School Holiday Activities | April 2026
April 3 - April 19
We have some great activities running throughout the school holidays for kids of all ages. Check them out below, or visit the Ashburton District Council What’s On page to see all of the school holiday events across our facilities!
Witching Words | Poetry Competition
March – 23 August | 10AM-4PM | Free | Drop in
Witching Words: A Poetry Competition invites visitors of all ages to step into a world where language shimmers and imagination leads the way. Inspired by the playful poetry of Margaret Mahy and the evocative illustrations of David Elliot, this competition encourages you to create your own poem using words, rhymes, and ideas drawn from the Rokowhiria Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum exhibition, The Word Witch – Flights of Fancy.
Egg-static
04 April – 06 April | 10AM-4PM | Free | Drop in
Using our lasercut egg shapes, create decorations to celebrate this Easter holiday period.
Fantastical Friends
04 April – 12 April | 10AM-4PM | Free | Drop in
Take inspiration from David Elliot’s illustrations in ‘The Word Witch – Flights of Fancy’ and the words found on the whimsical leaf hunt to create funky friends with our broad selection of collected materials.
Make a Monument
13 April – 19 April | 10AM-4PM | Free | Drop in
Construct and decorate your own maquette of a local monument from our unique card templates.
Whimsy Leaf Hunt
03 April – 19 April | 10AM-4PM | Free | Drop in
Wander our exhibitions and building searching for leaves with whimsical words of inspiration from the ‘The Word Witch – Flights of Fancy’ exhibition where we see David Elliot’s original illustrations from this delightful book of poems by Margret Mahy. Use the words found to inspire your creativity. Don’t forget to hand in your completed form to go in the draw for our holiday prize.
Paint like a botanical artist
4 April – 19 April | 10AM-4PM | Free | Drop in
‘Botanical Correspondents: Crossing time with Julia Holderness and Emily Cumming Harris’ is an exhibition that travels across time. Come learn about the time and life of Emily Cumming Harris (1837-1925) and then imagine you are a 19th century painter while creating a painting at our still life art studio space in the Learning Centre.