At the Building Site ideas for OSHC
25 DIY activities for a at the building site at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around December or August. Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Big Loose Parts Builds
Children use planks, cable reels and crates to build large structures outdoors. Encourages teamwork, problem-solving and safe risk-taking.
At the Building Site · Science Week · Inventors Day +2Block and Plank Bridges
Children build bridges from blocks and planks and test how much weight they hold, exploring strength and design.
Knights and Fairies · Medieval Times · Cardboard Box Day +2Box Castle Building
Children build castles from boxes and tubes, adding towers, drawbridges and flags.
Brick Building Day · At the Building Site · Science Day +2Brick Bridge Strength Test
Children build bridges between tables with building bricks and test how many coins they can hold.
Long Projects Day · Cardboard Box Day · At the Building Site +2Cardboard City
Children build an entire city from boxes, adding buildings, roads and parks over the day.
After School Quick STEM · Science Week · Science Day +3Cup Tower Book Challenge
Children engineer a tower from cups and card strong enough to hold a book, testing ideas about balance, load and stable bases.
Brick Building Day · Long Projects Day · Block World Day +2Giant Brick City
Everyone adds buildings, roads and parks to a shared building brick city.
Gingerbread Day · Christmas · Christmas in July +3Gingerbread House Build
Children construct small houses from biscuits and icing, solving building problems as they go.
At the Building Site · Sensory Day · Messy Play Day +2Grey Concrete Playdough Site
Younger children squash, dig and scoop grey playdough with toy diggers, creating a pretend construction site.
Woodwork Day · At the Building Site · Maker Day +1Hammer and Nail Practice
Children practise hammering nails into soft wood or a tree stump, building strength, coordination and tool confidence.
At the Building Site · Dramatic Play Day · Careers Day +2Hard Hat Construction Crew
Children dress in hard hats and vests to act as a building crew, working together to complete a pretend construction job.
Careers Day · What I Want to Be Day · Dramatic Play Day +2Job Role-Play Stations
Children rotate through pretend workplaces such as a hospital, café, building site and post office.
States Day · All About Australia Day · Holidays and Travel Week +1Landmark Models
Children choose a famous Australian landmark and build a model using blocks, recyclables or building bricks.
Big Kids Club · Maker Day · Inventors Day +2Paddle Pop Stick Engineering
Children design and build bridges, boxes and catapults from paddle pop sticks. Test how strong or far their creations go.
Science Week · At the Building Site · Teamwork Day +2Peg and Pop Stick Tower
Children build the tallest tower they can using wooden pegs and pop sticks, testing balance and structure.
Woodwork Day · Maker Day · At the Building Site +2Simple Woodwork Projects
Older children use hammers, nails and glue to make simple wooden projects such as a boat or name plaque, then paint them.
After School Quick STEM · Science Week · Science Day +3Spaghetti and Tape Tower
Small teams build the tallest free-standing tower they can from dry spaghetti and tape, learning about triangles, bracing and teamwork.
Inventors Day · Challenge Day · Teamwork Day +3Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower
Teams build the tallest freestanding tower from dry spaghetti and tape that can hold a marshmallow on top.
Challenge Day · Science Week · At the Building Site +3Straw Bridge and Tower Challenge
Teams build the strongest bridge or tallest tower using only straws and tape, then test it to see how it holds up.
Ancient Egypt · At the Building Site · Time Travellers Day +2Sugar Cube Pyramids
Children build mini pyramids from sugar cubes held together with icing, learning about square bases and how layers shrink as they rise.
Brick Building Day · Challenge Day · At the Building Site +2Tallest Tower
Children build the tallest freestanding tower they can and measure the results.
Fairy Tale Day · At the Building Site · Science Week +1Three Little Pigs Build
Children build houses from straws, sticks and blocks and test which one survives the big bad wolf's fan.
At the Building Site · Science Week · Weather Watchers +2Toy Shadow Tracing
Children trace the shadows of toys onto paper outdoors and watch how the shadows change, linking art with simple science.
Inventors Day · Maker Day · Science Day +3Tube Marble Run
Children connect cardboard tubes on a wall or board to build a marble run, testing and adjusting until the marble makes it through.
Raw Art Day · Woodwork Day · Maker Day +2Wooden Box Building
Older children hammer or glue timber offcuts into a simple box. Real tools and real skills.