School holiday idea #3: Hands-on fun, stroll through a flowering garden

When: Wednesday 9 or Thursday 10 April

Time: Half a day, morning

Suitable for ages: Primary-aged children

Cost: Free – just the price of your lunch (or BYO)

10am – When you arrive at Fed Square, the Main Square will be bustling with activity. Pick up a map at the welcome tent – there are different stamps you can collect at six different activation stations, to learn all out about our food system. 

10.15am – Head to the Grow station, where you can plant their own seedling! Choose from broccoli, parsley or lettuce. 

10.30am – Visit the Move station, which you can find by looking for the big yellow OzHarvest van. Here you can learn about the journey your food takes to get to you, whether you buy from a supermarket or a local market.  

10.45am – All this activity calls for some quiet time. Find the Little Food Library, where you can relax and listen to a story book read by a children’s librarian from Melbourne Libraries. 

11am – It’s time to learn about the choices we make when we buy food, at the Buy station. Visit the market and taste some delicious fruit and veg. 

11.15am – Still hungry? Find the Eat station, where you can taste some apple varieties, and look under the microscope with CSIRO to see fruit and veggies up close.   

11.45am – Let’s cook! At the Cook station, you can make a jar of pickles, join in a cooking class and try some locally made cheese. 

12pm – lunchtime! Find something tasty at the food trucks on Swanston Street Forecourt, and then relax to watch the stage program. Find a deckchair or a spot on the green grass to watch the demonstrations. You might learn about how to save food from becoming waste, or how you can use your balcony or garden to grow your own food. 

12.45pm – Your final station is the Recycle station – jump on a smoothie bike at this station to turn rescued bananas into a delicious treat, all with your own pedal power! 

1pm – Before you head home for the day, walk through the Atrium to the top floor of the car park, to find the Test Garden. Here you will find many beautiful plants and you can see what flowers are in bloom. Although it’s time for them to go into hibernation, if it’s warm, you might be lucky enough to see the native blue-banded bee, searching for nectar in the garden!  

Time to head home on the train to let all that learning sink in – and don’t forget to plant your seedling in your garden!