Wondering how you’re going to keep the kids entertained these holidays? Don’t panic, we’ve got you covered with this action-packed winter school holiday survival guide.

Vacation care

Mon 4 – Mon 18 Jul
Cromer, Forestville, Manly Vale and North Harbour
Working these school holidays? Our Vacation Care program caters for children aged 5-12 years and is packed with fun activities from acrobatics and ninja excursions to cooking, laser tag and meeting Taronga Zoo animals!
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Kids on the Coast

Mon 4 – Fri 15 Jul
Coastal Environment Centre
Learn about our natural environment through a unique theme for each day. Explore our rockpools, test your survival skills, search for fossils or be a junior marine biologist. Suitable for children 6 – 12 years.
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Swim programs

Mon 11 – Fri 15 Jul
Warringah Aquatic Centre
From intensive swimming and stroke correction to diving clinics and carnival preparation, our school holiday programs will keep your children active.
Bookings open Mon 20 Jun.

Kids’ Art Adventures: storytelling through art

Wed 6 Jul, 10am – 12pm, 5 - 11yrs
Wed 6 Jul, 1 – 3pm, 12 – 15yrs
Manly Art Gallery & Museum
Create collages using text and mixed media to tell stories of your life and of things that matter. Led by artist Raneen Shamon. Kids will explore the Settled/Unsettled: art on asylum-seeker, migrant and refugee experiences exhibition and be inspired to create artworks to take home.
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Digital art classes for kids

Mon 4, 9.30-11.30am, 12.30-2.30pm
Tue 5, 12.30-2.30pm
Wed 6 Jul, 9.30-11.30am, 12.30-2.30pm
Avalon Creative Space
Learn how to create digital art from Belinda Young, a professional digital artist with 20 years’ experience working on Academy Award winning films, animated features, and children’s TV. All equipment provided.
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Kids’ school holiday art workshops

Various dates from Mon 4 - 16 Jul, 11am-1pm
Mona Vale Creative Pop Up
Flow painting fun for kids! Kids aged 7+ are invited to a two-hour tactile and fun creative workshop run by artist Ashley Carlson. After a short demo, artists get to pick their colour palettes and effects. Fresh fruit and drinks provided.
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Teddy Bears’ Sleepover

Tue 5, Wed 6, Thu 7, Tue 12 & Thu 14 Jul
Selected Northern Beaches libraries
Bring your teddy bear along for this special story time at the library. We'll be sharing stories, songs and rhymes. Your teddy is then welcome to have a sleepover at the library. The next day come and collect your teddy and find out what they got up to after we left.
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Creative Writing Workshop

Thu 14 Jul
Glen Street & Mona Vale Libraries
Learn how to structure a story, develop characters and brainstorm ideas at a fun creative writing workshop. Perfect for children in primary school years 3 to 6.
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NAIDOC Story Time

Thu 7 Jul
Dee Why Library
Celebrate NAIDOC week with a special story time presented by our Aboriginal Heritage Officer, Karen Smith. Suitable for primary school aged children.
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Pop-up Book Workshop

Tue 5, Thu 7 & Tue 12 Jul
Selected Northern Beaches libraries
Create a fun pop-up book these school holidays! Learn fun folding techniques and combine them with drawing and writing to let your imagination run wild. Suitable for children in primary school years 1 to 6.
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Makerspace Sampler Circuit

Tue 12 Jul, 11am – 1pm
Forestville Library
Try different Makerspace kits and technology including Makey Makey, LittleBits, BBC micro:bit, Sphero SPRK+, Ozobot bit and Circuit Scribe Ultra. All STEM kits are available to borrow from the library.
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Bear Scavenger Hunt

Sat 2 – Sun 17 Jul
All Northern Beaches Libraries
We’re going on a bear hunt! Find the bears hidden around the library, discover what each of them are holding and go into the draw to win a prize pack. Suitable for all ages.
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Byte the Bug escape room

Mon 4, Wed 6, Mon 11 & Wed 13 Jul
Forestville Library
Bring a groups of friends (up to six) and work together to complete a combination of digital and physical puzzles. This escape room experience is for high school years 7 to 10.
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Kokedama workshop

Sun 17 Jul, 2 – 3.30pm
Warringah Mall Library
Interested in plants? Learn how to make a Kokedama! A Japanese technique of planting where the roots and soil are wrapped in a ball of moss and decoratively bound by twine to hold everything together. This hands-on workshop is suitable for high schoolers, youth and older.
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Murder Mystery Night

Fri 8 Jul, 6 – 8.30pm
Dee Why Library
Summon your inner Sherlock and be immersed in a world of Hollywood and deception. Suitable for high school years 9 – 12.
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