Children’s Week in Western Australia will officially launch this Sunday 24th October 2021 with Meerilinga’s signature event, the Go for 2 & 5 Family Fun Day at Whiteman Park.
The Go for 2 & 5 Family Fun Day will see a variety of new activities added to the schedule including Urban Indigenous, Art Project Djurandi, NOVA Casanovas, Kanjana Wildlife Rescue, and more. The Parent Expo will also be back in full swing with Kidsafe, DijiRed, Mercycare, Playgroup WA are just some of the exhibitors who will be available on the day.
Event Details
When: Sunday, 24 October 2021
Time: 10am – 2pm
Where: Whiteman Park, Lot 99a Lord Street, Whiteman
Meerilinga is working with Whiteman Park to ensure the Go for 2 & 5 Family Fun Day will be a COVID safe event. Registrations are essential for entry and the event capacity is limited to 5,000 people.
To support Children’s Week, Meerilinga have distributed its largest community grant funding pool of over $63,000 to 70 remote and regional community organisations in Western Australia to host their own local and free Children’s Week events. The community grant funding pool is made possible thanks to the generosity of Children’s Week WA’s major supporters: Lotterywest, Healthway, The Department of Communities and The Department of Education.
Lotterywest support provides opportunities for families across the State to enjoy the variety of free activities and events on offer. Healthway’s ‘Go for 2 & 5’ message raises awareness of healthy eating choices, promotes the importance of good nutrition, and encourages healthy eating habits for all Western Australians.
These remote and regional events range from a Creative Art stall at the Walpole Pink Morning Tea, to a Children’s Week Activities and Fun in the park with the Goldfields Regional Toy Library in Kalgoorlie, to a Halloween Family Disco in Kununnura. To see the full list of events and discover what will be happening in your area head to childrensweekwa.org.au
In addition to remote and regional Children’s Week celebrations, Meerilinga will also host free Sights and Sounds Experience workshops in collaboration with REmida. REmida is a creative program that repurposes discards and offcuts for community-based education and arts activities. The workshops are held at all seven Meerilinga Children and Family Centres across Perth Metro, as well as at Meerilinga’s outreach program in Bullsbrook.
Meerilinga is excited to launch a new podcast series for Children’s Week, Positive Childhoods, supported by The Department of Education. The podcast is hosted by Merilinga’s Parenting Services team and topics will explore important issues that impact the wellbeing of young children through a compassionate, evidence-based lens. The podcast invites experts in the field such as: Dr Emma DeCicco, Clinical Psychologist from The Dash Health Hub, David Walker, Community Coordinator from The Fathering Project and Devinder Singh, Strategic Advisor for Disability Services and Creative Director from Podcasting Hub Australia. This podcast series offers a free educational resource for early childhood educators, parents, and carers.
Following last year’s successful Nature Play WA digital Play Trails, this year Meerilinga and Nature Play WA are excited to return to Children’s Week with three new locations: Piney Lakes Reserve (Winthrop), Rotary Park (Wanneroo) and Big Swamp (Bunbury). Nature Play WA is a free app available on Android and iOS, and the three Children’s Week Play Trails will be accessible from Saturday, 23rd October 2021 until Sunday 23rd October 2022. The Play Trails encourage families to explore and engage with the great outdoors while solving quizzes and challenges along the way.
About Meerilinga
Meerilinga is a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity that promotes positive childhoods, parenting courses and services, training and education for educators, playgroups, early learning programs, and community activities to develop strong and connected communities.
Meerilinga’s seven Children and Family Centres located in Ballajura, Beechboro, High Wycombe, Hilton, Kingsley, Woodvale, and its Outreach service in Bullsbrook are used by local communities as a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for all community members to learn, participate, connect, and contribute to fostering a sense of community belonging and wellbeing.
About Children’s Week
Children’s Week is a national awareness week celebrated annually on 23rd October to 31st October across Australia. Meerilinga is the convener of Children’s Week in Western Australia. The 2021 Children’s Week theme is ‘Children have the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others.’