Free children's entertainment this weekend

Between 1200 and 1500 children and their families are expected to converge on the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) tomorrow (Saturday 2 June 2007) for the USQ and Community Children's Festival.

The day of free children's entertainment will involve everything from bubble-painting and parachute play to fun with mega fauna.

More than 25 community organisations have come together with USQ to provide the free activities, designed to heighten the profile of children's experiences.

Festival Coordinator Alice Brown said the event would be a great family day out with lots of outdoor play including dancing to dinosaur songs, digging for fossils, chasing clowns, the TAFE Sensory Walk, chasing bubbles and much more.

'Outdoor play is great for movement opportunities which are increasingly important with growing rates of childhood obesity,' Ms Brown said.

'Children need to be outdoors. The festival will allow them to explore and be creative in a safe environment.'

Wheelbarrow Science will involve lots of slime, bubbles and goop in wheelbarrows from Bunnings Warehouse for a truly tactile experience in the USQ quadrangle.

'The USQ quad is a beautiful place for children and their families to spend a day outdoors and enjoy a picnic lunch together,' Ms Brown said.

There will be plenty of activity inside as well with mask making, clay workshops, exploring the dark tents, silhouettes, literature and story telling and texture rubbings in the refectory.

'Activities inside are designed to appreciate the many ways children express themselves,' she said.

The USQ and Community Children's Festival will run from 10:30am to 2:30pm on Saturday 2 June 2007 at the USQ Toowoomba campus. Entry is free. Families are encouraged to slip, slop, slap and bring a picnic lunch along to the festival. A sausage sizzle will also be provided by the USQ Student Guild.

For more information on the festival, visit USQ's events page or phone USQ events on (07) 4631 1933.

Media Contact: Jane Urquhart USQ Media +61 7 4631 2559