These summer school holidays, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is hosting a range of free and paid events to entertain and encourage children to play, connect, and learn in nature.
Botanica: A Village Among the Oak Trees
From 16 January to 20 January, Botanica: A Village Among the Oak Trees returns to Melbourne Gardens. Families will work together to build a special world under the old oak trees, building cubbies from materials gathered from the Gardens and enjoying nature-based experiences for all ages. Villagers will learn about knots and other techniques to build their cubbies and can let their imagination run free as they create critters from clay, pods, and seeds.
The Wind in the Willows
For family entertainment, live interactive theatre, The Wind in the Willows is running at Melbourne Gardens from 20 December to 28 January, celebrating over 35 years at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and presented by The Australian Shakespeare Company. The Head Chief Rabbit will transform the audience into rabbits with a waggle of the ears and a wiggle of the nose. The ‘young rabbits’, will be encouraged to get involved in the action, scream out loud, and sing along.
Nature Play
For children who enjoy getting creative, crafty, and messy, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne is hosting Nature Play: free family-friendly, nature-based activities from 23 January to 25 January. Under the shade of the eucalypts in the Kids’ Backyard, Learning Facilitators will teach children about the different plants and animals that call the Australian environment and our Gardens home through a range of nature-inspired play activities.
Kid’s Explorer Bus
At both Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne during these school holidays, children can ride free on the Kid’s Explorer Bus. This is a 30-minute tour designed especially for families where children and their loved ones will experience the sights, sounds, and scents of the Gardens, and learn why plants are so important for our planet.
For further information, visit: https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/ and click ‘What’s On’.
