Winter night at State Library

On Saturday 29 June, State Library stayed up after dark with children and families for a special nocturnal program including illuminated inflatable animals, games, light projection, music and more.  

The event kicked off with a costume parade! Children were encouraged to select a beautiful handmade costume from the Nylon Zoo costume display and, one by one, children turned into dragons, birds, butterflies, cicadas, ladybirds and fairies.   

After the parade, children and their carers crawled inside a gorgeous handmade inflatable rainbow turtle for storytime. In addition to the storytime turtle, there was a large inflatable bilby and dinosaur to also discover in the Nylon Zoo. 

Following the storytime families relaxed on picnic blankets on Maiwar Green, watched the sunset and played large outdoor games like Jenga and giant Snakes and Ladders while enjoying wood-fired pizza from a local food van.  

In partnership with Children and Families, the Applied Creativity team delivered a special digital craft where children could draw illustrations on iPads and artworks were projected onto the walls of the State Library building. 

In kuril dhagun families experienced the vibrant world of Deaf in dance, an exhibition celebrating the Deaf Indigenous Dance Group (DIDG). Families posed and created portrait masterpieces about identity with thermal cameras to add to a giant mural.  

Outside kuril dhagun, around a crackling fire, Mama Tun, a proud Torres-Strait and Aboriginal woman led families in a song and sharing session including songs like Taba naba (a song about going out fishing on the edge of the reef) and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes in language. 

Winter night was a unique and unforgettable experience with dozens of families and children heading home at the end of the night happy, engaged and ready for warm beds and sweet dreams. 

For more information about how you can support your child’s health and wellbeing, and to keep up with all the exciting news about First 5 Forever, subscribe to our free monthly tips or visit a First 5 Forever session at your local library. And remember, you are never too young to be a member of the library – you can sign your little one up from birth.