All these workshops are for you to do at home using minimal equipment.
Check out our latest workshops below, or explore by topic and age-group using the tag list on the left.
We'd love to see what you create - post us your photos, videos and comments on our social media pages using the icons above!
Micro:bit Tutorials
The CNRL Library Innovation Studio is doing a tutorial series on coding the Micro:bit. It can be done through a browser with a virtual Micro:bit. This is aimed at upper primary/lower secondary and is great for kids learning from home!
The Micro:bit Radio Tutorial 4 by the CNRL Library Innovation Studio. The tutorial uses the Makecode website to program a virtual Micro:bit from with your browser. It can be found at https://makecode.microbit.org/
This Micro:bit Turtle Tutorial is by the CNRL Library Innovation Studio. The tutorial uses the Makecode website to program a virtual Micro:bit from within your browser. It can be found at https://makecode.microbit.org/
In this tutorial you will work with a virtual micro:bit – code along free at makecode.microbit.org!
In this tutorial you will work with a virtual micro:bit – code along free at makecode.microbit.org!
Everything else!
The CNRL Library Innovation Studio is creating workshops you can do at home with things commonly found around the house and garden. They are aimed at teens, primary, preschool and adults - you'll learn some science but the main thing is to have some fun!
Create amazing turntable art – we show you how to make your own Art Turntable with broken toys or cheap pans. We get very messy taking you through all the steps to the finished works of art!
Make these amazing rubber-and powered Paddle Pop Boats!
No matter the weather, no matter the season – your plant pots can be sunny, vibrant and fun!
This easy delicious vegan chocolate cake needs no mixing bowl, no mixing spoon, no eggs, no milk, no butter! With no hard beating, blending or creaming it’s perfect for kids to make and bake.
Learn how to shape Paddle Pop sticks permanently, and decorate them into bracelets!
Create beautiful rope vases with just a soda bottle, scissors and cord – you can also make your own Yarn!
Learn how to create retro string art – a simple and fun way to make a masterpiece! Kelly and Ita take you through all the steps, and you can download and print our template to make it even easier.
Have a healthier Easter by making these fun and tasty date Easter eggs.
Learn how to draw snakes, lizards, owls and bring them to life in dazzling colour! If you just want to colour in you can download the templates. If you want to make your own watercolours watch that video workshop as well!
You won’t believe your eyes when you see our Hand Sanitizer Invisible Ink! We have tested all sorts of invisible inks and revealer solutions, but this is the absolute best high-contrast invisible ink we have ever seen – and you can make it at home with commonly found ingredients. The best bit: this invisible ink requires no heating, just mixing ingredients. Watch the video now to find out how to make the best ever invisible ink at home!
Defy gravity and make amazing dioramas with floating, moving elements – using the magic of magnets!
Learn how to make Fidget Infinity Cubes – large or small – from cardboard!
Find out how to film in glorious slow motion with common smartphones and smart devices!
Kelly and Ita show you how to make your own watercolour paint from ingredients found around the house, including some that create colour-changing chemical reactions!
Make festive paper snowflakes – a classic papercraft activity!
Decorate your house with these cute and festive paper-chain elves!
Make the delicious marshmallow snowmen and snowwomen – perfect for edible festive decorations!
Learn about emulsion and emulsifiers as we challenge you to mix Oil and Water in this episode of “Talk Like A Scientist”.
Create vortex cannons using old boxes to destroy targets using air power!
Get busy in the kitchen creating these zucchini pizzas as a fun lunch activity.
Bring your cartoons to life by building the 150 year old Zoetrope invention!
Build and race balloon-powered Lego cars, propelled with air power!
Get busy in the kitchen creating puff pastry hot dogs as a fun lunch activity.
Create these amazing shrunken chip packet key rings!
Build a Solar Turbine that turns light energy into heat energy to spin a rotor using the renewable energy power of convection!
Learn about vibrations and sound waves as you build a Tin Can Telephone in this episode of our “Talk Like A Scientist” series of STEM video workshops you can do at home with items commonly found around the house, in your recycling, garden and pantry.
Don’t let your tomatoes go to waste when the frosts hit – make these delicious Green Tomato Pickles! We show you how to find a bumper crop then take you through an easy recipe – it just needs a bit of prep!
Make these simple paper bangers with just one sheet of A4 paper. Use them to scare your friends and family!
Use the webpage or files below to start painting with light to create amazing video art using the “Howlaround” technique in our video workshop!
Try our Mirror Webcam page or download a ZIP of both the Standard and Mirror code.
Watch a 15 minute howlaround video from one of our workshops at the Innovation Studio!
Make these delicious and tangy dried oranges this winter. Use them as decorations, have them in a drink or just eat them on their own.
Turn crayons into amazing models to give as gifts, display, play with – or just use to draw!
Create these paper whirly birds that spin and glide slowly to the ground.
