School Holiday Program

Discover astonishing stories throughout the school holidays, 2 – 18 April

Have you ever noticed that the Museum is never quiet? It is filled with strange sounds and voices from opening time to late at night. Restless things our objects are as they mutter and shudder leaving secret messages and signs. Come in and discover some astonishing stories as the objects within the Museum’s collection shed their secrets! All programs free with general Museum admission unless otherwise stated.

Zoe’s Lucky Charm
2 – 18 April, 11.00 – 11.30am, 1.00 – 1.30pm, 3.00 – 3.30pm
Go on a fun journey with our Museum mascot Zoe and help her unravel the mystery of the statue of the God of longevity. How did this small, but important, object get all the way from China to be found under a Banyan tree in Darwin? Zoe’s imagination runs wild in bringing this story to life! For ages 3+.

The Elephant Story
2 – 18 April, 11.30 – 11.50am, 1.30 – 1.50pm, 3.30 – 3.50pm
From the rubble of the 1882 fire of the Garden Palace, the birthplace of the Powerhouse Museum, there was found a little elephant. Help piece together the story behind this much beloved and lasting Museum object told in the tradition of a ‘choose your own adventure’ - no two stories are the same! For ages 3+.

Kamishibai stories
2 – 18 April, 10 – 10.30am, 12.00 – 12.30pm, 2.00 – 2.30pm
Kamishibai is a form of storytelling originating in Japan in the 12th century, where monks used picture scrolls to tell their stories and the kamishibai storyteller, rode from village to village on a bicycle equipped with a small stage. The Museum is like a series of villages and in a number of locations we will have a storyteller drawn from one of our behind the scenes staff. Listen for the sound of the kamishibai’s two wooden clappers announcing their arrival. For ages 3+.

Tattletale hunt
2 - 18 April, 9.30am – 2.00pm
Grab your digital camera, family and friends and take our Tattletale photo challenge. Throughout the Museum there are objects ready to speak and the aim of the challenge is to find and photograph them in action. Find the list of blabber mouth objects at TattleTale Central on the entry level of the Museum. Upload your photos to the Me and the Powerhouse Museum Flickr group and make sure you tag your images with ‘tattletale’ for a chance to win some great prizes. Suitable for all ages.

Holiday science workshop – slime time!
12 – 16 April, 10.00am – 12noon or 1.30 – 3.30pm
Roll up your sleeves and dig your hands into the slippery and squelchy world of slime! Have fun and get just a little messy mixing together your own slime to take home and see how this strange stuff behaves when you experiment. You will learn some basic chemistry principles, including molecular structures, physical and chemical changes, as well as states of matter. For 7 - 12 year olds.
Cost: $20 per child, $15 members.
Book online

Thinkspace kids workshop: My video adventure
Wednesday 7 April, 10.00am – 3.00pm
Star in your own digital video adventure story! Edited on PC, your video will use special FX, titles and a groovy music soundtrack. Invite your family and friends to a special screening to see your work at 2.30pm. One day workshop for 6 - 9 year olds, beginners welcome. Cost: $70 per child, $63 members.
Book online

Thinkspace kids workshop: Make a Music Video
6 - 7 April, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Create your own music track in our digital music lab using loops and samples from our huge library of sounds, then add your own lyrics or instrument tracks. Plus make a music video for your track with you as the star using our special FX video studio and software. A two day workshop for 10 - 14 year olds, beginners welcome. Cost: $140 per child, $126 members.
Book online

Thinkspace kids workshop: Songwriting and recording
8 - 9 April, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Join our experienced music tutors and other young musicians as you learn songwriting techniques and analyse classic songs, record in our digital production studio and combine live performance with computer methods to create backing tracks and effects for your demo. A two day workshop for 12 - 16 year olds, all experience levels and instruments welcome! Cost: $140 per child, $126 members.
Book online

Theatre of Image workshop: The Circus
6 - 7 or 8 - 9 April, 9.30am – 4.30pm
Roll up, roll up - come and create an entertaining, colourful and fun world of The Circus in this two-day drama, art & music workshop. Imagine you’re part of a travelling circus, pitching the big top in a new town every few days; a life of sawdust and tinsel, hotdogs and candyfloss, thrills, danger and excitement. With the smell of the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd, will you be the flying trapeze artist, the breathtaking tightrope walker, jugglers, strong woman, ringmaster, lion tamer or the crazy clowns?
For 5 – 12 years. Cost: $190. 
Bookings online at www.theatreofimage.com.au.

Australian Theatre for Young People workshop - Acting for camera: screening your stories
12 - 16 April, 10.00am – 3.00pm
Write your own stories for the screen using objects in the Powerhouse Museum as your inspiration. Work together to brainstorm ideas, create a short script and film it for a showing on the final day. This fun workshop is designed to get young people thinking about the differences between acting for stage and screen. For children in school years 3 – 6. Cost: $285 per child. Bookings on www.atyp.com.au.

Australian Theatre for Young People workshop - Acting for camera: most haunted
12 - 16 April, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Inspired by movies such as The Blair Witch Project that are filmed entirely using hand-held cameras, create your own short stories around the theme ‘Most Haunted’. How can you get around not having the budget for special effects, what can you do with just yourselves and a hand-held camera? Are you up for the challenge? For school years 7 – 9. Cost: $335 per person. Bookings on www.atyp.com.au.

Australian Theatre for Young People workshop - Acting for camera: characters on camera
12 - 16 April, 10.00am – 4.00pm
A workshop for young actors dedicated to improving their craft and using techniques tutor Lyndelle Green has gained from working with well-known Hollywood acting coach Ivana Chubbuck (coach of Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt and others). Students will work on contemporary scenes from film and TV aiming to create a “living, breathing and dynamic character”. For school years 10 -12. Cost: $335 per person. Bookings on www.atyp.com.au.