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Hello!
Holiday activities for children and young people at the
Environmental Visitor Centres

Spring has sprung and the popular holiday program is out!  
Workshops for children aged 3 - 15yrs celebrate flowers in bloom, longer sunny days, the joy of imagination and the Sunshine Coast's beautiful environment. 

Children and families will love these seasonally inspired activities, presented by leading nature play facilitators.  Held in the tranquil bushland and wetlands where nature is our teacher & inspiration.  
The holiday program helps kids develop confidence outdoors and stewardship for the planet.   

Get in quick! Spaces are limited and these workshops will sell out.
What's On
Tuesday 19/9/23
Fairy doors with Abbie from Sacred Bowl
Age : 3 - 7yrs

Design and construct a fairy door for the fairies at the Botanic Garden! Our creative hands and hearts will transform cardboard and sticks, pebbles and paint, moss and and leaves into tiny doors.
Take it home and bring some magic to your backyard.
Tuesday 19/9/23
Suncatchers with Abbie from Sacred Bowl
Age: 7 - 15 yrs

Spring is in the air! Capture the seasonal energy by making a suncatcher.  Choose leaves, seeds, flowers and feathers to adorn your catcher with texture and colour.  Learn knots and binds to make your own springtime suncatcher to take home.
Thursday 21/9/23
Nature hula hoops with Lisa from Natureweavers
Age: 5 - 12 yrs

Make your very own hula hoop using native vine and bamboo.
We'll decorate with recycled fabric and markers then give them a spin. 
Take yours home to keep practicing!
Friday 22/9/23
Flower press with Carly from Natureweavers
Age: 5 - 15 yrs

Learn the names of native flowers and their unique shapes and colours. Make a flower press to keep the abundant botanical treasures of spring. Take your flower press home to keep collecting and learning - as an essential piece of kit for all child naturalists.  
 
Register here for bushland activities
 
 
Wednesday 20/9/23: Wonderful wetland wander with Lana from Natureweavers
Ages: 5 - 15yrs

Come and experience the awe and diversity of spring at the wetlands. This magical environment boasts five different forest types, charismatic crabs, amazing mangroves and incredible birdlife. Led by Lana, an environmental scientist who has a passion for mangroves, children will be taught how to identify and illustrate different species. She hopes you'll fall in love with them too!
Image: Courtesy of Bernice Wood
Register here for wetland activity
 
 
Saturday 23/9/23: Sarah & Pongo's Habitat Adventure
Ages: 5 - 13yrs

Meet award-winning author Dr Sarah Pye, and her puppet sidekick Pongo (the Orangutan). They'll share awe-inspiring stories of tiny rainforest heroes and accomplished architects.
Children will love learning from Pongo about how animals survive in the forest, and also the roles they play in keeping their ecosystems healthy. Participants will have a go at building their own nests from natural materials and Pongo will try them out for size!
Register here for Sarah & Pongo's Habitat Adventure
 
Visit
Saturday 16th September - Sunday 1st October
Maroochy Arts and Ecology Centre
Open daily, 10am - 2pm

The Wild HeART Student Art Prize is a celebration of Australian native fauna, flora and fungi through the eyes and creative talents of Queensland children and young people aged 5 - 18 years.

Over 200 entries were received and forty finalists are on display for the exhibition.  Winners across three age categories will be announced at the start of the holidays.  Every artwork submitted will also be celebrated in a digital slideshow at the Wild HeART exhibition

Don't miss out on seeing this year's incredible entries!
Pictured: 2022 finalist (Sturt's desert pea). Photograph courtesy of Greg Miller
Learn more about Wild HeART
 
Explore
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve
The award-winning Rainforest Discovery Centre is open 9.30am - 3.30pm daily.
Families will love interactive displays such as the bird melody wall and listening pods, the nocturnal room, fungi-themed Junior Ranger activity books and Junior Ranger Kits for free hire.
See the big strangler figs and wildlife on the pram-friendly rainforest tracks.
More information on Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve
 
Celebrate

Welcome the Shorebirds!
The Sunshine Coast is an important feeding and resting place for many species of migratory and resident shorebirds. These birds fly over 10,000km to enjoy our summer weather and while they are here they can be seen feeding in the internationally recognised RAMSAR wetland of the Pumicestone Passage, Golden Beach and the intertidal sandbanks of Maroochy River.

Bring your family and celebrate the endurance and determination these birds, learn about how we can all protect them through kids activities, stalls and a movie in the park screening
Flyways: the untold journey of the migratory shorebirds.
Register your interest
Register your interest
 
This email is sent to families who have previously attended events or signed up for updates from the Sunshine Coast Council's Environmental Visitor Centres.  For more information, head to our websites: Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden and Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve.
Subscribe to a variety of Council newsletters from Libraries to Bush Hands.