School holidays a go go

How are you going to keep the kids occupied in the hols? A visit to the library is a good idea – not only can you pick up some books, CDs, or DVDs but you can let the kids do a spot of gaming.

The Kids blog has lots of good reading ideas.

If you want to get the kids into arts and crafts, we’ve got some useful book and links to try.

Our Learning Centres have programmes are aimed at children between the ages of five and 15 years.

For more ideas, we have a page that links you to a bunch of holiday programmes and activities. It lists the following organisations that run holiday programmes or events for kids:

• Airforce Museum Journey to the Centre of the Earth
• Christchurch Botanic Gardens Flora explorer’s discovery trail
• Christchurch Art Gallery Clay with me
• Canterbury Museum Brrrrrrrr! Ever wondered what it is like down in Antarctica? …
• Canterbury Children’s Theatre Slow runnings: A tortoise and hare story
• Riccarton Players The Pied Piper
• The Court Theatre Beauty and the beast

The CSO is putting on Mahy – a special tribute to Margaret Mahy “through the imaginative and engaging music of Christchurch composer Philip Norman and some of the author’s well-loved characters”.

• Search CINCH, our Community Information Christchurch database, for more Canterbury holiday programmes.
• For more events and activites, search Be There and Eventfinder.

A hero for Anzac Day

Thursday 25 April 2013 is Anzac Day. You may have noticed last year that many wreaths and bouquets from the Dawn Service ended up at the statue of Sgt Henry James Nicholas V.C. M.M., northwest of the Bridge of Remembrance on Cambridge Terrace.

Henry Nicholas was the first soldier from the Canterbury Regiment to be awarded the Victoria Cross. He died in action on 23October 1918 aged 26. He was awarded the Military Medal posthumously for his bravery during the fight for the bridgeheads at the River Ecaillon near the village of Beaudignies on 23 October 1918, 12 days before the New Zealanders’ capture of the town of Le Quesnoy.

• About Anzac Day
• Anzac Day events in Christchurch and Canterbury
• Anzac Day in pictures
• Anzac Day information for kids
• World War I resources
  
• The Bridge of Remembrance

All of our libraries are closed on ANZAC Day.

Christchurch – this week in history (22 April – 28 April)

22 April 1869
Visit of the Duke of Edinburgh (New Zealand’s first royal visitor).

25 April 1850
Canterbury Association settlers meet in London.

25 April 1864
Canterbury Horticultural and Acclimatisation Society formed. This group introduced many animals, birds and fish to Canterbury, and helped to establish the Government Gardens, which eventually became the Botanic Gardens.

25 April 1977
Bridge of Remembrance becomes a pedestrian precinct.

26 April 1852
Christ’s College moves from Lyttelton to Christchurch.

More April events in our Christchurch chronology.