April School Holidays at MOTAT

As Auckland City grows rapidly around us it’s all about building and development at MOTAT these April school holidays.

‘We Built This City’ Holiday Experience

Help MOTAT build a model metropolis these April School Holidays! The Museum’s latest Holiday Experience, ‘We Built This City’, will have kids unleashing their inner designer as they get hands-on in array of fun activities to teach them how cities evolve over time. In the Discovery Dome, visitors will enjoy constructing and decorating their very own modular pods to help build our model city for the future.

MOTAT CEO, Michael Frawley says “while this interactive experience is fun for kids, it also gives them first-hand insight into the technology involved with city development and inspires them to become the innovative planners of the future”. These budding young designers will each receive a deed certificate for their pod and be able to revisit to see how the city has grown around it or follow its development online. Children will also be introduced to forward-thinking Kiwi companies and the strategies they are using to save space in cities and protect our natural environment while building.

The ‘Way Back When’ activities planned for the MOTAT Historic Village are fun for the whole family as they discover the tools and technologies used for building in the past. They can try out traditional Māori tools as well as early pioneer building techniques and begin to appreciate how electricity and power tools have changed the way we do things today. Visitors will be challenged to build their own shelter using only basic materials such as rope, sticks and canvas just like the early European settlers in New Zealand did. These exciting activities will require team work and are ideally suited for children over 7 years old.

Younger visitors will love tinkering in the ‘Barrows to Bulldozers’ zone in the Activity Centre where they can get their hands on a variety of building blocks, toy construction vehicles and tools. Here they will find everything focused on construction for their creative role playing.

As an added bonus, visitors to MOTAT on the 11, 12, 18, 19 April can get hands-on with the ‘Doug the Digger Roadshow’ which allows children of all ages the opportunity to operate a mini CAT digger under instruction and in a safe, supportive worksite environment. This interactive experience is run by Alistair McIntyre (better known as ‘Mr Mac’), author of the popular children’s’ book ‘Doug the Digger’ and founder of the Youth into Industry initiative, who has made it his life’s work to entertain, inspire and educate others, especially youngsters, through his own experiences.

Auckland LEGO® User Group Display: 3 – 6 April

Everybody loves LEGO® and visitors to MOTAT are in for a real treat this Easter weekend when the Auckland LEGO® User Group exhibits their impressive creations at the Museum.

So much more than a toy, scores of architects and engineers have translated their childhood love of LEGO® blocks to a career of building and designing. These blocks and products present a hands-on opportunity to learn the basics of structural engineering, a field in which experts examine similar questions while crafting buildings, bridges, cars, dams, stadiums and other structures.

The whole family will be inspired by the Auckland LEGO® User Group’s model town display featuring trains, classic spaceships, technic trucks and a great ball contraption.

Minecraft Architecture Workshops

During the April school holidays, MOTAT is teaming up with Bubble Dome to offer children an amazing new Minecraft Architecture Workshop. Here they can explore the endless possibilities of Minecraft to invent their own original buildings including exteriors and interiors.

Children will learn how to create secret underground passageways with hidden chambers and multi-level buildings that push the boundaries of contemporary architecture. They will be taken on a journey delving into the past and travelling into the future to discover different forms of architecture that inspire their unique creations. There are three dates to choose from and the workshop is suitable for ages 6+. Spaces are limited so make sure you don't miss this exciting new holiday workshop!

Dates: 13, 14, 15 April 2015

Times: 10 am – 2 pm

Costs: $55.00 per participant. Bring your own device. All devices, such as laptops or tablets, are suitable. Bubble Dome will give students the information and support they need to get the software loaded onto their device before the course begins.

Bookings essential through the website: www.motat.org.nz

MOTAT Live - Sunday 19 April

MOTAT Live is a great day out for the whole family. Visitors get to experience history first-hand and enjoy a variety of exciting activities. They can take a ride on the Armoured Personnel Carrier or aboard a magnificent Steam Train, see MOTAT’s resident Blacksmith and old fashioned Lolly-maker at work, plus much more such as:
- Horse and carriage rides
- Rides on ‘little flick’ the mini fire engine
- Printing press workshop demonstrations
- A real-life Penny Farthing rider
MOTAT is open from 10am to 5pm and normal admission fees apply.

ENDS

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