These September holidays, Brisbane kids can make the sort of things that come home accompanied by a detailed explanation of every creative decision. There are naturally dyed recycled fibres becoming earrings at Toowong, puppets taking shape with Dead Puppet Society and three hours at Fairfield dedicated to getting past those first awkward knitting stitches.
Younger hands are well catered for too. Cartoon Dave is drawing everything from aliens to dinosaurs across eight libraries, Museum of Brisbane has $2 pop badges and free fern-inspired making, and 28 Make and Create sessions mean there’s even an option for the morning when nobody planned anything.
Most activities are free, but the age brackets are worth watching — particularly the sessions reserved for teenagers. We’ve put the practical details for all 11 below. Your job is to provide transport, occasional supervision and a suitably impressed reaction at the grand unveiling.
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Learn to draw with Cartoon Dave
Aliens, dinosaurs, robots and sea creatures feature in Cartoon Dave’s drawing workshops. Topics vary, with some branches sharing a theme. Eight libraries host sessions across four days, so browse for the subject your young artist wants to try.
When: Eight sessions between 21 and 24 September; times vary by venue
Where: Chermside Library, Brisbane Square Library, Garden City Library, Carindale Library, Wynnum Library, Grange Library, Mt Ommaney Library and New Farm Library
Ages: 7–12
Cost and bookings: Free – Bookings required through the host library
More information: Browse all Cartoon Dave school holiday drawing workshops
Make and create
This is the one to keep handy for an unplanned morning. Make and create runs across 19 libraries, with 28 free sessions and no booking required.
When: 28 sessions between 21 September and 3 October; times vary by venue
Where: 19 libraries, including Annerley, Ashgrove, Banyo, Bracken Ridge, Bulimba (at Bulimba Bowls Club) and Carina
Ages: 5–12
Cost and bookings: Free – No booking required
More information: Make and create
Create a buzzy bee bowl
Horticulturist Claire Bickle leads this bee-themed making session at Bracken Ridge Library, with carers joining children for the workshop.
When: Thursday 24 September, 10:30am–11:30am
Where: Bracken Ridge Library, 77 Bracken Street, Bracken Ridge
Ages: 5–12, with their carers
Cost and bookings: Free – Bookings required through Bracken Ridge Library
More information: Create a buzzy bee bowl
Learn to knit at Fairfield Library
Three hours with a textile artist gives teenagers time to settle into knitting, rather than abandoning it at the first awkward stitch. All materials are provided, so there’s no shopping list to tackle beforehand.
When: Friday 25 September, 1pm–4pm
Where: Fairfield Library, Fairfield Gardens Shopping Centre, 180 Fairfield Road
Ages: 12–17
Cost and bookings: Free Bookings required through Fairfield Library. All materials provided
More information: Learn to knit
Recycled woven earrings at Toowong Library
Artist Claudia Williams leads teenagers through making earrings from naturally dyed, recycled fibres — materials most haven’t worked with before, for a project they can actually wear afterwards.
When: Tuesday 22 September, 1pm–3:30pm
Where: Toowong Library, Toowong Village Shopping Centre, 9 Sherwood Road
Ages: 13–17
Cost and bookings: Free – Bookings required. Phone 07 3403 2590
More information: Recycled woven earrings workshop
Make and create for teens
Mt Gravatt Library sets aside an hour of making specifically for ages 13 to 17 — no younger siblings joining in.
When: Thursday 24 September, 2pm–3pm
Where: Mt Gravatt Library, 8 Creek Road, Mt Gravatt
Ages: 13–17
Cost and bookings: Free – Bookings required. Phone 07 3403 7775
More information: Make and create for teens
Puppet construction with Dead Puppet Society
These 90-minute Dead Puppet Society workshops at Festival Village take puppet-builders aged nine to 18 — one of the few sessions in this guide that reaches older teenagers.
When: Sunday 20 to Saturday 26 September; 90-minute sessions. A 10am–11:30am session on 20 September forms part of the Family Fun Day; check registration details for other times
Where: South Bank Town Hall, Festival Village, South Bank
Ages: 9–18
Cost and bookings: Free – Registration required through Brisbane Festival
More information: Dead Puppet Society: Puppet Construction Workshop
MoB Kids: Pop Badges
Make a badge at City Hall for $2, or three for $5 — a daily drop-in, so it slots into a city morning without planning ahead. Stay with your child while they create.
When: Daily, Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October, 10am–1pm
Where: Museum of Brisbane Studio, Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, King George Square
Ages: All ages; parental supervision required
Cost and bookings: $2 for one badge or $5 for three – No booking required
More information: MoB Kids: Pop Badges
MoB Teens: Sunday Fun-day Workshop
Artist Sunday Jemmott leads a two-hour making workshop for ages 10–15 at Museum of Brisbane. Despite the name, both sessions fall on a Wednesday. That’s Sunday the artist.
When: Wednesday 23 and Wednesday 30 September, 2pm–4pm
Where: Museum of Brisbane Studio, Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, King George Square
Ages: 10–15
Cost and bookings: $30 plus booking fees; bookings required
More information: MoB Teens: Sunday Fun-day Workshop
MoB Kids: Fun with Ferns
Nature inspires an indoor making session at Museum of Brisbane, where children work with raffia and fern shapes in the Fairfax Gallery.
When: Daily, Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October, 10am–1pm
Where: Museum of Brisbane Fairfax Gallery, Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, King George Square
Ages: All ages; parental supervision required
Cost and bookings: Free – No booking required
More information: MoB Kids: Fun with Ferns
Art Box for Kids: Shannon Brett
QAGOMA’s free children’s art space runs daily from 10am to 4:30pm during the holidays — extended hours that leave more room to fit around a gallery visit.
When: Daily during the holidays, 10am–4:30pm
Where: QAGOMA, South Brisbane; check the venue details before visiting
Ages: All ages; parental supervision required
Cost and bookings: Free – Drop in
More information: Art Box for Kids and QAGOMA family activities