Sydney Children's Festival | BIG

Our friends over at BIG will be at the Sydney Children's Festival today..... say hi to them at the Lawn library from 12pm.  Join them in making a tiny inside/outside portrait or create a response on a side by side postcard.

Also on todays list of fun things to do at the festival includes Hula hooping, KAPOW!, Paper, Torch Torch! workshop, Disco - Au Go Go  ++

The festival runs until the 28 September at the Seymour Centre.

Kids in the Garden - Butterflies, birds and planting peas

We asked Sarah from Grow Eat Enjoy for some tips on how to get creative outside over the school holidays........

Ok, so we’re nearly through the first week of school holidays, the weather is great, hopefully your children are too and I’m sure we’re all having fun.  But there’s another whole week to go so here’s some garden ideas to keep up your sleeves in case you find yourself lying in bed at night wondering how you’re going to fill another day.

Make butterflies out of used milk bottles. This is a little tricky to cut but a good tracing exercise if your kids haven’t fully mastered scissors yet.  Cut out the shape of a butterfly from the sides of your milk bottle.  When you have 5 or more you can thread them with fishing line and hang them in your garden.  They look sweet, flutter in the breeze and may even signal to cabbage moths that these plants are taken thus saving you that annoying task of picking caterpillars off your brassicas.

Make birds out of used milk bottles.  This is like a magic trick and children of 8 or over love it.  You can paint them afterwards and string them up in a similar way to the butterflies.  Instructions here.  Persist, with practise these get easier and better.

Plant peas.  Big seeds for little fingers.  Even if they sit on the surface they’ll still often germinate so hard to go wrong.  And they grow quick, and taste sweet.  You can eat the tips or wait for the pods.  You can even grow chick peas at this time of year which are a pretty alternative.  Soak your store bought chick peas in water and watch them sprout.  Plant them out or keep them in damp cotton wool and watch the plant unfold before your eyes.

If nothing else just get them outside observing.  Dig a hole, climb a tree, pick your neighbours rosemary, smell it, taste it, stick it in a jar of water and pretty soon it will sprout roots and you’ll have a rosemary of your own.

Grow Eat Enjoy 

Arts Rocket Friday Finds

• BEAMS art festival...wander through the lane ways of Chippendale for installations, workshops and music
• Thinktank workshops for tech crazy kids at Powerhouse 
• Teens - Zine making workshop with Vanessa Berry
• Last weekend we watched The Rocket  - kids gave it 10/10
• Relive the magic of early cinema with The Adventures of Prince Achmed
• Kid Contemporary at Contemporary  Sydney 

Arts Rocket Friday Finds

Visiting from Tokyo to play dress up - Photograph copyright Louise Hawson

Some fun finds this week -  Enjoy!

• New Conversations with Dumbo Feather for teens
• Explore Tokyo with Shoot Tokyo and Hello Sandwich
• or travel around the world at the Museum of Sydney with photographer Louise Hawson
• or discover some amazing places over at The Cool Hunter
• The GOMA in Queensland have the best online games for kids
• Super cool design workshops at Sydney Design 
• Inspire your kids with Amag - The architecture magazine for children 
• My children are reading Mary Shelly - Frankenstein (15),  R.J. Palacio - Wonder (11) and Emma Cameron - View from the 32nd Floor (9)

Arts Rocket Friday Finds

image via Underbelly Arts - Tableau Vivant

School holidays are over - but there is still fun to be had if you look a little closer:

• Underbelly Arts Festival have a great kids/teen program(kids under 12 are free) - jump on a ferry and head over to Cockatoo Island on the 4th August.
• Pop up book workshop with Tony Flowers at Sherman Gallery on 3rd August
• Kiddley is back!
• We have been playing with Poster Candy and Origrami to showcase our family images
• Beautiful bag for kids that love to draw - anywhere - anytime 
• Youth courses at Metro screen in filmmaking and video game design
• We have rediscovered Scratch - my youngest son loves it. 
• For teens - Tavi at the Opera House 
• My kids are reading: JD Salinger - Catcher in the Rye (15), R.J. Palacio - Wonder (11) and Emma Cameron - View from the 32nd Floor (9)

(A little early) Arts Rocket Friday Finds

Posting our Friday Finds an evening earlier  to share some exciting events happening over the school holidays and beyond.

