Your bumper Hills school holiday guide for spring 2016

Stuck for ways to keep your children entertained these school holidays? Then check out our bumper guide to what’s fun around The Hills.

Sam Moran’s BEST. DAY. EVER! show is coming to the Australian Hotel and Brewery.

PLAY ALONG WITH SAM

Oct 5: The Play Along With Sam: BEST. DAY. EVER! show is on at The Australian Hotel and Brewery. Featuring music from Sam Moran’s NickJr. show Play Along With Sam this interactive show starts at 11.30am. Cost: $20 per person, 12 months and under free. Bookings:moshtix.com

CARTOONING CAMP

Sept 26-30: A cartooning camp will be held at the West Pennant Hills Scout Hall. Children will learn how to draw in a variety of styles as well as play games and enjoy fun food. Cost per day: Short day (9.30am-3.30pm) $29. Long day (8am to 6pm): $35. Night camp (6pm to 9pm): $20. Bookings:illustrating-man.com.au

GYMNASTICS

Sept 26-Oct 7: Sydney Hills Gymnastics, for ages 5-12. Cost: $75 per day or $340 for five days (8.30am-5pm), $57 a day or $260 for any five days (8.45am-3.30pm), $37 a half-day, $160 for any five half-days. Tumbling clinics will be held from noon-2pm for ages 8-15. Cost: $30 for one day or $130 for any five days. Bookings: 9659 9010

MARTIAL ARTS

Sept 26-Oct 7: Martial Arts for Kids classes will be held at Taekwondo World Castle Hill. Cost: Full day $70, half day $40. Three full days $190, half $100. Full day week $300, half $150. For ages 5-12. Bookings: 8850 7771

TENNIS CAMP

Sept 26-Oct 7: Holiday tennis camps will be held at Kellyville Sport and Recreation Centre. Cost: Five full days $119, five half days $89. Bookings: 0405 545 404.

Meet Elsa and Spider-Man at Home Hub Castle Hill.

ELSA AND SPIDER-MAN

Oct 8: Queen Elsa and Spider-Man will be at Home Hub Castle Hill from 10am to 3pm. Come dressed up and have your photo taken with the pair and take home a free goodie bag and balloons.

PERFORMING ARTS

Sept 27-28: Dance on Q performing arts workshops, including jazz, musical theatre, stretch and technique, contemporary, acro (gymnastics), bootcamp, hip hop, breakdancing and lyrical. 8.30am-3.30pm. Cost: $70 (ages 5-7), $75 (ages 7-9) — one day. $115 (ages 10-12), $115 (ages 13-18) — two days. Bookings: 0422 611 518.

LIFE SKILLS

Sept 26-Oct 7: Life Skills workshops for children at Castle Hill, Kellyville, Cherrybrook and Northmead. Survival skills, cooking, brain training, song and dance, science and magic, arts and crafts, performing arts, construction and robotics. Bookings: 0477 054 244

CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

Sept 27-Oct 2: Spot On Children’s Festival at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. Live entertainment, film, workshops, free activites and more. Bookings: riversideparramatta.com.au

TENNIS SCHOOL

Sept 26-Oct 7: Rod Fahey Tennis School at Kellyville, Crestwood, North Rocks, Castle Hill and Winston Hills. Cost: $119 week, $99 half-day week, $30 day or $27 half-day; elite clinic week $149. Bookings: 0408 401 462

ART CLASSES

Sept 26-30: Kreative Kids art classes, 10.30am-noon ages six and above, 12.30pm-2pm ages nine and above. Clay, ceramics, painting and drawing. At Dural Art Studio, 7/286 New Line Rd. Cost: $27.50-$30. Bookings and session details:duralartstudio.com.au

Children participating in the Sydney Metro school holiday program.

