INTOUCH MAGAZINE| July School Holiday Guide 2020

School Holiday

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Keep Your IsoSanity Close to Home These School Holidays!

WORDS MIA KYRIKOS

For most, the Winter School Holidays this year will look a little different. While we are staying close to home, it might seem impossible to keep the little mischief-makers from going stir-crazy.

But, we can promise plenty is going on right here in our backyard. Check out our sanity-saving list of all the hottest holiday hits happening around town these school holidays.

Newcastle Art Gallery Calling all little Picasso’s - Newcastle Art Gallery is open!

You can easily pre-book your free Gallery session and view the visual feast with your little artist. For those on the lookout for something more hands-on, join a Newcastle Art Gallery Educator for a free 30-minute online class using materials from around the home! The classes are free; however, bookings are essential. To book your visit or for information about the dedicated school holidays weekly events, visit www.nag.org.au Newcastle Library It can be challenging to monitor the kids’ screen-time.

Luckily, downloading the free Newcastle Libraries Australia App is a sure way to make sure you don’t have to. Delight little minds with books, movies, and activities that will help grow their imagination and curiosity. You can download the app on your mobile phone or tablet, log in with your existing library member number, or quickly join online (see page 5).

Your teens will love delving into the subculture of zines, including instructions on how to make their very own, as well as getting crafty with a Magical Mandala Online Maker Tutorial. Visit the “What’s On” page on the Library website for all the necessary information. Visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Library for opening times and more information.

Newcastle Museum Every day is a new opportunity to learn, and school holidays are no exception! Kids are invited to explore the FIRE! Exhibition, wander through A Newcastle Story, watch the BHP Steelmaking Simulation and learn about the history of steel and coal. Kids can also earn about our incredible local Aboriginal history as they explore Cultural Resurgence and Kuueeyung exhibitions.

Open Tuesday to Saturday 9.30 am-1.30 pm, online bookings are essential. Alternatively, join in from home as Newcastle Museum streams live from Facebook on

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Thursday 9th and Thursday 16 July at 3pm. Your kids will be mind-blown by the awesomeness of science!

Download your activities and watch the videos to discover more Museum fun: www.newcastlemuseum.com.au/Discover Blackbutt Reserve

Blackbutt Reserve Winter school holidays are the perfect time to explore Blackbutt Reserve. Grab some emu food from the kiosk, take a stroll along the boardwalk, grab a picnic basket or just go wild in the playground. For the more adventurous, why not take a hike on one of the many walking trails. For more information visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Blackbutt-Reserve Cessnock Library The holidays are a little different this year at Cessnock City Library. But there is still plenty for the family to enjoy. For kids who love building, you can take part in the annual Cessnock City Library Lego competition!

Design your dream home, build your masterpiece, take a photo, and email it to us at the library. To enter, download an entry form from the library’s website and pop it into one of our branches.

The library has also created awesome take-home library craft packs. You can spend the afternoon making your pom-pom, develop a piece of rainbow scratch art, make a funky necklace, and discover the wonders of Quivervision – 3D colouring in! Keep an eye on the library’s Facebook page for demonstrations. ► www.intouchmagazine.com.au | 33

(Continued) Of course, your holiday wouldn’t be complete without a spot of Yoga. Take some time out with Fyona Coulton from YogaBrave and learn some simple relaxation techniques.

Fyona will be presenting live on Cessnock City Library’s Facebook page on Wednesday, 8 July, at 3pm.

Maitland Gaol

amazing parklands and natural areas surrounding our city suburbs. Local illustrator Liz Anelli is working with the City of Newcastle to map our unique green spaces and celebrate the many benefits they bring our community. To help Liz with this enormous task, we’re asking young Novocastrians to create a mud map of their local green space and point out the places that are important to them. All of the details on how to get involved are on our website. Find out more info here: www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/your-backyard At Port Stephens, there’s plenty of fun to be had outdoors.

While the Port Stephens Council won’t be hosting any official school holiday activities this year, you can keep the family fun alive by visiting stunning beaches, going on a bush walks, or by heading to the BMX/skate parks. Don’t forget your helmet!

