik Printing workshops on July 12 (cake decorating) and July 13 (Batik). There will be a workshop each day between 10am-12.30pm for children aged 5-9, and a second workshop from 1.30pm-4pm for ages 9+. In the cake decorating workshop, children will learn to make icing, fill piping bags, and pipe onto cakes and cupcakes with various nozzles. In the Batik printing workshop, children will substitute the traditional hot wax method for glue, using shapes and colours from native flora and fauna. Cost: $27 for Cake Decorating and $38 for the Batik Printing.
How to Book: Click here to book your child’s place.
Armidale and Guyra: Library Activities
Activities: School-aged children can attend DIY craft workshops, watch movies, and experience virtual reality (ages 10+ only). There will also be take home kits available from 4 July. ‘How to Bake Damper Kits’ and ‘How to Make Winter Craft Kits’ are on offer.
Cost: Free
How to Book: Call Armidale library on 02 6770 3636 or Guyra library on 02 6770 7123 to make a booking.
Gunnedah
One of the key highlights is the free Gunnedah Colour Run on Tuesday, 11 July from 10am to 2pm, funded by the NSW Government. Register from 10am to 10.45am on the corner of Carroll and Maitland streets and join the run from 11am (various start times for different age groups). Finish up at Donnelly Fields with music and a barbecue.
Gunnedah Shire Library will host Book Buddies and Crafty Creations in Gunnedah and Curlewis, with a Dr. Seuss theme. There is also a trivia afternoon on Wednesday, 12 July (don’t forget to dress-up!) and a scavenger hunt that will run throughout the holidays. Find all the colourful characters! Ring the Library on (02) 6740 2190 to book or find out more.
Over at The Civic Theatre, catch $11 movies Spider-Man Across the Spider-verse (prizes for best-dressed!)and Elemental on 6 and 13 July. There’s also a free screening of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One on Wednesday, 12 July and a free screening of Monsters, Inc. at the PCYC on Friday, 14 July. Free transport and a barbecue dinner are on offer.
Kids full of beans? Head along to Gunnedah PCYC for laser tag, multi-sports, turbo touch and paint ‘n’ shake. Looking for something different? Join free creative workshops from 3-7 July for Years 3 to 6 and ages 12 to 18 and sing, act, write and perform with direction from musician Sewa Emojong and animator Isla Mowbray. To find out more, visit www.gunnedahconservatorium.com.au.
View the Gunnedah School Holiday Program here: https://www.thecivic.com.au/youth.
Tamworth
PCYC School Holiday Program
Children aged 5-13 can attend PCYC from 9am-3pm throughout the holidays for plenty of fun. Activities include laser tag, gymnastics, paint & shake, jumping castles, boxing, and craft. View the full range of activities here.
Cost: $45-50 depending on the day’s activities. Optional $6 lunch and drink daily.
How to Book: To book your child’s place, click here.
Tamworth Library School Holiday Program
Children 5+ can participate in foam mosaic, novel writing, creating lion knot pillows, rock painting, building LEGO, and engineering challenges. Children aged 2-5 can enjoy story time, arts, and crafts.
Cost: Free
How to Book: To view the full range of activities available and register for your child to attend the free programs, click here.
Tamworth Regional Gallery Winter School Holiday Workshops
Tamworth Regional Gallery is holding the following workshops:
– Cartoon Backgrounds with Danny Stanley (Tuesday 4 July).
– Paper Hands with Jo-Anne Barr (Wednesday 5 July).
– Movie Making with Danny Stanley (Thursday 6 July).
– Bubble Wrap Painting with Jo-Anne Barr (Tuesday 11 July).
– Charcoal Drawing with Emma Stanley (Wednesday 12 July).
– Creating with Nature with Joanna Stead (Thursday 13 July).
Each workshop will run from 10.30am-11.30am for 5-8 year olds, 12pm-1.30pm for 8-12 year olds and 2.30pm-4.30pm for 10-16 year olds.
Cost: $10 for 5-8 year olds, $15 for 8-12 year olds, and $20 for 10-16 year olds.
How to Book: Click here to book your child’s place.
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