METRO WORKSHOPS

Sept 28, 29, Oct 5, 6: The two-hour workshops are held at Castle Hill and are ideal for school aged children between 5 and 12 years. Come along and learn more about Sydney Metro, have fun building bridges and make your own tunnel boring machines. Two sessions will run from 10am — 12pm and 1.30pm — 3.30pm. Bookings: essential on nwrail.transport.nsw.gov.au

GOLF SKILLS

Sept 28-29, Oct 5-6: Kids golf clinics, 10am-1pm at Lynwood Country Club. Cost: $99, includes lunch and round of golf for two adults. Bookings: 4580 8555

ART WITH SHAPES

Sept 28: Zetangle for Kids - make art with repetitive patterns at Castle Hill Library. 10.30am (ages 8-12) and 2pm (ages 12-16). Cost: $12. Bookings:thehills.nsw.gov.au/library

CONSTRUCTION FUN

Oct 4: Lil’ Kidz Construction Workshop - games and fun with Lego at Dural Library. 10am (school years K-2). Cost: $13. Bookings:thehills.nsw.gov.au/library

ORIGAMI WORKSHOP
Oct 5: Origami workshops at Castle Hill Library. 11am (school years K-2). Cost: $15. 1.30pm (school years 3-6). Cost: $17.50. Bookings: thehills.nsw.gov.au/library

GIRL POWER

Sept 27-28, 30: Girl empowerment workshops at Kellyville. Learn value, worth, self respect, self esteem, identity and confidence, 9am to 4.30pm. Ages 8-10 (Sept 27-28) and ages 11-15 (Sep 30). Cost: $175. Bookings: 0419 461 741

BASKETBALL CAMP

Sept 26-27, Oct 5: Hills Hornets basketball academy has holiday camps for those aged 5-12, 10am-4pm at Hills Sports Stadium, Fred Caterson Reserve, Castle Hill. Cost: $115. Ages 13-18 skills camp on Oct 5. Cost: $65 Bookings:hillshornets.com.au

Learn hot to hit big like the stars at the Sydney Thunder cricket camp.

THUNDER CRICKET CAMP

Sept 26-27: Sydney Thunder T20 players will hold a cricket camp at Bruce Purser Oval, Rouse Hill, 9am to 1pm. Cost: $99. Details: sydneythunder.com.au

GYMNASTICS

Sept 26-Oct 4: Gymnastics clinics will be held at Sydney Academy of Gymnastics, Winston Hills. Cost: $45 per full day, $35 per half day. Bookings: 9620 8323

TENNIS SCHOOL

Sept 26-Oct 7: Oakhill Tennis School camps, ages 5-15, all standards, at Oakhill College. Cost: $120 full week, $110 half-day week, $35 single days, $25 single half-days. Details: 0414 968 032

INFLATABLE SPORTS

Sept 26-Oct 7: Inflatable sports clinics at Castle Hill and Carlingford, including inflatable boot camp obstacle course and waterslide park, as well as T20 cricket, football and sports clinics. Cost: $40. Details: 0448 619 543

PERFORMING ARTS

Oct 5-6: Performing arts workshops at Tania’s Strictly Dancing, Norwest, 8.45am to 4.15pm. Ages 5 to 18. Jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, singing, drama, acrobatics and cheerleading. Cost: $60 per day. Ages 5-16 years. Bookings:taniasdancing.com.au

CLAYMATION

Sept 26-Oct 7: Stopmotion Lego and claymation movie workshops. Digi Ed, Norwest Business Park. Cost: $190 two days, $105 one day. Details:digied.com.au

HORSE RIDING

Sept 26-28, Oct 4-5: School-aged children can learn to brush, groom, saddle, bridle and clean tack, 9am-3.30pm at Dural Riding Stables. Cost: $120 per day. Bookings: 0412 467 137

Have fun with a muffin decorating workshop.