For more information about recreational centres and their opening status, head here: www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au/ your-council/covid-19/changes-to-facilities-and-services

Lake Mac Libraries Charlestown

Maitland Gaol For more holiday fun, why not take a self-guided audio tour of Maitland Gaol? The ghostly character ‘Snitch the Rat’ leads children on an adventure through the gaol cells. The tour offers a fun and fascinating experience full of facts and stories that will entertain and educate. More details can be found online at www.maitlandgaol.com.au Maitland Regional Art Gallery Keep your sanity when you See, Make & Do at Maitland Regional Art Gallery! Explore six new exhibitions, crack a code breaker art trail, be a design detective, weave a Karritjar (water python), and more. There are free, self-directed art activities available, no bookings required, with visitors asked to register on arrival. More information available at www.mrag.org.au Maitland City Library Branches Have a little author in your midst? Maitland City Library branches have a range of exciting activities available in-branch these school holidays. Explore new worlds with activities on space, get experimental with some great science projects, snap a selfie with a cute and cuddly alpaca, and add a pet to a Wall of Fame. More details on these activities and more are available online at www.maitlandlibrary.com.au Out and About We consider ourselves pretty lucky in Newcastle to have

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School Holidays at Lake Mac Go Wild at Lake Mac Libraries You may have noticed the appearance of some brightly coloured animals at Lake Mac Libraries recently. Each branch is home to a different species; from red monkeys at Charlestown to a blue kangaroo hopping merrily along outside Morisset Library. Now that all the animals are settled in and feeling quite at home, it’s time to bring them to life, with writing, illustrating and zine workshops this July school holidays for kids aged 10–16: Writing and illustrating workshops – A series of two writing or illustration workshops with author Jess Black or illustrator Kirrili Lonergan. Kids will produce a work that will be included in a published book to be distributed around

We are back In Person and Online!

Lake Macquarie. The workshop series is $40 and includes tuition by published author, Jess Black or published illustrator Kirrili Lonergan at two small group workshops (maximum 10 participants per session); Inclusion in the published Go Wild book; all materials and afternoon tea both days.

Zine workshop – Zines are independently published booklets, often created by cutting and glueing text and imagery together. In this workshop, zine legend Bastian Fox Phelan explores zines, how to make them and how to create your very own zine inspired by the wild animals at the libraries. This workshop is for anyone aged 13+ with an interest in writing, drawing, collaging, poetry, fan art and comic books. When: 1–4pm, Thursday 16 July, Charlestown Library. Cost: $25.

For more information on the Go Wild for Libraries program, visit www.library.lakemac.com.au/holidays.

Art is Back at MAC Get crafty and creative at one of the Museum of Art and Culture’s small group hands-on classes: Simple Printmaking – Be inspired by some of the etchings from MAC’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection, and create your own artwork using simple printmaking techniques. Suitable for ages 7+, morning and afternoon sessions available all days. When: Tuesday 7, Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July. Cost: $10.

Connect and Reflect – Explore the exhibition Reconnected: a recovery story and enjoy artmaking with a range of materials based on the concept of hope. Suitable for ages 10+. When: 10.30am–12pm, Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 July. Cost: $10.

For more information on MAC’s school holiday program visit www.mac.lakemac.com.au.

T-Rex Returns to SEEN@Swansea Everyone’s favourite prehistoric villain is back with a brand new exhibition at SEEN@Swansea – Tyrannosaurs: Ultimate Predators. The exhibition is open 10am–2pm seven days a week, with entry by gold coin donation. Depending on guest numbers, you may need to wait in line before entering. We will also be hosting two dino-inspired zine workshops with local illustrator Tallulah Cunningham. When: 10am–11.30am, Wednesday 8 and Wednesday 15 July. Cost: $8.

Visit www.lakemac.com.au.whatson for more information.. Bookings are essential for all activities mentioned above, and places are strictly limited. The health and safety of participants is our top priority, and all events are in line with NSW Government restrictions and physical distancing rules. ■

Your child is unique and our highly trained and experienced teachers customise playful activities to optimise brain development, confidence and creativity!

Holiday Music 0-5+ years Bookings Essential Monday 6th July – Music Tea Party Monday 13th July – Furry Friends Sing and Dance In Person $20 p/child | Online $20 p/family (dates may vary) Get 50% off Holiday Music Promo Code: intouch

Term 3 2020: Mon 20 July–18 Sept. Enrolling now!

Charlestown | Hamilton | New Lambton | Maitland

Ph 0425 227 582 or 0414 848 741 GROWING KIDS THROUGH MUSIC SINCE 2002

Visit www.julieloganmusic.com.au

UnrealVR - Premium Virtual Reality ALL AGES

Hunter Ice Skating

Stadium ALL AGES, ALL ABILITIES Why not try ice skating this school holidays! With two sessions every weekday (10:30am–12:30pm + 1pm–3pm) and one on weekends (11am–3pm), there's plenty of time to give it a go! Enjoy party games like

BOOK ONLINE NOW

www.unrealvr.com.au LOCATED 178 Pacific Hwy, Charlestown E info@unrealvr.com.au PH 4943 0943

limbo and pass the puck, plus a sectioned off area for beginners with available skating frames.

For the non-skating spectators – why not relax in the café while the kids skate!

