Over 180 Events in this years TV2 KidsFest

KidsFest
2003

Over 180 Events in this years TV2 KidsFest
Make it the Biggest Festival Yet.

Booking Office Opens June 21st.

It’s back and it’s bigger than ever! Christchurch’s premier children’s winter school holiday festival TV2 KidsFest runs from July 5th to July 18th, with fun, games and activities for children up to 12 years of age, and this year, over 40 events are free.

In the first week of June, a colourful brochure will be distributed to Primary and Intermediate schools, pre-schools, crèches, kindergartens, Kohanga Reo’s, libraries and service centres, and also into the Waimakariri district schools.

Waimakariri have their own section in the brochure for the first time, with over 30 events for North Canterbury children. The opportunity exists for town kids to experience a bit of country life when they sign up for the Pony Clinic, or the Kaiapoi River Cruise.

Events are categorized by type in the brochure. Headings such as Knowledge and Discovery, and Young Performers will enable kids and their parents to jump immediately to their area of interest.

A fun and useful addition to this years brochure is a pull-out activity page in the centre, which flips over to a handy fridge calendar for parents and caregivers to take note of which TV2 KidsFest events they plan to attend over the two weeks.

Events produced by Christchurch City Council Leisure include the opening event, Kids of Yesteryear on Saturday July 5th . Held at the cities unique Heritage Park Ferrymead, children can transport themselves back in time to the early days of Christchurch life. Steam train and Clydesdale carriage rides will be free, and there will be live entertainment throughout the day. All the Museum collections and township buildings will be open, including Colonial House (as seen on TV!).

The school project event A Plastic Peace offers children all over the city the opportunity to express their creativity through recycling. Children will be creating hundreds of colourful flowers from PET bottles (soft drink) using plastic, wire, hot glue, paint and other recycled plastics The finished works will become a beautiful Peace Garden in the Avon River on the island at the corner of Hereford Street and Oxford Terrace from July 7th to 17th.

Project creator Henry Sunderland of the KidsFest Charitable Trust believes the project will make children more aware of their environment. “ Kids just throw these bottles to the ground and forget them. We’d like to make them aware that they can be recycled into something of beauty.” He says.

The concept grew out of a television craft idea that Henry designed for the ‘Son of a Gunn’ show over 5 years ago.

Last years ‘Great Pipe Dream’ recycled project saw 30 incredible plastic sculptures created, with several travelling thousands of miles to appear in an exhibition in New York City USA.. This year several New York and New Jersey schools are invited to create their own peace flowers for the Christchurch exhibition.

The project will foster school and community spirit and Henry feels that flowers have always been associated with peace and the feeling of going back to nature is a positive outcome for recycled plastic.

“ The Avon River island will be transformed into a splendiferous display. We’re going to make people smile in the middle of winter!’.

The flowers will be available for purchase in Cathedral Square on Friday July 18th, with the proceeds going to charity.

TV2 KidsFest is produced by Christchurch City Council Leisure, with the generous support of TV2. Information about the festival can be found in the brochure which is distributed city-wide during the first week of June, or on the website www.kidsfest.org,nz from June 1st , or by calling 941 6840.

ENDS

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