• 13 rooms - Kaldor Public Art Projects - Fantastic kids workshops over the school holidays all inspired by 13 rooms (curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Klaus Biesenbach).  Animation, sculpture and movement.
• The MCA have some fun drop in Contemporary Kids workshops - Cardboard City   and  Junior Art School. They also encourage families to come along to their annual Zine fair on the 26th May
• If you didn't catch Olafur Eliasson last time - make sure you don't miss him this time at the Sherman Gallery.  Especially if you have kids that love lego!
• This school holidays you can't go past seeing The List Operators 6D within the Kids at the House program.

Arts Rocket Friday Finds

This week our Friday Finds consists of fun filmmaking resources for kids. 

• Little Big Shots - We love a film festival that just caters to kids.  LBS's packages short films to suit all age groups.  Great way to get kids to explore bite sized cinema.   
• Screen it  - Registrations are now open for film and video game makers at the Australian centre of moving image. When you register kids will have access to online resources and production tools to assist with their creation.
• Movie maker - The ultimate guide to making films
• Metro Screen Youth Program - Great courses and support for up and coming young film makers
• Trop jnr - Junior version of trop fest - entries for 2013 opening soon
• Keep your eye for clay animation workshops over the school holidays at the Australian National Maritime Museum.  My kids went along last holidays and loved it. Next week we are invited to a special screening evening of all the animations made. They will be writing about it here next week.
• Hey Kino - Sydney - When are you going run a Kino Kids?

April: Our month

In April  we are:

• Turning 5! This month it will be  five years ago my family and I created our first Arts Rocket posts. 
• Getting interactive  at the Opera House with   Escape from Peligro Island  
• Surviving  Lord of the Flies at New Theatre
• Checking out the redesigned Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
• Teen and Dad catching the Joy Division Doco with Peter Hook Q&A for The Moshpit Experience
• Having Stop-animation and claymation fun at the Maritime Museum 
• Viewing the  Jitter screenings in Bondi Beach (and hopefully a swim prior)
• Making cupcakes at Sparkle Cupcakery

Wishing you an amazing April!

x

Art Month Sydney 2012 - Family Adventures

The Contemporary Art Festival - Art Month Sydney have announced their exciting program with a selection of Art Adventures for families.

Highlights include:
Paper Cutting with Gregory and Watts | 10th March 10am  11am
Kids get creative with paper exploring textures, colour and shapes with artists Gregory and Watts.

Gallery: Chalkhorse | 8 Lacey St Surry Hills
Ages: 7 - 11 years
Cost: Free
Bookings: admin@chalkhorse.com.au
* parents are required to stay with children

Mobile Phone Photography | 24th March 10am 12pm 
Teens will get to make the most of their mobile cameras with this workshop. Inspiration will be taken from the current Trent Parke exhibition.

Gallery: Stills | 36 Gosbell St Paddington
Ages: 12 - 16 years
Cost: Free
Bookings: info@stillsgallery.com.au

For younger children Tali Gallery on the 17th March 10am will be running various workshops from Earthbeats and Boobook - making mosaic owls inspired from Dreamtime Owl stories. Older children can get an introduction to learning the didgeridoo. Arthouse gallery on the 3rd March 10am will also have a book reading of "A  song for Lorkie"

Gallery: Tali | 667 Darling St Rozelle
Cost: Free
Bookings: di@taligallery.com.au

Gallery: Arthouse | 66 McLachlan Ave Rushcutters Bay
Cost: Free
Bookings: contact@arthousegallery.com.au

For the whole family there are also a fantastic selection of exhibitions to enjoy. http://www.artmonthsydney.com.au/2012/program/exhibitions

For more information and details on all Art Month workshops visit http://www.artmonthsydney.com.au

Outpost | Cockatoo Island

We are planning to check out Outpost at Cockatoo Island after friends came back from the Opening weekend raving about the event. Over 4 weeks until the 1oth Dec - Outpost will transform the island to a wonderland of urban art with the help of 150 artists sourced from around the world.

