School holidays are well and truly underway, with kids across the north staring down weeks of spare time before the next school year kicks off.
To help keep the kids busy during the break, Townsville City Council has published the School Holiday Guide – Summer Edition, jam-packed with activities.
Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson Ann-Maree Greaney said there was a range of activities for kids to enjoy.
"The guide is filled with no cost and low cost activities for families to make the most of the kids' spare time these school holidays," Cr Greaney said.
"Ahead of Christmas we have our Crafty Christmas Characters workshops at Pinnacles Gallery on this week until Friday.
"The free workshops will show how to create an elf, reindeer, penguin or even Santa himself to hang on your Christmas tree at home. No bookings are required for these family-friendly workshops.
"CityLibraries is running the Summer Reading Club. Kids and teenagers can download their own challenge sheet and activity book or pick up a copy from the nearest library as well as an activity back with a free book to help them get started with their summer reading.
"During the school holiday period our libraries are a great place for kids to pick up books, activities, DVDs and CDs, and for teenagers to make the most of our library of things or spend some time in our designated video game spaces."
Cr Greaney said Council was also running two free movie nights for families to enjoy under the stars.
"Have a free night out under the stars with Riverway Movies both this month and in January. We'll be screening two family-favourite films – Wonder Park in December and Missing Link in January," she said.
"This is a great low-cost activity for the whole family to enjoy, as all you need to do is bring a picnic and some snacks."
And for kids with lots of energy, there were plenty of parks to take advantage of.
"As always the great outdoors are great for families looking for a way to get the kids to burn off some energy these holidays," Cr Greaney said.
"If you need to cool down, The Strand has the Rockpool and the Strand Waterpark while Riverway has two stunning lagoons and plenty of space for the kids to run and play."
Visit Council's website to check out the School Holiday Guide – Summer Edition.
