Jack and Molly Xmas Show

La Mama Theatre
18th December, 11am

A show specifically designed for kids under five with lots of stories and songs to get them excited about Christmas. Tickets are $12 each. Visit the La Mama website for bookings.

Children's Carnivale Tiffin

Melba Restaurant @ The Langham Hotel
17th December - 28th January

This is the perfect outing for a 3 to 5 year old who deserves a special treat.
The three-tiered Tiffin stand includes;
◦Fairy floss
◦Popcorn
◦Clown cupcake
◦Three-ring circus punch
◦Balloon Cookie
◦Ham & cheese sandwich
◦Scones

Available between 10am and 1pm Monday to Friday. $25 per child plus the accompanying adult must have the traditional tiffin at $39. For bookings call Melba Restaurant on 1800 641 107 or email rest.res@langhamhotels.com

Playschool Concert 2011

March 2011
Victoria

Anyone with kids under five that watch Playschool should definitely book for the Playschool Concert. Held at various locations around Victoria, this is a fantastic event for this age group and a great first concert experience due to the relaxed and familiar nature of the show. Tickets are $14.50 each and babies under 1 are free. For bookings and further information, visit the Kids Promotions website.

Letters to Santa

Imagine your child's face when they recieve a letter from Santa addressed to them. Australia Post will send replies to letters to Santa. All you have to do is get your little one to write a letter to Santa, address it to Santa at North Pole 9999, include your return address and make sure you send it before the 17th December 2010.

To make it even more fun, post your letter at Santa's Mailbox in the City Square between 5th -17th December, 7am - 6pm.

Look! Exhibition Opening Celebration

State Library of Victoria
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Saturday 4th December, 11am - 4pm

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition Look! The art of Australian picture books today, the State Library are hosting a special family fun day with entertainment from Play School presenter Jay Laga’aia and Christof the clown, plus storytelling, drawing sessions with popular authors and illustrators, tours and creative activities.

Check the State Library website for the full schedule of events.

Sing A Long Mary Poppins

ACMI Cinemas
Federation Square
Sunday 29th May 2011, 10.30am and 1.30pm

I am very excited about this one as its one our favourite family movies and we felt the kids were just a bit too young for the stage show at $100+ a ticket. This is great value and the kids will love the sing a long. Check the ACMI website for further information, details to be posted shortly.

Kids Flicks

ACMI Cinemas
Federation Square

ACMI have a full program of kids flicks being screened over the Christmas holiday period, including Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Brothers Grimm fairytales and Hans Christian Anderson fairytales. Tickets are $6. Check website for session times and details.


Also look out for saturday sessions at Village and Hoyts. Dorothy the Dinosaur meets Santa Claus is playing this week at selected Hoyts cinemas

Walking with Dinosaurs

Hisense Arena
4th-15th May 2011

We're scaredy cats in our household so I doubt we'll be going to this life-size dinousaur show, but if your kids can cope with it I think this would be an amazing experience. Based on the award-winning BBC television series, this show is a "$20 million spectacle of unprecedented size and quality that travels from town to town in a staggering 33 semi-trailers." Pre-sale starts Friday 22nd October at 12 noon.

Danks St Playgrounds & Plum Garland Memorial Park

Danks Street Playgrounds, Albert Park
1. Cnr Victoria Av & Danks Street
2. Cnr Mills Street & Danks Street

This is a fantastic outing with the kids on a sunny day. Start out on Victoria Av picking up supplies at the IGA or grabbing a coffee from one of the cafes near Danks Street. Then head to the Danks St/Victoria Av playground where you can relax or catch up with friends whilst the kids explore the toddler-friendly playspaces and equipment including a birds nest swing (pictured above). Located on the median strip and fully fenced, this is a great playground for under-fives and a nice spot to just hang out with the kids. There is a good table setting for lunch and several bench seats with good visibility of the whole playground. From here you can walk down Danks Street and visit the other playground near the corner of Mills Street. This is another great playspace and it features a rocking tram that the kids will love.


Plum Garland Memorial Playground
Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park (near Victoria Av)

Now its time for a walk. Put the kids in the pram and head up Mills Street, cross over Beaconsfield Parade and walk along the beach until you come to the Plum Garland Memorial Park near Victoria Av. This is a great playground for under-fives as its right on the beach and well covered with shade sails. Being all sand means the kids can kick off their shoes and you don't have to worry about the little ones falling over and hurting themselves. My kids loved the wooden boat with its wheel house and passenger seats, plus the cubby structure where they could scoop up the sand and haul it up to the top level via a pulley system. Being right on the beach means this site can get a bit windy and of course quite hot on a sunny day, but its a great spot and the kids will love it. If you're still there at dinner time, it would be worth checking out the fish n' chip shops on Victoria Av. Otherwise take a walk down Victoria Av to Bridport Street or to St Vincent Gardens where there is another great playground and some nice picnic spots.

Children's Week 2010

Saturday 23rd October - Sunday 31st October

This could well be a state secret with the amount of build-up its recieved. Such a pity as it promises to be a great event for under-fives.

Children's Week is a celebration of young people based on the articles expressed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child highlighting play, wellbeing and protection. Hosted by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in conjunction with local councils, schools and early childhoood services, it focuses on the central theme of 'A Caring World Shares' and offers a program of kids activities in various locations around Melbourne.

The official launch of Children's Week will be held at Melbourne Zoo with a family fun day on Sunday 24th October. Kids under 15 years are free.

