Explore your creativity and curiosity at the Australian National Maritime Museum these school holidays with a jam-packed program of exciting activities to spark the imagination.
Back by popular demand is the Aquatic Imaginarium, an indoor play and discovery space designed for families to encounter a wonderland of evocative sensory installations and all the most beloved Kids on Deck creative art-making and science activities.
From photography and art workshops to underwater drone operation, sensory play spaces, and Museum tours and activity trails designed especially for kids, there is so much to see and do at the Maritime Museum this Autumn.
See the highlights of this exciting program below and view the full program here: Autumn School Holidays | Australian National Maritime Museum
--
Aquatic Imaginarium - Unleash your creativity in a world where imagination meets the sea. Build the sandcastle of your dreams with giant blocks, dance with diatoms in a kaleidoscopic disco, enjoy some calm time in our kelp forest reading corner, curate your own mini-museum with objects and specimens, turn ocean waste into new creations in our recycled plastic laboratory or make your own cute-as-sea creature pom poms, model boats, slippery slime, sculpture, scientific illustration and more creative art and experiments to take home. Dates: Daily Times: 10:30am – 4pm Ages: Recommended for ages 4-14 and accompanying adults Booking: No bookings required Price: Entry included in any paid admission
Book Nook and Drop-in Making - Artist Brian Robinson often creates works inspired by the tropical marine environment surrounding Waiben (also known as Thursday Island). He also uses traditional mark making and patterns from his culture with references to history, faith and his favourite pop culture icons.
In these activities – Weaving Zagal – and Paper Florilegium- you're invited you to learn to create a woven angel fish, or a multilayered paper flower inspired by Brian's work. Dates: Daily Times: 9.30am -5pm Ages: Suitable for all ages Booking: No bookings required Price: Free
Cabinet of Curiosities: Creature Feature - Explore wonderful and curious specimens and objects from our education collection in this hands-on discovery device in our galleries.
Handle both real and replica marine plant and animal specimens to discover the diversity of aquatic environments and their curious inhabitants.
Run your fingers over a shark jaw, peer up close at a sting ray spine, marvel at the chambers in a nautilus shell, or explore the kelps, corals and habitats that ocean critters call home.
Dates: Daily Times: 10:30am – 11:30am & 2pm – 3pm Ages: Suitable for all ages Booking: No bookings required Price: Free
Fintastic Fridays – Dress Up Disco Day - Fridays in Autumn school holidays are an opportunity to come in costume to see Ocean Photographer of the Year, meet and enjoy photo ops with our real-life mermaid host and shark puppet.
Enjoy tunes spun by our Jellyfish DJ, shimmy like a sea pig, jive like a jellyfish or boogie like a bioluminescent angler as you light up the deep-sea disco dance floor!
Enjoy sparkly and collaborative artmaking activities, get your face painted or your flippers tattooed with your favourite underwater creature designs and enjoy your choice of themed snacks at the Cafe cart. Dates: Friday 10 + 17 April Times: 11am – 2pm Ages: Suitable for all ages Booking: No bookings required Price: Free
Go Fish! Activity Trail - Adventure around the galleries, exploring the museum's collection of all things fish- from scientific illustrations to sneaky sharks- can you catch them all? Encounter curious objects, beautiful artworks and fascinating stories as you complete the trail to receive your prize. Dates: Daily Times: 10am – 4:30pm Ages: Recommended for kids ages 4-10 years Booking: No bookings required Price: Free
Rizzeria Press - Be inspired by printmaking on display in our current exhibitions as you remix the museum's collection using playful risograph prints. Cut, draw, mix and collage your own creations based on some of our favourite objects and iconic posters. The team from the Rizzeria co-op will bring collage material and prints and all material needed and will be there to guide and collaborate with you.
The Rizzeria is a Sydney-based printing co-operative managed by artists, illustrators and self-publishers. Riso printing is an environmentally friendly printing technique that blends screen printing and photocopying, and it is often used for zines, posters or limited-edition art works.
Dates: Saturday 18- Sunday 19 April Times: 11am – 3pm Ages: Recommended for ages 8 to adult Booking: No bookings required Price: Free
Mini Mariners – Art Adventures - Pack your bags for an imaginative journey up, off and away, over- seas in a special character tour for under 5s and their carers. Explore different cultures and places from across the seas. Sing songs, dance and enjoy story time, and then you can create your own printed book bags and whale puppets to take home. Dates: 11 + 18 April Times: 10:30am – 11:15am, 11:30am – 12:15pm Ages: Ages 2-5 and their carers Booking: Bookings essential Price: Child $12, Adult $8, Members/Annual pass holders and see it all ticket holders FREE.
Bubble-ology - Encounter clever characters and fun physics as performing artists unlock the wonders of everyone's favourite experiment- bubbles! Experiment with the effects of light, water, weather and gravity as you play with gorgeous gigantic bubbles. Dates: Tuesday-Sunday 7-19 April Times: 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1.30pm (30 min sessions) Ages: All ages Booking: No bookings required Price: Free
Sensory Friendly Days - Enjoy a comfortable environment for kids and adults with a variety of sensory differences. On Sensory-Friendly Days our new exhibitions and activity areas will be open extra early or late for a quieter experience and modified to suit people on the Autism spectrum and visitors with a range of differing abilities.
For our Autumn sessions, we're offering early access to the museum galleries including Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition*, Journey to the Ultimate Depth exhibition, submarine HMAS Onslow, an Underwater drone's workshop (suitable for visitors 7+ years) and our activity areas for Sensory-Friendly guests.
Our trained staff and volunteers will be on hand to assist with access and facilitate creative activities.
Dates: April 19 Times: 8:30am – 11:30am Ages: Suitable for all ages Booking: No bookings required Price: $12, children under 4 and members/companion card holders FREE.
Underwater Drone Challenge - Explore below the surface of the harbour with our underwater drones. Have fun testing your gaming skills by challenging family and friends to see who's the best U-Drone Pilot.
Undertake challenges to get your u-drone pilot licence, survey vessels and explore marine habitats around the harbour. Underwater drone sessions include a private workshop with our ocean-science educators and access to amazing underwater footage highlights to keep and share. Dates: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Times: 12pm, 12:45pm, 1:30pm, 2:15pm, 3pm Ages: Recommended for ages 8+ Booking: Bookings recommended Price: $35 general/ $25 members (includes See it All museum admission for one player)
Comic Creations – Illustration Workshop - Create your own comics with illustrators from Cockatoo Comics in this fun-filled 1 day workshop. Be inspired by graphic novelist Sam Wallman's work in our new exhibition 'A view from the Docks', and learn techniques in graphic novel style drawing, science communication, storytelling and humour, to design witty and wonderful comics about our underwater world. Dates: 14 + 15 April Times: 10am – 4pm Ages: Suitable for ages 8-14 Booking: Bookings essential Price: $85 General $75 Member $75 Earlybird
