Orange City Councils’ school holiday activities are in full swing this month, with loads of fun, educational activities for children of all ages.
Orange City Library, Orange Regional Museum, Orange Regional Gallery and Orange Youth Hub are offering a bumper program of events over the next three weeks, most of which are free to attend.
Antariksa’s Co-Prosperity #5
Orange Mayor Jason Hamling said Orange City Council’s school holiday events calendar was full of activities to cater for a range of interests.
“With so much to do this summer break, there is sure to be something to beat the school holiday boredom. Parents can have a break while the kids have a great time at one of our wonderful Council facilities,” Cr Hamling said.
“Some of the activities are linked to exhibitions and programs currently at the gallery, museum and library, which provides a great opportunity to be creative and learn about something new while having fun.
“Parents and carers should know staff are doing their best to run these events so that they manage the COVID-risks as best as they can. Parents too need to play their part in considering those risks.”
Summer school holiday activities are already underway at the Orange Youth Hub. The youth hub is open from noon to 8pm each weekday during the school holidays for young people aged 12 to 24 to hang out.
Pawcasso by Remy Lai
Upcoming activities include a colour run, water games, mural painting, multicultural cooking, gaming and movies, as well as sports such as touch football, basketball, ping pong and bubble soccer.
Orange City Library’s One Library One Book Kids program is back this summer, with a range of activities based on the heartwarming read Pawcasso by Remy Lai. Children can borrow a copy from the library and join in the fun, including video chats with the author and a pet portrait workshop.
The library is also hosting the popular children’s summer reading club, and the IndyReads Summer Book Club with the State Library of NSW.
Other activities on offer at the library these holidays include LEGO making, tech toys and robotics, science experiments, sewing, a cardboard armour challenge and a Toonworld graphic novel workshop, while children can drop in for DIY craft every day.
Orange Regional Museum’s school holiday activities are based on its exhibition Child’s Play: Growing up in Orange in the 1950s and 1960s. It will kick off its program with a free guided family tour of the exhibition at 10am on Monday 17 January, with another tour at 10am on Tuesday 25 January.
On Tuesday 18 January children can experiment with transfers, stamps, collage and stencils to make their own newspaper front page, and on Wednesday 19 January they can design and build their own cardboard pinball machines, while on Monday 24 January kids can get busy making badges inspired by the Scouts.
CHILD’S PLAY: Take a free guided tour of the Orange Regional Museum exhibition.
Current exhibitions at the newly renovated Orange Regional Gallery have shaped its activity program, with Karla Dickens’ exhibition A Dickensian Sideshow inspiring collage and sculpture workshop, while an experimental drawing workshop is based on Antariksa’s Co-Prosperity #5 exhibition.
An upcoming exhibition The Arena is the basis for a mixed media mascot design workshop, with the final products to be displayed as part of the exhibition from 29 January to 13 March.
All activities and booking links can be found on Council’s school holiday events calendar.
