Check out what school holiday activities are available in the Riverina’s libraries. Photo: Riverina Regional Library.
With children spending more time on screens at home and school, there are plenty of opportunities to get them involved in hands-on activities during these school holidays.
Riverina Regional Library (RRL) is offering a smorgasbord of activities based on craft, colouring, and cooking. These holidays, the region’s children and youth can experience the satisfaction of making things with their hands.
RRL marketing and engagement officer Katrina Roe said with activities themed around Easter, youngsters could create things and take them home.
“They’re very traditional activities, like making a little fluffy bunny out of a sock at Cootamundra Library,” Katrina said.
“At Moama Library, they’re making little bunnies from paper cups. And there are origami bunnies at Howlong Library.
“Coolamon, Culcairn, Henty, Holbrook, Jerilderie and Tumbarumba libraries are making little Easter sacks to collect chocolate eggs in, so kids can colour and decorate those and get excited about Easter.”
It’s not just paper and glue. The big kids can enjoy karaoke in the park, take part in a fitness session, and learn some cooking tips from Food I Am.
“Teenagers from Coolamon will do a cooking class at Holbrook – an amazing opportunity that’s fully funded and completely free for these kids,” Katrina said. ”They’re going to spend the day making a really incredible Italian feast.
“Gundagai Library’s got karaoke in the park. They’ve never done this before – it’s a new experiment.
“There is a youth Easter egg hunt challenge and fitness games at the Coolamon Football Oval, followed by a youth weights session to keep the teens healthy and active.”
Another unique activity on offer is crafting button flowers. The children make flower arrangements out of pipe cleaners, felt and colourful buttons, finished with a handmade vase decorated with string.
Katrina said many RRL branches were getting out and about more with their services and programs.
“They are really about bringing people together and providing resources that people wouldn’t have access to otherwise,” she said.
“It doesn’t happen that often that libraries leave the library and take their programs to another community that isn’t big enough to support a library.”
The holiday activities designed by RRL programs officer Sharon Smith encourage children to experience the joy and empowerment that comes with tactile creativity.
“From a very young age, there is a need to practise hand-and-eye coordination for brain development. But at any age, we can find that we get lost in creating,” Sharon said.
“At a young age, it is more about the process of experimenting with colour and texture than getting it right. Their creation is perfect in their eyes and worth more than any store-bought art.”
Sharon said the children’s response to their creations was priceless. She appreciates seeing the emotional reaction of the child when they have created something unique that expresses who they are.
“When carers recognise that joy in their child, my job is complete,” she said. ”With the help of their local communities, the libraries have excelled in providing an amazing array of workshops during the holidays.”
For more information and tickets, visit the events page of the RRL website.