Use gravity as your paintbrush to create beautiful pendulum art in your home – or in the garden!
Make this delicious lemon slice – perfect for afternoon tea or dessert – in the microwave!
Grow sugar crystals in a jar on a string
Bake easy 4 ingredient soda bread with no rising time required!
Make your own 3D Scan using a smartphone or tablet! Download and print this sheet for the app to refer to in 3D space.
Make truly delicious French Toast in under 2 minutes using the most amazing culinary invention since the toaster: the mighty microwave oven!
Learn when and how to harvest your beans from the bean pole we built way back in episode five!
Make this delicious Carrot and Coriander Soup – we show you how to pull carrots without them snapping off, then take you through an easy carrot soup recipe!
Make this delicious Zucchini Slice – we show you how to pick them safely without damaging yourself or your plant, then take you through an easy recipe – with tips for chopping onions and cleaning eggs! With vegetarian and meat options, this Zucchini slice is versatile enough to be eaten hot or cold, for lunch or dinner with all sorts of sides.
Make a colourful sundial that really works for your garden!
Making compost doesn’t have to be a back-breaking enterprise – ditch the garden fork and give a Batch Composting Bucket a literal whirl instead!
Go on a bush walk to collect natural items to build a bird feeder to hang in your garden!
Create your own soft fluffy slime with Amy.
Set up your own remote camera using an old Android phone and protect yourself from biscuit thieves!
Make a Solar Cooker from recycling and tinfoil to bake biscuits, cook rice – even a vegetable stew using nothing but the power of the sun!
Make these moist and chewy ANZAC biscuits in the oven – or see our later video to cook them in a solar oven!
Stir up a magical bubbling volcanic brew with a bicarb-soda chemical reaction.
Make you own mini hologram using your mobile or tablet – download the template and the example holo-vid.
Make these dazzling rainbow pancakes in the oven, so you can all eat at once!
Give your pollinating insects a helping hand by creating a safe place for them to sit and sip!
Learn how to conserve enough water for your garden every day – and make a watering can with upcycled bottles!
Now our plants are in we need to protect them from all sorts of hungry slugs, snails, aphids and other insects! Learn how to humanely keep pests off your veggie patch – and the last resort that is White Oil.
They say Lomandra thrives on neglect – but what does that really mean? Learn how to plant and nurture this native grass in this special NAIDOC Week 2020 gardening workshop.
Plan where to put your plants so the right ones get of the plenty of sun or shade – and learn about Companion Planting, where some plants can protect others from pests or need to be kept apart as they compete for the same resources!
Learn about why frost happens, where it happens most – and how to protect your seedling and winter vegetables from it!
After some slight head-scratching, we use observational science to work out whether your veggie patch needs watering with our simple DIY rain gauge – it’s no to BOM standards, but we tell you why it doesn’t need to be!
Don’t end up with tiny and twisted dirt-clogged carrots, with a little bit of sand we show you how to grow these long and straight – and great big beetroot too!
We plant our very first vegetable seedlings in the garden – climbing beans – and show you how to build a bean-pole teepee!
Help the birds this spring by building a bird nest shop for your garden – our scarecrow may keep birds away from our seedlings but birds are very useful in the garden by eating insects that may damage our crop – so we don’t want to scare them away completely!
Make a network of monorail lines and trains – both gravity-powered and balloon-propelled – in your home or garden!
Be a real Australian Ninja Warrior and make exploding ninja stars to hit targets or film with your smartphone in slow motion! Julian takes you through all the steps – just don’t attack people or pets.
Make marbled gift paper to add a special touch to your next present! Amy takes you through all the steps in this fun artistic activity.
Make your very own scrunchie to embellish your hairstyle or give to friends and family as gifts! Megan takes you through all the steps in this beginner sewing tutorial. Remember, many of our library branches have sewing machines available to use!
Make a tornado in a water bottle and check out the beautiful swirling glitter effect! Amy takes you through all the steps in this fun science activity.
Make a pool noodle albatross to soar further and higher than a paper plane! Julian takes you through all the steps and heads down to the oval to try it out.
Use a chemical reaction to fill sugar with bubbles and make sweet honeycomb cinder toffee – or Hokey Pokey to some!
We show you how to start growing vegetables from seed in our third Veggie Patch Science workshop – and if your library has a seed library it may not cost you anything!
In the second of our Veggie Patch Science workshops we take a break from digging to show you how to make a scarecrow!
In the first of our Veggie Patch Science workshops we show you how to create a compass to choose the perfect spot for your plot, plan your vegetable patch and get digging or filling pots. We’ll also show you what we have in store for future weeks!
One for the adutlts – out camping or stuck in a very basic kitchen but want to brew some coffee? We’ll show you how to make it as good as with a plunger / coffee press but using just a keep-cup and some kitchen wipes!
