Beyond slime: Geeky holiday courses for kids

Finding good geeky holiday activities is not always easy. For younger kids making slime for the first time can be a great thrill – the tenth time and the lustre is fading. So here are some courses and activities that have come through my mailbox over the last few days.

==> The wonderful Thinkspace at the Powerhouse has a variety of amazing courses on offer. These range from creating movies in Minecraft to practical electronics. I think these are about the most interesting and original courses on offer in Sydney.

==> Apple has a free movie-making course for kids aged 8-14 spread over three days next week.

==> Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention opens on the 15th at the Powerhouse. While this is an exhibition rather than a course (and so requires parental supervision) it’s worth the effort. I saw this show a couple of years ago in London and can highly recommend it (always assuming the Powerhouse pulls it off).

==> Because there’s no excuse for a geeklet not being able to express themselves, I’ll mention NIDA and ATYP have holiday courses available.

==> The Sydney Observatory has a few courses and activities on offer, although none of them leap out as stunning. Depending on the child, Archaeologists in Training might work.

==> On the North Shore, Professor Plum’s is serving up courses from the CSIRO, Questacon and an unusual one on movie soundmaking.