MUFFIN DECORATING

Sept 27: Free mini muffin decorating at Mint Fresh IGA and Cafe, 30 Arthur St, Baulkham Hills, at noon. Bookings: 9686 7064

MUSIC SCHOOL

Oct 6: The Hills Shire Music School will hold workshops for piano, drums and guitar for ages 5-12 years, 10am-2pm with free trial lessons. Cost: $75 four hours, $45 two hours. Bookings: 9899 3177

FORESTRY FUN

Sept 28-30, Oct 4-5: Cumberland State Forest will hold bushwalks and craft activities at 10.30am. Forest fairies and elves (Sept 28), timberific toys (July 11), timber magnets (Oct 4) and amazing animals (Sept 30, Oct 5). Cost: $5.50. Bookings: 1300 655 687

DECORATE A POT

Sept 27, 30: Decorate your own mini terracotta pot and plant a succulent to take home at 11am at Castle Towers. Bookings: castletowers.com.au

MAKE A KOKADEMA

Sept 27: Make your own hanging kokedama at 11am at Castle Towers. Bookings:castletowers.com.au

MAKE A TERRARIUM

Sept 26, 29: Make your own mini terrarium at 11am at Castle Towers. Bookings:castletowers.com.au

ORIGAMI

Sept 24, 26, 28 and Oct 2: Make origami at Castle Towers, 11am on Sept 28 and Oct 2, and 3pm on Sept 24, 26 and 28. Bookings:castletowers.com.au

CRAZY COLLAGES

Sept 25, 27 and 30: Make crazy collages at 3pm at Castle Towers. Bookings: castletowers.com.au

PAPER AEROPLANES

Sept 26-Oct 2: Make paper aeroplanes at noon at Castle Towers. Bookings:castletowers.com.au

COOKING CLASS

Oct 1: A kids’ cooking class, making fruit and museli balls, will be held at 11am at Castle Towers. Bookings:castletowers.com.au

Have fun inspired by The Secret Life of Pets at Event Cinemas Castle Hill.

SECRET LIFE OF PETS

Sept 27, 29

Castle Hill RSL will hold two special days to celebrate the release of the animated family movie The Secret Life of Pets. There will be colouring-in, craft, face painting and prizes on Sept 27 from 11am to 2pm, and 11am to 1pm on Sept 29.

CODING AND ROBOTICS

Sept 26-Oct 7: Coding and robotics classes at Bella Vista, experiments, robot building, computer game creation and presentation skills. Classes for school years 3-10. Cost: $375. Bookings: bellavistacoaching.com.au

TRAMPOLINE FUN

Sept 26-Oct 7: Get unlimited entry to Boing Central trampoline centre at Norwest Business Park these school holidays. Cost: $60 adults, $50 for students, $30 for tiny tots. Open from 9am to 9pm. Details: 1300 264 642.

SCRAPBOOKING

Sept 26-Oct 7: Free scrapbooking classes for school-aged children at Fantasia Papercraft, Bella Vista. Details: 8824 4388

BUSH TUCKER

Sept 27, 29 and Oct 4: Search for bush tucker plants with Aboriginal guides around Rouse Hill House & Farm. Learn about traditional bush foods and make a traditional ‘Johnny cake’. For ages 5+. Cost: $15 adult, $10 child, $10 members. Bookings: 8239 2211

VISUAL ARTS

Sept 26-30, Oct 4: Young Artists Visual Arts School For Kids and Teens at Castle Hill. Cost: $75 a day, $60 three hours, $55 three hours, $27 for 90 mins. Bookings and details:youngartists.com.au

BREWERY FUN

Sept 26-Oct 7: From noon each day at the Australian Hotel and Brewery, there will be cupcake decorating, facepainting, kids trivia, kids disco, kids bingo, Zumba and a jumping castle.
Bookings: 9679 4555

MOVIE FUN

Sept 26-Oct 7 (exc, Tues)

At Event Cinemas Castle Hill, there will be free activities including colouring-in

competition, face painting, theme days, craft and more. Family movie passes are available for $49.

RAPS AND RHYMES

Sept 28, Oct 5

A freestyle rhyme-making workshop will be held at the Discovery Centre, Castle Hill, 10am–3pm. Cost: $45. Bookings: maas.museum. There will be also be free fun activities, Monday to Friday.