Creation Station at the National Film and Sound Archive

I've posted about this before - it's fantastic.

Creation Station is on again the week of 30 January 2012. The theme is musical instruments.

Check it out here.

Story time at the War Memorial

Once each year a certain duck makes its way to the Pool of Reflection at the Australian War Memorial where it hatches a brood. The baby ducks and the Mummy duck then swim around the Eternal Flame for a day or two before waddling down Anzac Parade to Lake Burley Griffin, which presumably has more food.

This is clearly the most exciting thing a museum could ever offer a little child, but there are also two other fun things that happen all year round at the War Memorial: 

• Storytime, which is held at 10.30am on Fridays. Here's the events listing for next Friday.
• Discovery Zone, where you can fly a helicopter and captain a submarine! 

There is heaps of parking, a great cafe on the lawns outside and it's free, or a gold coin if someone's watching!

Fountains in the Parliamentary Triangle

I was very excited to read today in the Canberra Times that the High Court's cascade fountain has been switched back on after a four year rest!
 
It's probably not strictly what they had in mind, but little people in Canberra can take their ducks and boats and anything that floats and toss them into the fountain and see what happens. (My husband is planning to play Pooh Sticks there, though strictly speaking Pooh Sticks requires a bridge.)
 
If you want to make a day of it, nearby ponds and fountains and works of art in which to float ducks and sail boats when no one is looking are:

• the fun squirty fountain in the House of Reps Garden (the walled garden to the left of Old Parliament House)
• the big rectangular ponds in the lawns in front of Old Parliament House
• the water feature immediately in front of Parliament House
• the water feature at the entrance of the National Gallery of Australia and the water feature near the Rodin sculptures in the Sculpture Garden.

The best place to park is probably under the National Portrait Gallery.

Paddling in the fun squirty fountain in the middle of Winter.

National Museum open day on Sunday

The National Museum is opening its behind the scenes store in Mitchell on Sunday. Among all the treasures on display there will surely be sights and sounds to enchant little guys.

Behind the Scenes runs from 11am until 2pm at 90 Vicars St in Mitchell this Sunday, 6 November 2011. 

Entry is free, parking is possibly more than a hop, step and jump away, and one should wear covered footwear and not carry your baby in a backpack and, well, maybe you should read the conditions of entry before you leave the house!

Art appreciation for babies and toddlers

If your baby is tired of looking at pram toys and the ceiling, take them to see some million dollar views. The National Gallery of Australia runs A Little Look at Art tours for parents and babies each month. The next tours are at 10am on Wednesday 19 October 2011 and Wednesday 16 November 2011. You need to book and it costs $12, which includes coffee and muffins after the tour.

The Gallery also runs Art and Me tours for two and three year olds around once per month. The next one is Friday 11 November 2011 at 10am. You need to book, it costs $12 and the toddlers must be accompanied.

Other unofficial things to do at the art gallery when you are very young include: 

• sailing your bath toys in the raised pond outside the main entrance
• having your photo taken with the pears sculpture out the front
• looking for birds' nests in the outdoor artworks
• riding your scooter on the smooth slate in the sculpture garden (the signs say that cyclists must take care in the sculpture garden, so I am interpreting this creatively).

Craft at the National Museum

Next Wednesday, 19 October 2011, the National Museum is holding Creative Craft with Friends, which is a craft morning for under fives. It runs from 10.45am to 12 noon and costs $10. 

Book at friends@nma.gov.au or on 6208 5048.  

Parking is free.

We've never tried the craft mornings at the museum, so feel free to post a comment here if you attend!

Be a rockstar at Screensound

This week Littles in Canberra can make a guitar, mask and groovy glasses at the National Film and Sound Archive. They hook the finished guitars up to an amp so that the kids can play electric guitar (but you might want to stick to acoustic at home).
 
You need to book (call them on 6248 2000) and it costs $5 per child. It runs from 10am till noon every day this week. Take $3 in coins for parking!