The bus wash

If your child loves buses, you might like to suggest the bus wash to your childcare centre or preschool. 

ACTION provides free excursions to childcare centres and preschools. They take the kids on a bus ride, through a bus depot and then through a bus wash. 

It sounds like the ultimate in fun and adventure if you are three years old!

Art tours for babies and toddlers

The National Gallery of Art runs two different art tours for littles:

• A Little Look at Art, for babies to two-year-olds
• Art and Me, for two- and three-year-olds

 

We've been on one of these tours and thought it was fantastic. My then two-year-old seemed to get a lot out of it and I was surprised by the great drawing he did there.

 

See here for upcoming dates in April, May and June. Tours cost $12, or $10 if you're a member of the gallery. Prams are allowed in the gallery and they have baby change rooms. See here for directions and parking.

 

For outdoor fun nearby, see this post on fountains. 

SouthCare helicopter base open day, 1 April 2012

Some signs have sprouted by Canberra roadsides advertising the Snowy Hydro SouthCare base open day on Sunday 1 April 2012 from 10am to 3pm.

The open day is a little cryptic - here's all I can find about it. But it's a helicopter, it's sure to be wonderful for little ones. If you want to get them in the mood and are super-organised like me (just kidding!), you can download a colouring sheet from the bottom of this page (but note the competition has closed).

In keeping with being cryptic, I'm not even exactly sure where the base is. But SouthCare's contact page gives an address.

Photo borrowed from SouthCare's website - thanks!

Hot Air Balloons, until 18 March 2012

If your kids naturally wake before dawn, you may as well do something fun! 

The Canberra Festival Balloon Spectacular is on every day until Sunday 18 March 2012.

Each morning from 6am, dozens of balloons - including two shaped like kangaroos - will float off from the lawns of Old Parliament House. Since most babies and toddlers love balloons, this should be a real treat for them.

At the bottom of this page are links to Facebook and Twitter updates as the event is weather-dependent. Happy ballooning! 

Fun at the library

Here are some things - aside from books and fun places to play - that Canberra's public libraries offer:

• Bookstart - a free book and library bag for Canberra babies
• Giggle and Wiggle - rhymes, songs and stories for under threes, held at various libraries around Canberra during term times
• Story Time - for three- to five-year-olds, held at various libraries around Canberra during term times
• from 13 to 30 March 2012, an exhibition based on Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester will be held at Civic Library and will include fun activities for children.

Library locations and opening times.