There are plenty of kids programs to make the trip for the whole family worthwhile and you can also pick up a kids activity guide or take a family tour.

Pack the camera in for the kids so they can explore and document their discoveries.

More info visit http://outpost.cockatooisland.gov.au/

Shadow Theatre

If you like to celebrate Halloween or not... This great idea for shadow play from Kate at Mini Eco is a wonderful and scary way to have fun this month.

We were lucky to catch Me and My shadow earlier this year at the Opera House which explored the delights of shadow play as a child.

We will making Shadow Box Theatre in the next week...will post our efforts up soon!

Instructions how to make your own:

http://www.minieco.co.uk/cereal-box-shadow-theater/

More inspiration:

Owly Shadow Puppets

Dexter and the Dragon

Little Fable Shadow Theatre

Sydney Design

As part of the activities for Sydney design they had a pop up card workshop at the Powerhouse Museum.

We had great fun at this one and started off with a paper hat, origami cranes and then we moved onto cut out 3D cards and finally pop up stick on 3D cards.

We managed a really cute dog and a sea serpant. If Benji does these workshops again, it is really worth going along.

The pop up cards workshops are finished but there is a whole range of kids activities in Sydney Design which are worth checking out. Of course, the Powerhouse also has lots of all ages friendly workshops and exhibitions.

Joanne Kee

http://www.placesandspaces.com.au/

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/

http://www.sydneydesign.com.au/

Kids' APT Summer Spectacular | QLD

Free artist workshops, performances and tours for kids will bring the world of contemporary art to life when the Kids’ APT Summer Spectacular takes over the Gallery of Modern Art and Queensland Art Gallery from January 16 to 26, 2010.

For more information visit http://qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/current/apt6/kids_apt

The Book of Everything - Review

My son (aged 11) announced to me on Sunday that "The Book of Everything" was the best play he has ever seen. There are so many elements in this production that will win many hearts during the season at the Belvoir.

Adapted from the novel by Dutch author Guus Kuijer, The Book of Everything tells the story of Thomas, an imaginative, curious and sometimes scared nine year old boy. Thomas documents his life and how he sees the world through his eyes in his Book of Everything.

To escape the oppression himself and his family endure from his over pious and abusive father, Thomas finds comfort that comes in the form of chatting with Jesus, falling in love with the girl with the leather leg, learning about the beauty of books, overcoming fear from his new friends and writing in his Book of Everything.

References to Emil and the Detectives will delight readers of the novel by German author Erich Kaestner.

Kim Carpenter's set design is an absolute knock out and fills the stage with wonder. The interaction between the cast and the audience is fun and lures you right into Thomas's world. We fell in love with Julie Forsyth as Mrs Van Amersfoort, Matthew Whittet as Thomas and John Leary is hilarious as Jesus. The whole cast were all wonderful.

Suitable for adults and children> The Belvoir recommends audiences aged 8 and over - If you have younger children the domestic abuse scenes and themes may be too confronting.

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Season | 27 Dec 09 - 31 Jan 10

Belvoir Theatre, Surry Hills | Bookings or 9699 3444

Special children tickets prices and family packages available

Directed by Neil Armfield | Adapted by Richard Tulloch

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Page to Stage Workshop | Theatre of Image | 15 + 16 July

Conducted by Richard Tulloch and Kim Carpenter

Sydney Children's Festival

Kick your heels up at the Sydney Children’s Festival Opening Party on Saturday 3 October. The celebration will be led by Georgie Parker and the Sydney Children’s Festival Choir, who will have every foot in the house tapping. The celebration will continue with a huge dance party where kids can go wild and parents can enjoy a flashback to their partying days. Plus, there’ll be a sneak preview of Erth’s Amazing Room for curious kids.

There are oodles of fantastic workshops, performances and activities to get involved in throughout the festival. See the amazing Circa perform 46 Acts in 45 Minutes, warm up your vocal chords in free morning singing workshops, or kick start your acrobatic career in a week of workshops with Legs On The Wall!
 
Visit www.sydneychildrensfestival.com  to find out more.

Under Me Skin | Ivanhoe NSW

A collaboration between young people, multimedia artists and award winning Indigenous writer Gayle Kennedy is one of the outcomes of The Ivanhoe Chronicles, a two year multi-arts project by Outback Theatre for young People and Trax.