Make a speaker and stand for your smartphone with just a tube, some cups or bottles – and a pair of scissors. Jonathan takes you through all the steps – even the dance steps!
Make your own barometer to predict the rain and learn about air pressure in this fun science workshop!
Make your own Stop Motion Animation in this fun art and technology workshop!
Make a bottle xylophone with bottles, spoons, water – and either an ear for music or an app in this fun musical science workshop! If you want to use the app mentioned in this workshop, download it for Android or Apple devices. The app is advert-supported and may contain in-app purchases, so check with an adult first.
Creep out everyone when you create these amazing monster eggs in this fun art workshop!
Scare your friends with fake wounds in this fun art workshop!
Grow your own edible garden in this fun science workshop!
Discover how plants transport water and nutrients in this colourful science workshop!
Create amazing shiny pictures and jewelry with this fun art workshop!
Make amazing see-through Stained Glass Biscuits in this fun cooking workshop!
Make our classic chocolate crackles in this delicious cooking workshop!
Make your own sherbet with this fun cooking workshop!
Create edible UFOs (mini pizzas) with this fun cooking workshop!
Make scones from just three ingredients – and pair them with butter and jam you can make yourself in our other workshops!
Make your own Jam in the microwave with this fun cooking workshop!
Make your own Butter using marbles in this fun cooking workshop!
Learn how to make Ice Cream at home two different ways – one with just a banana and a blender, the other by whisking Cream and Evaporated Milk together. Discover how to add all sorts of amazing and crazy flavours, including Chocolate Freckle Rainbow Ice Cream, Mango Ice Cream, Mint Choc-Chip Ice Cream – and even Massaman Curry Ice Cream!
Create delicious chocolate-coated banana treats with this fun cooking workshop!
Fill your world with rainbows with our periscope – all you need is a cardboard tube, 2 old CD/DVD discs, some tape – and a pair of scissors!
The Micro:bit Radio Tutorial 4 by the CNRL Library Innovation Studio. The tutorial uses the Makecode website to program a virtual Micro:bit from with your browser. It can be found at https://makecode.microbit.org/
Make this practically free toy construction set to build anything you can imagine. All you need is unwanted cardboard and a pair of scissors!
Make love hearts, dinosaurs – all sorts of shapes – with gummi bear lollies, scissors, baking paper and an oven. The perfect sweet gift for Mothers Day, Birthdays, Valentines Day – or any day!
Fancy some cake? You could be eating a great big mug of cake in 2 minutes if you stir quick enough! All you need is a microwave, a mug and a tablespoon – no other equipment! Find out how in our video.
Join Amy and Julian as they have some fun with Bicarb Soda.
Why use a one-hole bubble wand when you could have a thousand-hole bubble snake? All you need is scissors, a sock, a bottle and an elastic band – then you can fill your garden, your bath, your world with bubbles! We’ll show you how to make bubble mixture too with just water and dishwashing liquid.
Join Julian as he creates a cardboard claw using pulleys.
Join Amy as she uses milk and food colouring to create fun colours.
Join Julian as he creates a catapult from paddle pop sticks and rubber bands.
Join Amy as she creates an awesome looking Lava Lamp
We challenge you to add Lego to existing objects and keep them functional – or improve them! Post your amazing creations to our social media channels above or hashtag #innovationstew. Check out Jonathan’s working Lego Shower and working Lego DVD Remote!
Make your own Microwave Popcorn with regular popcorn kernels in less time than it takes to microwave them!
Take your popcorn to the next level with our second recipe:
🌈🍫🍿 Rainbow Chocolate Microwave Popcorn 🌈🍫🍿
All you need is popcorn kernels, a bag , some oil – and either salt, sugar or chocolate!
Join Amy as she separates the colours in texters using chromatography.
Join Julian as he creates a crazy roller with marbles that uses inertia.
Template: Jumping Marbles Template
Join Amy as she helps water escape a container using cohesion.
Create a self-watering micro-climate garden on your window sill and watch how plants grow both above and below the soil!
This Micro:bit Turtle Tutorial is by the CNRL Library Innovation Studio. The tutorial uses the Makecode website to program a virtual Micro:bit from within your browser. It can be found at https://makecode.microbit.org/
Can the radiant beauty of Stained Glass be replicated with crayons texters and vegetable oil? Jonathan finds out!
Learn how to make 100% edible (but disgusting) Oobleck Slime with just Corn Flour and Water (and if you don’t want white slime: Food Colouring). This non-newtonian fluid has to be poured, squished and toyed with to be believed!
Find out what sort of things you’ll need in our new Home Workshops (hint: most of it you’d normally recycle), who these workshops are aimed at (hint: it’s you) and the sort of things we will be doing!
In this tutorial you will work with a virtual micro:bit – code along free at makecode.microbit.org!
In this tutorial you will work with a virtual micro:bit – code along free at makecode.microbit.org!