Rental Skate sizes range from a Kids 9 up to an Adults 14. Lockers are available for a small fee to secure your belongings.

DETAILS 230 Macquarie Road, Warners Bay. Prices are $16 for 6yrs or under, $20 for 7yrs or over, $18 seniors and $65 for a family (1 adult + 3 kids OR 2 adults + 2 kids). These prices include skate hire – with your own skates you will save $4. For more details and other session times please visit the website. www.hiss.com.au

Richmond Vale

Hunter Region

Railway Museum

Botanic Gardens NATURE IS FUN! (5–12yr olds) Come and see what lives in our garden – explore the bush, collect specimens and enjoy craft! 8+15 July, 10.30am–12.30pm. $5 per child. Limited spaces, bookings essential.

Payment in advance required. Garden entry is $3pp, young children must be supervised.

The Gardens will be open from Monday 29th of June, but closed Thursdays. The Kookaburra Café Open 9am–2.30pm, T/A coffee and cake 2.30pm–3.30pm.

You can’t go wrong with this hi-tech, kid-friendly and affordable Charlestown VR venue, boasting two and a half years of excellent VR activities and parties for kids and adults alike.

If the kids have never tried full scale virtual reality; add it to their bucket lists this holiday!

Unlike the Playstation version – our VR allows for completely free movement, all while interacting with the virtual worlds in the headsets. With over 50 games to try; there’s always something fun for everyone, yes even you, nan!

Check out our website and Facebook for details of activities at the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. www.huntergardens.org.au

LOCATED 2100 Pacific Hwy, Heatherbrae PH 4987 1655 E events@huntergardens.org.au

The Mining Museum will be open showing artefacts from the early days of coal mining in the area. An audio-visual program ALL AGES will be running with film clips relating to Take a step back in time to experience the sights and smells of steam at Richmond Vale mining and rail transport.

The Canteen provides hot and cold Railway Museum. Open days are the first drinks, food and snacks or you can bring your three Sundays of each month, plus Sundays in school holidays. The gates open at 9.30am own picnic to enjoy in the bushland setting.

and the first train runs at 10am.

DETAILS 262 Leggetts Drive, Kurri Kurri.

During July there will be a children’s PH 4018 7230 layout on display. The miniature train will be www.richmondvalerailwaymuseum.org providing rides for kids big and small.

OF MAITLAND GAOL THESE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS OPEN SEVEN DAYS

Self guided audio tours daily • Snitch’s Gaol Exploration for the kids • Maitland Gaol Revealed for the adults Measures have been put in place due to Covid-19, please check the website for more information.

t 02 4936 6482 Book online at maitlandgaol.com.au

Hunter Valley

Horseriding & Adventures

ALL AGES Get away from city living and go horseriding!

It’s the perfect day trip – just 30 minutes up the Hunter Expressway. Hunter Valley Horse Riding & Adventures offers trail rides for both beginners and experienced riders – even the tiny tots can ride beautiful ponies with qualified guides leading the way. We also offer full day horse riding camps for the

teens (12-16 yrs old) where they will get to groom and feed horses, learn about looking after horses, saddlery, and of course ride!

Other activities on offer include ATV tours, tractor hay rides to feed the animals, pedal go karts, farm animals, BBQ facilities and mountain bike trails (byo bike).

If you feel like staying a little longer, we offer great guest house and semi self contained villa accommodation, where kids stay free during school holidays! (Villas only).

Be quick to book, as we have limited spots available.

DETAILS Open 7 days, 288 Talga Road, Lovedale. Bookings are required.

PH Margaret on 4930 7111 or 0417 233 008, or visit www.huntervalleyhorseriding.com.au

Indulge your wild side

Toboggan Hill Park ALL WEATHER FAMILY FUN! Toboggan Hill Park, located just off Salamander Way at Nelson Bay, has activities for the whole family with plenty of outdoor and indoor fun!

Open every day through the school holidays from 10am.

Outside: Kids big and small can enjoy the 1km toboggan ride, tractor train, giant maze, 19 hole mini golf and splashdown water balloon game.

Inside: Jumping castles, plaster painting, kiddy karz and rock-climbing wall, plus more!

We also have a food kiosk and an outdoor picnic area, BBQ available for hire, and can cater for kids birthday parties or group events – visit our website or contact us for more information.

DETAILS 16 Aquatic Close, Nelson Bay. PH 4984 1022 E toboggan@tobogganhillpark.com www.tobogganhillpark.com

AFTER 3 MONTHS OF ‘QUIET TIME’, CAN YOU DEAL WITH EATING AND SLEEPING WITH 200 ANIMALS? Jamala Wildlife Lodge has re-opened!! Situated in the grounds of the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra, Jamala Wildlife Lodge overcomes the problem of not being able to travel to Africa to see rhinos, giraffes, zebras, lions, leopards, to other continents to see tigers, sun bears, monkeys, otters, giant snakes and lizards or to dive the oceans and rivers to see sharks, fish and eels.