Other highlights include;
- Teddy Bear's Picnic at Lilydale Lake, Monday 25th October
- Smartycats at your local library, Tuesday 26th October
- Free Fun in the Park, Boroondara Parks, Tuesday 26th October
- Romp and Stomp Fun Day at Melbourne Museum, Wednesday 27th October
- Kids Day in the Park at Mornington Park, Wednesday 27th October
- African Circus Skills at Werribee Zoo, Saturday 30th October
- Children Week Celebrations at NGV, Sunday 31st October
- Children's Week Picnic at Werribee Park, Sunday 31st October
- The Mudcakes Happy Halloweenie Party, Williamstown, Sunday 31st October

For more information on Children's Week visit the DEECD website. The Children's Week 2010 Event Guide is searchable by local council so its a bit fiddly if you want to find out whats on around Melbourne as a whole but have a look and see what you can find.

ArtPlay

Birrarung Marr, Federation Square


Light Fantastic
Imagine, create and play in outer ‘art’ space. On Friday 8 October children will journey to the moon and explore strange shadow shapes made by different objects. If sunlight suffices, children will also make a photographic print using found objects. The journey continues on Thursday 4 November when children will make light drawings in space using glowsticks and then create a glow-in-the dark wall painting using special phosphorescent paints. Come on both dates, or just one, and explore with artist Hayley Rivers.
Friday 8 October and Thursday 4 November
$15 per child, bookings essential
10.30am to 11.15am (two to three years)
11.45am to 12.30pm (four to five years)


AryPlay Bubs
Spend time relaxing with your little one, tune in together and enjoy playful movement exploration with Susan Maling, an early childhood dance movement specialist. Stay after the session and share a cuppa with Susan and other parents.
Friday 15 and 22 October
$15 per child
10am to 11.30am (Friday 15 – pre crawlers; Friday 22 – crawlers)
12.30pm to 2pm (Both days – walkers)


Wishhh
Grab your suitcase and help Pocketfool create a theatrical journey like no other. Preschool children and their families are interwoven into an adventure that uses original music, art and imaginative play. A bold new production from Pocketfool, and their world premiere to boot!
Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 , Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October
$15 per adult and child pair, bookings essential
Wednesday and Thursday: 10:30am to 11:30 and 1pm to 2pm
Weekend: 10.30am to 11.30am; 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Age: three to five years


Print Place
Print making is fun and creative – and a great activity for preschoolers. Artists Dominic Belvedere and Louise Saxton will lead this new 8 week course that’s bound to create skills, confidence and friendships. Each week children will explore aspects of printmaking such as mono-printing, block-printing, embossing, as well as collage and drawing to create robots, stars, moons, people, animals, the river and the city - a whole wide world!
Fridays 29 October to 17 December
$80 for eight classes, bookings essential
Fridays, 10.30am to 11.15am; 11.45am to 12.30pm
Three to five year olds

For more information on any of these sessions, visit the ArtPlay website

Romp & Stomp Fun Day

Wednesday 27th October 2010, 10am to 3pm
Melbourne Museum
Nicholson Street, Carlton

Yippee! An event designed specifically for the under-fives, not during school holidays, and at a great venue that the kids love. Best of all the kids are free! In celebration of Universal Children's Day, the Melbourne Museum are offering our little ones a day of fun and educational activities, including storytelling, singing, music, craft activities and more. Tickets are $8 for adults and you can pre-book to avoid queues. For bookings call 13 11 02 or visit the Romp & Stomp website for more information.

Planning with Kids

Check out our guest post on Planning with Kids this month. This is a great site with plenty of ideas for kids including recipes and craft activities as well as some interesting articles on subjects like preparing for school and discipline strategies. As a mother of five kids, Planning Queen knows what she's talking about and her articles are really informative, plus she has some fun and quirky suggestions for things to do at home including lego capes and newspaper swords. So become a fan and start getting organised.

Fairies in the Gardens

Fairies at the bottom of the Garden
Enchanting garden magic, storytelling, singing and planting. Fairies, bunyips and elves encouraged to wear own costumes. Suitable for children aged 3 to 5 years.
Royal Botanic Gardens - Children's Garden
22, 24, 28 & 30 September 2010
10am - 11am
$12 per child

Wildflower Fairies and Elves
Fly through the gardens looking for fairies and elves before settling among the wildflowers for fairy crafts. Fairies and elves encouraged to wear own costumes. Suitable for children aged 2 to 5 years.
RGB Cranbourne
21, 28 & 30 September 2010
9.30am - 10.30am
$6.50 per child

Tesselaar Tulip Festival - Childrens Days

September 22nd, 23rd, 29th & 30th
357 Monbulk Rd, Silvan Victoria (Melways Map 123B5)
Open daily 10am to 5pm.

Did you just buy a new digital SLR? No, well I'm sure you know someone who has (rest of Melbourne it seems) so grab them, dress the kids in their sunday best and go frolic in the fields of Silvan this month at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival. On a sunny day this could offer some fantastic photo opportunities and, with a great schedule of kids activities lined up, it sounds like a great day out with the kids.

Daily timetable
•Paul Jamieson 'The Music Man' 11.45am, 1.45pm and 2.45pm
•Black Snake Productions presentations at 10.45am and 12pm
•Fairy Monica 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm
•Animals on the Move 10-4 (breaks timetabled on the day)
•Linda Kent Pottery, Mez’ Card Works, Face Painting, Crazy Hair, Stax the Didgeman, Kids Artworks – various crafts.
•Donuts, Fairy Floss stall, Dutch food stall, our foods, party pies, kids sandwiches, hot dogs, funny faces etc. Icy poles and juices, ice cream stall.

Adults $18, Concession $15, Under 16 free
(Groups of 10 or more $15 each person)
Bookings available online
Food + Drink available, Free off street parking, Wheelchair friendly, Dogs on leads welcomed and most of all dont forget your camera

Also see my post on Children's Week at Skyhigh Mt Dandenong as there are some days that these two events overlap.