ECTA - Cairns

03/09/2026

PD webinar

Register now

02/09/2026

Ages 3–5

21/08/2026

Why does mud kitchen play matter? 🤎

To children, they may simply be mixing, scooping, pouring and making mud pies… but there’s so much learning happening beneath the mess! ✨

Mud kitchen play gives children the freedom to explore natural materials, invent recipes, experiment with quantities and follow their own ideas through hands-on, play-based learning. 🌱💭

As children stir, measure, pour and create, they’re naturally developing:
👐 Fine motor skills
🔢 Early math concepts
🔎 Early science and problem-solving
💬 Language and communication
❤️ Social-emotional skills
🌱 Confidence and independence
✨ Creativity and imagination

And that’s what makes outdoor play and learning so powerful. Children can investigate, get messy, test their ideas and discover what happens all while connecting with nature and having fun.

A mud kitchen isn’t just a place to make mud pies. It’s a place to wonder, experiment, imagine and learn. 🌿🥣

16/08/2026

16/08/2026

13/08/2026

05/08/2026

03/08/2026

Looking for something fun to do with your little one? Come along to our free First 5 Forever sessions! Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes and play while meeting other parents, carers and families in your local community. 💛📚

📍 Tuesday
• Storytime | Smithfield Library | 10am (0-5 years)
• Baby Rhyme Time | Stratford Library | 10am (0-12 months)

📍 Wednesday
• Baby Rhyme Time | Manunda Library | 10am (0-12 months)
• Storytime | City Library | 10am (0-5 years)
• Sing and Play | Manunda Library | 10:30am (0-12 months)

📍 Thursday
• Story and Play | Gordonvale Library | 10am
• Storytime | Earlville Library | 10am (0-5 years)
• Baby Rhyme Time | Stratford Library | 10am (0-12 months)
• Multicultural Storytime in Spanish | Earlville Library | 10am (0-5 years)
• Giggle and Glue | Smithfield Library | 10am (2-5 years)

📍 Friday
• Baby Rhyme Time | Smithfield Library | 10am (0-12 months)
• Sing a Song | Manunda Library | 10am

Find out more: https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library/whats-on/library-events/first-5-forever