The recent Victorian school holidays were full of fun and adventure for children from the Collingwood Public Housing Estate as they joined the LiveWires team for a range of activities and outings. You can see more photos in the image gallery on the LiveWires Facebook page.
Exploring at the movies with Dora
During the first week of the holidays the children and LiveWires team headed to Victoria Gardens shopping centre to watch Dora: The Lost City of Gold in the very comfortable reclining chairs at Hoyts. As the children were heading in to the cinema, they were stopped by Emily Morris, an actor from the Netflix children’s movie A Second Chance. Emily was signing posters for her new movie – many of the children had seen her in the original film and were very excited to meet her and get her autograph.
River cruise to Scienceworks
Program Coordinator Neysa Charlton with one of the children who ‘raced’ Cathy Freeman.
On the second day of the Holiday Program the LiveWires group, in partnership with St Vincent de Paul, caught the John Batman river cruise from Southbank to Scienceworks. For at least five of the children, it was their first time ever on a boat!
The children spent the day exploring the fun and exciting exhibits and activities, with lots of time spent racing Cathy Freeman in the Sportsworks exhibition. The group enjoyed the outdoor play areas in the afternoon sunshine before boarding the boat to head home.
Fun and creativity with food
In the second week of the holidays the LiveWires children participated in a Foost cooking class, learning about healthy colourful foods and which part of the body each food is good for. They learned how to make sushi hand rolls, tried edamame beans, and made a delicious banana, coconut and strawberry desert.
The children took their freshly-made bento boxes out to Perry Park and ate lunch in the beautiful spring weather, before heading to the playground for some time on the swings and monkey bars. It was wonderful to see the children enjoying eating fresh carrots, cucumber, capsicum and avocado!
We’re going to the Zoo!
The final day of the Holiday Program was the LiveWires and St Vincent de Paul family day outing to Melbourne Zoo, which was attended by 50 children and adults. This large gathering was split into smaller groups who explored the many different precincts and viewed the animals on display. Highlights included the butterfly house, Australian fur seals, and the lions! The families and children all came together for a healthy picnic lunch on the lawn. It was a big day, and everyone was satisfied but exhausted when they made it back to LiveWires.
The LiveWires team is now looking forward to a wonderful final term for the year with the children, and everyone is very excited for the Summer School Holiday Program!
Thank you for your support that means we can continue to provide activities for children in the Collingwood Public Housing Estate.