Create, Explore, Play! at HOME

National Bird Week 18 - 24 October

Attention Bird lovers! National Bird Week is coming soon and we want you to join us in celebrating the week with bird crafts and projects. 

Discover birds in your own backyard with this Backyard Birds of Victoria poster(PDF, 5MB). 

Celebrate this year's Aussie Backyard Bird Count and colour in a bird-themed bookmark(PDF, 287KB). 

Learn about the Melbirds project and then download a copy of the book. How many of Melbourne's birds you can spot through your window or out on a walk?

Since 1991, a pair of Peregrine Falcons has been observed in a nest on the rooftop of 367 Collins Street. As home to the only known peregrine falcon nesting site within Melbourne’s CBD. Watch CCTV footage of the birds as they lay and hatch their chicks.

Take part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count! Just spend 20 minutes in your favourite outdoor space and tell Birdlife Australia about the birds you see during that period. 

Create an easy homemade cardboard bird feeder for your backyard birds to enjoy.  

Get crafty with our Children's Team

HATS OFF to Nadia and Amy from our Children's Team for presenting this exciting and entertaining craft activity as they show us how to make cool, colourful HATS!

Paper plate craft ideas

• Paper Plate Weaving Fish Craft
• Paper plate veggie garden craft
• Adorable paper plate owl craft
• Llama Paper Plate Craft For Kids
• Rain Cloud Paper Craft with a Paper Plate Sun

General Crafts and Activities

• Bluey and Bingo paper masks
• Insects Colouring Pages
• Alphabet Letter Colouring Pages 
• Create simple symmetrical sculptures using scraps of paper
• Beaded wire maze sculptures
• Flag rocks
• Easy cardboard dinosaur feet
• Physical activity cube
• Fire breathing dragon craft

Kids Art Hub

Crafty ideas that will inspire you to cut, paste and design your way to your own piece of art at home. Watch our Kids Art Hub videos on Facebook.

Scratch Coding

With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community.

Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.

Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge.

We have put together step-by-step instructions for a few projects that will provide you with a basic overview of the Scratch coding program, show you some basics, and most importantly make a cool thing to show off! 

Rock band
Letters
Animation
Chase game
Dancing
Translator

Coding

Try a one-hour code tutorial designed for all ages in over 45 languages

Cooking

Banana sushi is a fun way to get the kids involved in making their own healthy snack 

Healthy lunchbox ideas for kids

Looking for a delicious Australian Day food idea that kids and adults will absolutely love!

Try these easy speedy sausage rolls for back to school lunches which are sure to be a hit.

Start your day off with a healthy and delicious breakfast(PDF, 520KB) of toast and fresh fruit, and make some new friends along the way. 

I SPY bingo sheet

Explore the outdoors with your family using this I SPY bingo sheet(PDF, 633KB) and find out how many of objects around your neighbourhood you can spot! See if you can find 4 in a row - up, down, across, or diagonal. Children can also draw a picture or write a story about their walking adventure! If you would like to share your picture/story, you can tag @stonningtonlibraries on Instagram.    

Museums and zoos

Explore the latest exhibition at the Melbourne Museum, Triceratops: Unearthing an Icon. Find activities to do at home from Scienceworks Museum. Find a great selection of Australian virtual tours, zoo cams and museums to explore from home. Go further abroad and take a look at some of the world's top museums offering virtual tours and exhibitions.

Educational videos

Short, educational videos on a whole variety of subjects bought to you by the people who gave us TEDtalks. TedEd is designed to spark curiosity.  

Stories and Songs

Log into Story Box Library with your Library card and watch unlimited Picture Books being read aloud by fantastic storytellers including Justine Clarke, Eddie Perfect, Nick Cave and more! Celebrate CBCA Book Week by exploring the shortlisted stories available. Each story also has an activity to complete. 

The Storykids podcast, which is in partnership with the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, creates 10-minute episodes featuring stories written by children read by a host of well-known Australian personalities followed by interviews with the young authors. 

Kids Write!

Let your imagination run wild with these creative writing prompts. 

Create your very own digital book with some great suggestions from Scholastic.com.

Britannica Library

Want to learn more about the animals you're seeing on the Nature live feeds? Log into Britannica Library with your Stonnington Library card and explore!

Gardening and Recycling

Nature Scavenger Hunt. Head outside and see if you can tick off all the things on this list. Some you can collect and others you need to observe or listen for. 

Use kitchen scraps to create your very own vegetable garden(PDF, 515KB). Pop on your gumboots and beanie and explore the garden with these outdoor autumn and winter activities.

News

Kids can explore local and international current events with this child-friendly news website from News Corp Australia. Kids News is suitable for grade 3 to year 8. About Kids News

Activity Time

Printable alphabet worksheets and activity packs.

Encourage your child's imagination with this STEM-based activity sheet from Raising Literacy Australia(PDF, 879KB).

A collection of fun self-directed activities that children can do at HOME from the Department of Education and Training. Activities include art, crafts, STEM and more and are suitable for early childhood (up to 5 years of age), Primary and Secondary school students.

Constructing and play together, respond to movement and sound, and use what’s in your home to help the development of your child’s fine motor skills using sensory elements with the Melbourne Museum Virtual Play Box.

Science Experiments

• Amazing Colouring Flower Science Experiment
• Rainbow in a Jar with Sugar – Density Science Experiment
• Underwater Volcano Science Experiment for Kids
• Germ and Hand Washing Experiment for Kids
• Colourful Oil and Water Science Experiment

Games

Make a marble run with cardboard tubes and craft supplies.

Get creative with ABC's Let’s create.

Design a chalk obstacle course.

Make your own set of noughts and crosses for outdoor play.

DIY cubby house out of cardboard

DIY puppet theatre. All the world’s a stage, and your little people are the stars. Give their props a place to perform, then sit back and watch those wild and imaginative storylines come to life.

Host your own Olympic games in your home or backyard.

Build a mini golf course for indoors or out using simple household materials and toys. Get some ideas here, here and here.

Design a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt for rainy day fun.

Uno cards are good for more than just games of Uno! Check out 15 more games you can play with Uno cards

The ABC website provides these fun, education and free games kids can play. A must for Peppa Pig and Sesame Street fans.

A great learning tool for little ones aged 3-6. Busythings features games to help children with numeracy, literacy and creative development and is free with your Stonnington Library card. 

Escape Room Challenge

Get ready for a piratical adventure on the high seas full of swashbucklers, pieces of eight and dastardly buccaneer riddles. Complete our Pirate escape room challenge today!