For children and teens

Children and Teens

School holiday activities

We provide activities to school-aged children during the school holidays. Activities include crafts, games, fitness, movies and anything fun we can think of – check with the library for the list of events close to the holidays. Events can also be viewed in the Library Events calendars for Ayr and Home Hill. Bookings are essential for most activities.

Wink and Blink

Every school holidays we create two activity booklets for children to take free of charge. Wink is the booklet for younger children and Blink is for older school aged children. The booklets are available from the weekend that holidays start and can be collected from the desk at either Burdekin Library Ayr or Home Hill Branch Library.

Fun in the Library

Burdekin Library is home to several iPads and tablets for children to use in the library, providing they have their membership card. Puzzles and colour-ins are also available upon request.

Gale Interactive: Science

Click here to visit Gale Interactive

Provides a comprehensive view of the most-studied science subjects - biology, chemistry, earth science and human anatomy. Authoritative, high-quality digital content is paired with interactive 3D models where you can zoom in, rotate, or pull them apart.

LOTE4Kids

Click here to visit LOTE4Kids

This digital resource allows children to enjoy the magic of books in Languages Other Than English (LOTE). There 3000+ titles and 65+ languages, including Auslan. Use your Library card to enter the magical world of books in other languages. Download the LOTE4Kids App today!

Coding fun

Click here to visit Rainforest Coding

Burdekin Library offers free access to Rainforest Coding which is a developing collection of adventures and activities designed to make Scratch, the programming language, easier to understand and fun to learn. There are games to play, projects to remix and lots of sound, graphic and animation allowing you to gain the confidence to use Scratch independently.

OverDrive for Kids

Click here to visit Overdrive for Kids

Like to read or listen to stories? We have lots of books to download to your computer, iPad, tablet or e-reader.

OverDrive for Teens

Click here to visit Overdrive for Teens

Your own reading room, designed just for you. Visit the Overdrive for Teens website, or download the Libby app.

Sweet Days, Hot Writes Short Story Competition

Winners

A copy of Sweet Days Hot Writes 2023 Short Story Competition Winners is available from the Burdekin Library - click here for easy access via the catalogue (also available through BorrowBox).

5- 7 Years Category

Everly Nicholas - Winner
Hurry, Hurry Harvest Time

Logan McKeough - Runner Up
I am a Burdekin Boy

8-11 Years Category

Popi Loizou - Winner
Destiny

Oscar Mahoney - Runner Up
A Snake's Life

12-17 Years Category

Talitha Carroll - Winner
Of Fruition and Feeding

Sophie Robertson - Runner Up
The Last Stick

Young Writers, Big Ideas Short Story Competition

Winners

A copy of Young Writers, Big Ideas: a collection of stories from the Burdekin Library's 2021 Children's Short Story Competition is available to borrow from the Burdekin Library, view the catalogue here.

Prep – 2

Winner – Mazlyn Smith
Tim and Spike’s Lost Rope

Runner Up – Addison Reid
A Story of Friendship

Highly Commended – Kip Nicholas
A Boy and his Dog

Highly Commended – Dana Reid
The World of Butterflies

Years 3 -4

Winner – Milla Chapman
Another Side of Me

Runner Up – Inara Taylor
About to Hatch

Highly Commended – Oscar Mahoney
The Tournament

Years 5 – 6

Winner – Isabella Lando
In the Shadows

Runner Up – Sofia Sarri
The Tale of Two Stories

Highly Commended – Byrin Bojack
The Adventures of Mr McChookface

Highly Commended – Amaya Mahoney
The Story of Me

Highly Commended – Elora Taylor
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