The 2009 presentation of Under Me Skin is just the first installment of the Ivanhoe Chronicles.   

The darkly comic tale of a boy who mysteriously disappears in a remote bush town, sparks a chain of events that even the children find incredible.

Saturday 22nd August

5:30pm exhibition | 6:30 performance | 7:30pm Post show discussion

The Old Servo 

Columbus Street 

Ivanhoe NSW

Tickets are free.

For more information contact Suzanne Hauser 0438 398 629

suzannehauser@outbcaktheatre.com

Blog: www.trax.org/outbackblog

What would kids do if they could do anything?

Erth, the creators of the famous dinosaur Petting Zoo, are looking for kids to be part of the creation of the Amazing Room – a new component of the upcoming Sydney Children’s Festival.
Erth are busily designing this crazy, silly play space, and are seeking some input from kids .

This coming Tuesday 21st July at 6.30 pm, come down to CarriageWorks with your child, aged 6 – 12years, and take part in a 1hr workshop where Erth’s Artistic Director, Scott, will be asking "What would kids do if they could do
Anything?". 

Yummy pizza and drinks with be provided. Email scott@erth.com.au by Tuesday to participate.
There's room enough for 10 kids plus their parents to participate and you must register with Scott to attend.

THE ODDITOREUM

Something odd is stirring in the basement of the Powerhouse Museum....

a giant liquorice allsorts shoe, a griffin sculpture, horses teeth.

The Odditoreum is a very unique display featuring a selection of weird and wonderful curiosities from deep within the vaults of the Museum’s collection.

The objects have been carefully selected by the Museum for their own peculiarity, creating a display of oddities not normally seen. These objects have in turn been transformed by children’s author and illustrator Shaun Tan, who has created intriguing stories for each object blurring fact and fantasy.

Holiday program from the 11th July includes

Beasties Robotic Petting Zoo

Ages 4 - 12

Media Mash up

Ages 12 - 16

Full holiday program 

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The Odditoreum

27 June - 13 September

Powerhouse Museum | NSW

Sydney Writers Festival

The Sydney Writers Festival has a wonderful selection of events and workshops for children and young adults.

Most of the children's events will take place on Sunday May 24th at Walsh Bay. Outside the CBD, there will also be children's events happening in Parramatta, the Blue Mountains, Cambelltown and Penrith and writing workshops in Rozelle.

Highlights include:

Maisy Mouse Party

Sunday 24th May | 12pm-1pm

Sydney Philharmonic Choir Studio | Walsh Bay

Cost: Free 

From the imagination  of Morris Gleitzman

Sunday 24th May | 1130am - 1230pm 

Sydney Dance Company | Walsh Bay 

Cost: Free

Morris Gleitzman is one of Australia's best loved authors of books for children. From Felix, a young Jewish boy growing up in Poland during the Holocaust in Then and Once, to Limpy, the lovable cane Toad Rage series. This is an opportunity to hear Morris talk about his work.

Age group 8+ year and their families

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Visit the SWF website for more information on schedule and bookings.

Arts Rocket is loving lucky dips....

LUCKY DIP WORKSHOPS PRESENTED BY CARRIAGEWORKS

A series of fun $5 workshops every Saturday
Coinciding with the new Eveleigh Farmers’ Market, CarriageWorks presents Luck Dip Workshops - a new series of fun, creative workshops that anyone can participate in for only $5 a pop!

Every Saturday, the activity will be a surprise ‘Lucky Dip’ — a different arts-based activity each week including hula hooping, circus skills, dance, singing, drumming, visual art and much more.
Lucky Dip Workshops are a fun, out-of-the-box way for families to interact and kick their creative juices into gear.

No need to pre-book, just rock up and pay on the day!

DATES EVERY SATURDAY, COINCIDING WITH EVELEIGH FARMERS MARKETSTIME 10AM AND 11AM, APPROX 45 MINUTES DURATION
COST FREE UNTIL MAY, THEN ONLY $5 PER PARTICIPANT
BOOKINGS JUST ROCK UP AND PAY ON THE DAYMORE INFO