Excitement is building for the Spring school holiday program, with a range of student workshops and classes designed to cater for all ages, levels of experience and interests.
Council Director Community and Recreation Services Melanie Smith said this Spring program featured previous popular activities for younger kids, while offering new workshops to cater to older tweens and teens and their divergent interests.
“Children living on the Coast have a huge selection of activities to choose from, delivered by our regional gallery, libraries, leisure centres, environmental and youth services teams, with the majority being free or affordably priced,” she said.
“We have amazing art tutors in our libraries, where kids can discover their inner artist through drawing Harajuku Fashion, Aussie icons like Bubble O’Bill or painting their own Squishmallow portrait.
“We also have papier-mache mask making, Mandala painting on silk, and Halloween jewellery and tote bag workshops.
“Tween tech-obsessed kids will love Mario Kart switch gaming or our Ozobots robotics experience.
“Teens will love Dungeons and Dragons, Skateboard Deck Art, Warhammer – Mordheim! fantasy miniatures, and using the library’s iPads and Cricut machine to personalise their own t-shirt.
“For our animal lovers we have two amazing projects they can get involved with, Pet Pals and the Platy-project Kayak Tour.
“Platy-project is a community platypus survey event, where kids can explore Ourimbah Creek by kayak to learn more about where this elusive creature lives,” Smith said.
Other activities include the Pet Pal workshops at Council’s Charmhaven animal care facility on October 2 and 10, where kids can learn how to be responsible pet owners and ensure safety around animals.
Activities will also include Parker Gets a Pet storytime, dog toy making, and puppy and kitten meet and greets.
Laycock Street Community Theatre will captivate kids with performances of Apricity: a re-imagining of the Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, which could be a little scary for younger kids, and The Ultimate Magic Show with Jonas Jost, where kids will be speechless with wonder.
Council’s Leisure Centres are always hubs of activity with the swim and sport programs, intensive learn to swim classes, stroke clinics to improve swimming technique, plus pool inflatables, a water slide and a water park for the kids who love water.
Council Administrator Rik Hart said Council’s school holiday program was vital for the community as it provided children with enriching experiences.
“By engaging our youth in fun and educational activities, we nurture their development, strengthen community bonds, and ensure every child can explore, learn, and thrive during the school holidays,” he said.
To find out what’s happening in your part of town, visit Love Central Coast’s School Holiday Guide: School Holidays on the Central Coast | Love Central Coast
Check out centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/events and select the ‘School Holidays’ category to show the full program on offer.