Waikato Museum, Hamilton City Libraries, the SkyCity Northern Knights and Northern Spirit and the Hamilton Children's and Families Trust are combining to deliver a range of events for Hamilton's kids this Children's Day, on tomorrow.
The Hamilton Children's and Families Trust will have a carnival in Garden Place, with rides, food, sports activities and amusements for children, running from 10am to 2pm.
To coincide with The Perfect Pitch - an exhibition telling the story of cricket in the city and the region - Waikato Museum will welcome members of the Hamilton-based Northern Knights and Northern Spirit First Class cricket teams, with the players hosting a series of cricket activity stations from 11am.
"Given our newly aligned partnership this season with True Colours Children's Health Trust, it seemed fitting that we would take part in Children's Day this year," says Northern Knights chief executive Peter Roach. "We are also looking to this day to capitalise on the success of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 so far by keeping cricket in the forefront of people's minds."
Cherie Meecham, Waikato Museum director, says making science interesting for children is a crucial aspect of the Excsite, Sounds Amazing and Planet Warriors exhibitions, which will be free for families on the day until 2pm.
The science-based Excsite exhibition will also include a Bat Detective Tour led by Hamilton Zoo's Ken Millward, while Switch To Save is a half-hour children's show from Full House Productions which focuses on energy conservation and efficiency.
The Honu-Peka trail leads from Waikato Museum to the Central Library, and kicks off at either facility with the opportunity for youngsters to have a Honu or Peka themed face paint. Designs will be completed in three stages as participants walk along Victoria Street.
Also at the Central Library are the Draw Your Own Video Game workshops using with Pixel Press Floors iPad app. The programme is a fun and interactive way for children to learn about creative play, process of design, and solving problems. The workshops will be suitable for kids aged seven years and older. The workshops will be held in the Kathleen Glen Room, run for an hour, from 11am and 1pm, with all equipment provided.
The timeless Lego building blocks will also see action at the Central Library for Children's Day, with children welcome to contribute to its construction on the first floor.
The Library will also be offering a taster selection of its Wriggle and Rhyme programmes for parents to try - 30 minutes of active movement.
There's also a chance to win at the Central Library, with the Design Your Own Superhero Cape activity. Children who enter - by designing their own cape - go into the draw to win a prize pack supplied by Hamilton's long-standing comics and games story, Mark One Comics.