Relax in beautiful African-themed rooms and if you would still like seclusion, for the first time you can enjoy a gourmet 3 course, room service dinner – in a Jungle Bungalow, you can ‘tuck in’ with a tiger or have a banquet with a bear. In a Treehouse, have a carafe with a giraffe or in uShaka Lodge you may have meerkats or lemurs watching you. Alternatively, you can wine and dine with a white lion and other guests in our unique restaurant.

WINNER

Best Deluxe Accommodation in Australia*

Please note that while the animals generally join guests as shown, no guarantees can be given as they are free to roam their entire area at all times. *Australian Hotels Association Awards for Excellence, 2017

G I F T V O UCHE RS AVAI L ABL E

@jamalalodge @jamalawildlifelodge

Book online or call Jamala on 02 6287 8444 www.jamalawildlifelodge.com.au Canberra

NEWLY CREATED AND REFRESHED CLASSES DANCE FOR LITTLE BODS All classes are designed by a registered Royal Academy of Dance Examiner and qualified Primary School Teacher ‘MY GROWN-UP & ME’ CLASSES for our littlest dancers aged 12mths-3 years old TINY TOTS BALLET AND JAZZ for our 3-4 year olds TINY TOTS BALLET AND JAZZ for our pre-Kinder’s aged 5-6 years old PRE-PRIMARY BALLET AND JAZZ for our dancers already in Kindergarten Come and experience these exquisite classes which concentrate on our littlest dancers using their imagination, spacial awareness, co-ordination, development and much more.

ENROL NOW!

FREE Trial Class in both Ballet and Jazz classes.

Visit our website for enrolment or contact the studio for more info.

P 02 4952 9294 nationalcollegeofdance.com

BOOK ONLINE NOW

Sketch by Priya Joy

Art House Studios

Does your child love art?

Treat your child to a day of art in our gorgeous, fully equipped art studio. Plenty of space to stretch out, paint, and grow their artistic self.

Our amazing, structured workshops are packed full of engaging learning activities.

Designed to be fun and develop your child’s ability to draw, whether from observation or imagination. A whole day to create with new

Unleash your friends… and they’ll see an improvement in their skills and feel great. Happy days!!

For the younger children: Super Sloths, Drawing Dragons, Sushi Day For the tweens and teens: Drawing Faces, Miniature Day, Watercolour Whales For more details please visit our website. We accept the $100 Creative Kids Voucher. For dates and booking details see our website.

DETAILS Level 1, 268 Turton Road, New Lambton. PH 0478 116313. Visit www.arthousestudios.com.au E priyajoy@arthousestudios.com.au

Inner Ninja!

Looking for something fun for the kids?

Look no further than the Ninja Parc! Choose between Casual play, Birthday Parties, and holiday clinics!

The Ninja Parc is designed to get the whole family moving and learning new skills, all while having fun. All ages can enjoy the Ninja Parc Obstacle course, the Climb Parc rock climbing walls, and the Sports Parc for some indoor sports fun!

If you're ready to make the most of the school holidays, visit our website to book!

Bookings are essential.

DETAILS Cnr Darby St & Tooke St, Cooks Hill Ninja Parc open Mon–Fri 6am–9pm, Sat+Sun 9am–6pm; Climb Parc open Mon–Fri: 10am–6pm. Sat–Sun 9am–5pm.

PH 4926 4488 E cookshillreception@theparc.com.au www.ninjaparc.com.au

Finite Gallery AGES 6 - 18 YEARS The kids are sure to be kept busy this school holidays with the fantastic range of 2-hour children's workshops at Finite Gallery.

There are a wide range of workshops on offer – everything from creating in Clay to Tie Dyeing, Painting and Drawing. All materials are included!

Parents/Carers are also welcome to participate, so why not make it a fun family day?

www.finitegallery.com/learn LOCATED 60 Caves Beach Rd, Caves Beach E info@finitegallery.com PH 0419 471 660

Advertise Your School Holiday Activity Here!

Advertising opportunities for the next School Holidays are open now. Phone 4998 0888 or email advertise@intouchmagazine.com.au

School Holiday Time!

Boards, WETSUITS, WINTER CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES 205 UNION STREET, THE JUNCTION, NSW (02) 4940 0357 RipCURLNEWCASTLE.COM

THESE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

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For more information contact: (02)

4988 0990

beachsideholidays.com.au