Lots of activities for the children these school holidays

Cairns Regional Council is hosting a range of activities to keep the kids occupied these school holidays.

From workshops to reading activities, traversing walking tracks and learning about our native flora and fauna, there are a host of facilities and activities to keep the whole family occupied.

Here are a few ideas for parents these school holidays.

Cairns Libraries

From tips on special effects makeup to Lego constructions, and boredom busting arts and crafts to yoga and mindfulness sessions, the Cairns Libraries school holiday program provides activities for a range of ages and interests.

Running from 24 June to 8 July, activities also include circus skill classes, watercolour art sessions, and puppet building activities.

The Cairns Libraries school holiday program includes:

Art Scavenger Hunt: At Smithfield Library from Saturday 24 June to Thursday 29 June; at Babinda Library from Tuesday 4 July to Saturday 8 July. Discover and explore artistic works and creations at the libraries and view them in augmented reality on an iPad.

Drop in and build with Lego: At Gordonvale Library from Saturday 24 June; Edmonton Library from Monday 3 July. Children can design and construct a superhero creation using their imagination and creativity.

Craft a puppet: At the City Library on Sunday 25 June from 9am; and Gordonvale Library from 9am on Wednesday 5 July. Craft puppets using artwork and templates created by local artist Hayley Gillespie.

Build a fairy house: At Stratford Library from 9am on Monday 26 June; Earlville Library from 9am on Wednesday 28 June. A self-guided activity, children can create a fairy house with paper.

Special FX makeup: At Manunda Library from 2pm to 3pm on Monday 26 June. Learn from an expert the tips and tricks for special effects makeup.

Mini notebook keyring: At Babinda Library from 9am on Tuesday 27 June; and Edmonton Library from 9am on Thursday 6 July. Paper craft a tiny notebook keyring.

Yoga and mindful art: At City Library from 10am to 11am on Tuesday 27 June; Stratford Library from 10am to 11am on Thursday 29 June. An energetic session that encourages children to express themselves through yoga poses, active movement and activities such as partner / group yoga. The session will end with a mindful art activity.

Join the circus: At Smithfield Library from 10am to 11am on Wednesday 28 June. Explore the interactive play stations and learn different types of circus skills with the Cycas Circus Crew.

Watercolour art: At Babinda Library from 9am on Friday 30 June; and Stratford Library from 9am on Friday 7 July. An opportunity for children to unleash their inner artist and explore their imagination through colour and drawing.

Drop in and STEAM: At Smithfield Library from 9am on Saturday 1 July; and Manunda Library from 9am on Saturday 8 July. Activities ideal for growing mind and fostering interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Check out the Cairns Libraries website for details of all the events, activities and programs.

Music, dance and animation at Tanks Art Centre

Free Flame.Arts Holiday Program

Tanks Arts Centre is hosting the free Flame.Arts Holiday program for the young creatives.

From laying down hip hop tracks, a contemporary dance class and learning the finer points of stop motion, there is something to keep the kids occupied these holidays.

Workshops are free, but registration is essential. More details below.

Make a hip hop track in a day: 26 June

Morganics is an award-winning hip hop artist who has performed and taught from New York to Tanzania. An MC, beatboxer, producer and Bboy, Morganics has shared the stage with KRS One, Mos Def, Run DMC and many more. In this workshop, learn the history of hip hop culture, choose samples, make a beat, freestyle, write a rhyme, learn how to beatbox, learn the basics of Bboying/Bgirling and leave with your own original song – all in one day. More details and registration at https://bit.ly/Hip-Hop-In-A-Day

Contemporary dance workshop: 27 June

Patricia Wood is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, and teacher with the Sydney Dance Company. In this workshop, dancers will build strength, flexibility and artistry through incorporating different movement modalities and body conditioning methods. Throughout the workshop, dancers will be encouraged to explore their creativity through improvisation and self-reflection, developing themselves as dancers and artists. More details: https://bit.ly/Contemporary-Dance

Story animation: 28 June

This hands-on workshop immerses teens in the world of stop-motion animation. Participants work in pairs to craft a storyboard, design backgrounds, create unique characters, and shoot still frames using iPads. With added sound and special effects, their imaginative stories come to life, enhancing their creativity, critical thinking, and tech skills in an engaging way. More details: https://bit.ly/Its-Alive-Story-Animation

Esplanade and Lagoon

There is always lots to do and see for free at the Cairns Esplanade.

