Autumn School Holiday Programs For Kids In Sydney

By Melissa Fine, ellaslist

Eek! Autumn school holidays are creeping up on us. So that the kids don't end up glued to the TV or iPad in the leadup to Term 2, make sure to book them in for some of these awesome activities running at museums, gardens, parks and farms around Sydney. There's something for every child here, and you're sure to find a location that suits you.

Contemporary Kids At MCA

A drop-in program designed for kids 4+ and parents to collaborate, together you'll explore artworks from the 21st Biennale of Sydney, before heading to the creative studios to get hands on with materials. Make sure to add your mark to a large-scale installation that will grow over the course of the week! If your little one is keen to go back for round two, the MCA is welcoming multiple visits during the week. More details here. 

Where:    MCA, 140 George St, The Rocks
When:     Tue 17 April - Sat 21 April 2018; 10.30am - 4pm 
Cost:       $18 per family; $14 MCA Members & Concession

School Holiday Activities At Sydney Living Museums

Running at six different locations, Sydney Living Museums' Autumn school holiday program are all about fun educational experiences that hone in on our history and heritage. Whether it's playing a 1836 convict in an immersive theatre production at Hyde Park Barracks, making damper and butter from scratch at Vaucluse House, or painting their own boomerang and learning how to throw it at Rouse Hill House and Farm, you're sure to find an activity that appeals to your little one. Kids 5+ will love Playing Shop at a circa 1915-style corner shop at Susannah Place Museum, where accompanied by a parent, they'll take on the role of shopkeeper! Activities will include weighing goods on an old-school shop scale, making paper cones for take-home lollies, and writing up orders on a slate board. Click here for the full program list and all the details. 

Where:    Sydney Living Museums
When:     Tue 17 April - Sun 29 April 2018 
Cost:       Varies depending on the activity

Boat Festival And Wondrous World Of Wild & Ice At The Maritime Museum

The school holiday fun begins with the free Classic & Wooden Boat Festival, where there's everything from beautiful vessels, markets and live music, to face-painting, a jumping castle and a whole heap of kids' activities: think How to Hula-Hoop, a rope throwing competition, and a Bubble Artist to keep them entertained!

The World of Wild & Ice then begins, where kids and adults alike will be in awe of the animals captured in the award-winning Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit, before travelling to the North Pole in the Arctic Voices exhibit. Make a full day of it and explore the magical water ocean through the immersive 3D film Oceans, brought to you by the producers of BBC’s Blue Planet II. Kids 8-14 can rock the boat with a creative two-day workshop, where they'll produce and choreograph their very own music videos! More details here. 

Where:     ANMM, 2 Murray Street, Darling Harbour
When:      Classic & Wooden Boat Festival runs from Friday 13 - Sunday 15 April; Wild & Ice School Holiday Program runs from Monday 16 - Monday 30 April 2018
Cost:        Adults $32, Child (under 4) FREE, Child (aged 4–15) $20, Family $79, Members FREE

School Holiday Fun At The Royal Botanic Gardens

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney will have the kids' schedules sorted these school holidays, with five different activies running over the autumn break. These include the Botanic Beats garden disco, getting in touch with nature at Garden Grubs, and Emu Egg Explorers - where led by Aboriginal Educators, children will make their own emu egg with natural bush materials. Budding artists will be in their element at the Arty Farty Garden Party, where they'll get to handcraft their own hats and Mother's Day cards, before embarking on a scavenger hunt challenge and making their own lemon myrtle fruit punch! For kids who love to build their own cubbies and towers, Create and Play (pictured above) is the perfect program, where in the shade of TRBG, they'll have the opportunity to create their own worlds with recycled materials; led by the Reverse Garbage team, they'll also build their own take-home mini hotel for garden critters! All the details here. 

Where:    Various locations at TRBG
When:     Monday 16 April - Fri 27 April 2018
Cost:       Varies depending on the activity 

Aboriginal & WILD PLAY Programs At Centennial Park

From learning how to construct a shelter with the help of Aboriginal educators in the Bush Life program, to making their own reusable bags with an old t-shirt in the Make a Bag and Save the Ocean program, Centennial Park has made a point of curating programs to get the kids in touch with the land. Click here to see all the programs on offer and all the details - there's something that will appeal to every child, and parents are invited to join in on the fun and educational experiences. 

Where:    Various locations in Centennial Park
When:     Monday 16 April - Fri 27 April 2018
Cost:       Varies depending on the program

Wild Ropes At Taronga Zoo

Take a walk on the wild side this April school holidays, and challenge yourself to the Jumanji Wild Ropes at Taronga Zoo (thanks to the Digital, DVD and Blu-Ray release of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle).

Wild Ropes is set in the bushland surrounds of Taronga Zoo Sydney with breath-taking views of Sydney Harbour and is a nice little additon to your school holiday trip to the Zoo. The high ropes course is for all ages (even toddlers - read our review here) and a great way to get kids out of their comfort zones and enjoying the great outdoors. 

Where:    Taronga Zoo
When:     From April 11 – April 29, 9.30am-3.30pm
Cost:       Children 3+ from $20 and adults from $37

Native And Farmyard Animal Experiences At Calmsley Hill City Farm

Just 40 minutes from Sydney, head to Calmsley Hill City Farm these school holidays for up to four hours of family fun! The daily schedule includes animal patting, cow milking, a tractor ride and a Sheep Shearing Show! Find out more here. 

Where:    31 Darling St, Abbotsbury
When:     Open Daily; 9am-4.30pm
Cost:       Adult – $25.50; Child – $15; Family – $75 (2 adults, 3 children); Children Under 3 – FREE

Animal Encounters At Featherdale Wildlife Park 

From their brand new Private Animal Encounters, to Breakfast with a Koala and a Daily Zookeeper Walkabout, Featherdale Wildlife Park has a heap of experiences on offer to get the kids up close and personal with Aussie wildlife these school holidays. Whether your little one is owl, dingo or kangaroo-obsessed, you're sure to find them all at Featherdale! 

Where:     217-229 Kildare Road, Doonside
When:      Monday - Sunday; 9am - 5pm
Cost:        Adult Entry - $32; Child Entry- $17; Family (2 adults & 2 kids) - $88; Prices for experiences vary