School holiday activities in Melbourne
With the winter school holidays upon us, we compiled a list of exciting ideas to integrate play and learning.
Ever wondered how gravity works or wanted to deep dive into the world of a biologist? The below programs have been carefully designed to ensure that children can have fun, but also build their creative and critical thinking skills.
Do let us know if you plan to do anything science-filled during the holidays.
Holiday Science School holiday Programs at Keon Park Children’s Hub
Budding Scientists
Learn through play in this science workshop designed for early learners! Your child will have a blast as they use their sense and hands-on science toys to explore the concepts of push and pull forces, gravity, energy changes, light and sound and much more! Plus our demonstrator will show you how can you sit on a chair of nails and shoot fog rings across the room… you’ll even get to make gooey slime!
| When | July 9 |
| Time | 10.30 am to 12.00 pm |
| Ages | 3 to 8 years |
| Cost | $22.19 per child including GST and booking fee |
- This is a fully supervised workshop
Extreme Engineering
Get your build on! In this holiday workshop, the kids will have a chance to put their imagination to the test constructing all sorts of contraptions. Engineers take scientific concepts and use them to make things bigger and better. We’ll be exploring the world of engineering through a series of activities designed to make you think creatively around design challenges.
| When | July 9 |
| Time | 1.00 pm – 4.00 pm |
| Ages | 8 to 12 years |
| Cost | $43.29 per child including GST and booking fee |
- This is a fully supervised workshop
ScienceWorks activities for School holidays
Scrappy Circuits
Circuits are used in everything around us. They’re in our phones, they’re in our computers, they’re in our walls, but we don’t often get to see them. In scrappy circuits, get hands-on with circuits and explore what they are and how they work. You’ll get to design and build your own circuits with switches, lights and buttons.
| Where | 2 Booker Street Spotswood, Victoria, 3015 |
| When | Daily | Pumping Station |
| Time | 12.00 pm – 3.30 pm |
| Ages | 7 to 12 years old |
| Cost | Included with Museum Entry | $0-$15 |
Power of Love
Drop-in activity | Outside STEM Lab
How do circuits and push button switches work, and how do we use them? This winter you can light up the room with Powershop’s Power of Love neon sign. Complete the circuit with a buddy to see all the colours of the rainbow!
| Where | 2 Booker Street Spotswood, Victoria, 3015 |
| When | Drop in activity | Outside STEM Lab |
| Ages | 7 to 12 years old |
| Cost | Included with Museum Entry | $0-$15 |
Planetarium and Lightning Room
If that’s not enough, head over to the High Voltage Theatre to learn about lightning, or the Planetarium to go on a journey through the sky.
Lightning Room shows
Bolt from the Blue: 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm
Planetarium shows
Tycho to the Moon: 11am & 12pm
Solar System Odyssey: 1pm
Moonbase ONE: 2pm & 3pm
Blackholes: 4pm
CISRO Lab workshops for school holidays
Mini Biologist
Introduce your little scientists to the fascinating microscopic world. Using digital and dissecting microscopes, explore living things up close and make observations. All children receive a magnifying glass to take home.
| When | Sat 6, Mon 8 or Tue 9 July |
| Time | 9.30 am – 10.30 am |
| Ages | 4 to 6 years old |
| Time | 11.00 am – 12.00 pm |
| Ages | 4 to 8 years old |
| Time | 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm |
| Ages | 6 to 8 years old |
| Cost | Member $15.00, Non-member $18.00 |
Kinetic Machines
Learn about the physics of machines, levers, cams and cranks by making a machine with moving parts. Design and build your own kinetic machine to take home.
| When | Wed 10 or Thu 11 July |
| Time | 9.00 am – 3.00 pm |
| Ages | 7 to 11 year olds |
| Cost | Member $85.00, Non-member $95.00 |
Rescue Robots
Introduce your future programmer to coding with this adventure-filled workshop. Use Ozobots to learn the basics of coding and help your robot to get safely across the obstacle course.
| When | Fri 12 or Sat 13 July |
| Time | 9.30 am – 10.30 am |
| Ages | 6 to 8 years old |
| Time | 11.30 am – 12.30 pm |
| Ages | 6 to 10 years old |
| Time | 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm |
| Ages | 8 to 10 years old |
| Cost | Member $13.50, Non-member $15.00 |
Puzzle time
Your child will love being challenged to solve several puzzles, from simple puzzles to three-dimensional complex brain teasers. They will develop problem-solving and complex thinking skills. They will design and make their own puzzle to take home to challenge friends and family. Bring a packed lunch, water bottle and snacks for the day.
| When | Mon 15, Tue 16 or Wed 17 July |
| Time | 9.00 am – 3.00 pm |
| Ages | 7 to 11 years old |
| Cost | Member $85.00, Non-member $95.00 |
Wriggly worm farm
The whole family is invited to learn all about our wriggly worm friends and what they can do for our environment. Use microscopes to observe worm anatomy and test the soil quality. Parents are encouraged to work together with their child to build a habitat to take your new worm pets home.
Parents, guardians and older siblings are free to attend with a young friend.
| When | Thu 18 or Fri 19 July |
| Time | 10.00 am – 11.30 am |
| Ages | 4 to 12 years old |
| Time | 1.00 pm – 2.30 pm |
| Ages | 4 to 12 years old |
| Cost | Member $17.00, Non-member $20.00 |
ACMI School holiday programs
Games lab
Drop in for all-day free play of our exhibition games, including high-budget global hits and locally-made gems
| When | Daily |
| Time | 10.00 am – 5.00 pm |
| Cost | Free |
What activity are you most excited about these winter school holidays?
You can also have fun during these school holidays by being part of the InquiBox as we explore the theme of “electronic circuits and wearable tech” this month. Extra reading: check out our posts on 10 fascinating science-images and our blog on 11 Prominent mathematicians and their discoveries.
