Things to do  |  12h ago

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These winter school holidays, kids can get stuck into sport, performing arts, history, crafts, art making and technology as part of KidsFest.

You’ve heard of tennis and badminton, but have you heard of pickleball? Give it a go with the whole family at Te Kura Hagley Park Tennis Club. With koha entry, no booking required, and volunteer trainers on hand, it’s an easy and fun way to pass a couple of hours.

Meanwhile basketball lovers of all ages can shoot hoops on the new Youth Hub Christchurch half court, cheered on by two Canterbury RAMS players. Just rock up and have a go.

Girls thinking about enrolling in dance lessons can try out a bunch of styles for free at Silhouette Studios’ three-hour ‘discovery’ workshop – what a great way to find the best fit before signing up.

Amplify School of Music in New Brighton are also welcoming beginners, as well as offering advanced sessions. Sign up your kids for affordable music workshops and see them hone their skills in keyboard, guitar, electric guitar, songwriting and stage performance.

Two fun performances, perfect for young ones, include The Three Bears at The Malthouse and Peter and the Wolf at the Southern Ballet Theatre.

A low-cost day of fun at Ferrymead Heritage Park is also worth a look in. Take part in a Kiwiana-themed discovery trail, with baking and craft activities along the way. Another craft option at the park allows attendees the opportunity to use vintage printing equipment to make their own posters, notebooks, greeting cards and little books.

Budding artists can learn about Austrian artist Friedrich Hundertwasser and create a watercolour painting on canvas inspired by his work. Sign up for an affordable three-hour workshop run by the Canterbury Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) for this one-off opportunity.

And rounding out the options with some tech-based learning and fun at three city libraries is a Minecraft Build Challenge at Tūranga for 8 to 12-year-olds, and for 10 to 14-year-olds there’s 3D printing at Matatiki Hornby Centre and Robot football at New Brighton Library.

To see the full programme, head to ccc.govt.nz/kidsfest for more than 250 events and activities. KidsFest starts this weekend, Saturday 28 June and runs throughout the school holidays.