Craft & activities
View more children’s activities.
Photo © Sydney Living Museums
Make a family tree
Be inspired by our upcoming digital installation Walking through a Songline at the Museum of Sydney and make a tree that represents your family and friends. You’ll need pipe cleaners, raffia, beads, crepe paper and feathers or make do with materials you have on hand.
Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums.
Create your own Magic Lantern
This 19th century home image projection technology was first brought to Rouse Hill House from London in the 1860s, together with a collection of hand-painted story-telling and comic slides. Follow our guide below to make your own slides and slide holder.
Photo © Joshua Morris for Sydney Living Museums.
Recycled seeded paper
In a nod to the installation Healing Land, Remembering Country by Kuku Yalanji artist Tony Albert, on display at Elizabeth Farm, kids can learn how to make recycled seeded paper using the seeds of native plants and take part in a ‘memory exchange’ activity.
The Deep Sea Astronauts. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Make your own wings
Create your own wings inspired by native birds - the rainbow lorrikeet and cheeky cockatoos which featured in our Virtual Family Fair.
Fairy fortune teller
Marion Mahony Griffin was enchanted by the Australian bush. She believed in hidden beings who helped to shape the natural world – fairies, gnomes, undines and sylphs. Download the instructions and template below to make your very own fortune teller!
Make your own butterfly
Download the activity sheet to make a moving butterfly puppet. You will also need pencils for colouring, scissors, metal fasteners (metal pins) and a bamboo skewer.
Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Paper Plane expert guides
Make your own paper plane, then launch it in a clear space! How far does it fly? Download our guides below and watch your creations take off!
Courtesy Elin Matilda
Paper portraits
Create portraits of people who lived at Rouse Hill House and discover their stories with this collage activity designed by Swedish-Australian illustrator and designer Elin Matilda.
Illustration © James Gulliver Hancock
Mini Museum Models
Make your own mini museum! Choose from six Sydney Living Museums properties. Simply download the plans, colour, cut, fold and glue.
Image from The Illustrated Book of Poultry, Lewis Wright, c1875. Rouse Hill House & Farm Collection, Sydney Living Museums
Chicken Puppet
Cluck, cluck! Download the activity sheet to make a moving chicken puppet. You will also need pencils for colouring, scissors, metal fasteners (metal pins) and a bamboo skewer.
How to make Christmas ornaments
Get crafty this Christmas with some homemade ornaments for your tree.
How to make a Christmas garland
Drape your house in homemade Christmas garlands for a festive feel.
How to make a mini bed
Make a mini bed to place in your diorama.
How to make a mini table
Make a mini table to place in your diorama.
How to make a mini fruitbowl
Make a mini fruitbowl to place in your diorama.
How to make a mini plant in a pot
Make a mini plant in a pot to place in your diorama.
