Let the kids get their hands dirty and spark in them a love of nature at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan these holidays, while enjoying the rolling surrounds of the southern hemisphere’s largest botanic garden.
Outdoor exploration is a leading theme and with such programs as Mini-Monster Hunt, Water Wildlife Explorers, Erth Dinosaur Zoo, Gross and Gory and Park Detective, kids will test their creativity by making, playing pretend or being directly immersed into a world of fantasy.
♦ Autumn school holiday highlights over the next two weeks include:
• Gross and Gory (Thursday, April 14): Explore all things creepy and gooey in the name of studying the human body: think fake snot, vile vomit bombs, exploding pimples and fake wounds. It isn’t for the faint hearted, but it is so much fun.
• Erth Dinosaur Zoo (Saturday, April 16): Prehistoric creatures will take over the garden, from cute baby dinos to some of the largest carnivores and herbivores that have ever walked the planet! Erth Dionsaurs are unmistakably “alive’’ and mostly friendly in this fun, educational and unique performance that will delight all audiences from ages 5 years and up.
• Mini-Monster Hunt (Wednesday, April 20): Kids will venture in to the Garden where bugs do battle with real dragons, beetles plunder, ants make mountains, slugs cast slime trails and spiders weave intricate webs. Led by Monster-Hunter Tom and armed with a butterfly net and a magnifying glass, children will learn about the small world waiting to be overturned.
• Park Detectives (Thursday, April 21): Become a crime scene investigator! This forensic science workshop is perfect for super-sleuths who enjoy a little drama. Following clues to solve a real mystery, kids aged 7-14 will get to run hair and fibre analysis and use facial construction techniques via computer and real mode.
• Water Wildlife Explorers (Friday, April 22): Take a rare glimpse at the freshwater creatures that also inhabit the Australian Botanic Garden. Beneath the surface of the pond is a dwelling for strange-looking animals that city children
Other popular activities include Chemical Concoctions, Lego Robotics, Exploring Science Day and Extreme Engineering.
To find out more and to book a place in any of these great holiday activities right in the heart of the Macarthur region visit the botanic garden website here.