Swim at the Lagoon, play at Muddy’s Playground, go for a stroll or a bike ride, play at the fun ship, have a barbecue or enjoy live music – there a lot for youngsters to do at the Cairns Esplanade.

Lifeguards are on duty while the Lagoon is open, and toilets and showers are located in the amenities block alongside the aquatic facility.

The Lagoon will be open every day from 6am to 9pm, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The Lagoon is closed every Wednesday from 6am to midday for regular cleaning and maintenance.

Cairns Botanic Gardens and Cattana Wetlands

Explore the beauty of tropical plant life at Cairns Botanic Gardens and Cattana Wetlands.

Renowned as one of the best exhibitions of tropical plants in Australia, relax in stunning surroundings and learn about local flora and horticulture at the Botanic Gardens.

Discover more about the plants and animals with a tour. The Friends of the Botanic Gardens conduct free guided tours of Flecker Gardens or take advantage of the series of audio tours and become your own tour guide.

Children will also love the Nature Playground, located at Freshwater Lake on Greenslopes St (near the Zhanjiang Friendship Garden).

Integrating creative play elements with the natural lakeside environment, the Nature Playground encourages children to interact with nature, to explore and learn about their surroundings.

There are dinosaur bones to uncover, ropes to climb, play huts to build, a fairy garden, rope climb, tunnels, balance logs, a digging patch and plants known for their bright colours, smells and textures to encourage sensory play.

Cattana Wetlands is a rich natural wonderland with five flat walking trails.

Each one takes you on a different experience with interpretive signage provided along the way that informs you of the special features, plants and animals at the site.

Bird hides, viewing decks, a board walk, picnic areas, BBQs, shelters and bubblers are all provided to enhance your experience.

More information is available on the Council website.

Cycling tracks

Cairns is a great place to get outdoors and be active.

There are a range of paths and cycleways that allow you to explore this beautiful region at your own pace.

Unless otherwise marked, the cycleways are also walking paths. Detailed maps of the city’s cycling tracks can be found online.

For younger riders, check out the Learn to Ride Road Safety Training Track at the Moody Creek Detention Basin, off Ramsay Dr in Kanimbla.

The bike track, which complements the neighbouring pump track, has miniature versions of common street signs and is a great place for children to learn about riding safely around the city.

Walking tracks

Get outside and challenge yourself and the kids on the popular Red Arrow, Blue Arrow, Green Arrow and Yellow Arrow walking tracks that wind through Mt Whitfield Conservation Park, behind the Cairns Botanic Gardens in Edge Hill.

The Park is a 300 hectare forested mountain range, home to rainforest, eucalyptus and grasslands.

The Arrow tracks vary in length and difficulty, from the 1.5km Red Arrow, through to the 6km, Grade 4, Blue Arrow. More details online.

Other hike to consider include the 2.4km (return) Ivan Evans Trail in Bayview Heights, and the popular Earl Hill track in Trinity Beach.

Tobruk Memorial Pool

The region’s highest profile swimming complex includes a 50 metre pool for lap swimming, 25 metre program pool for warm up/warm down (events), 25 metre pool for hydrotherapy activities and learn to swim, toddler water play pool, Flow Rider (artificial wave rider), and café and retail shop.

Along with Tobruk, other public swimming pools for use by the general public for a small fee are located at Babinda, Gordonvale, Woree and the Marlin Coast Bicentennial Pool at Smithfield.