An art afternoon at Wave Art, Crows Nest: A last-minute win

This winter school holidays in Sydney, I took on a challenge: three weeks of activities, fully planned, for my five-year-old daughter. I'm documenting the ones worth sharing, the honest experience, the practical details, and what each day quietly built in her. This post: an art afternoon at Wave Art in Crows Nest, the last-minute booking that became one of my favourite afternoons of the holidays.

Not everything needs to be planned three weeks ahead. Towards the end of the holidays we had a free Thursday afternoon, and since art has been the golden thread of these weeks: clay at the Art Gallery, painting horses, and drawing everywhere, I went looking for one more creative session. Wave Art in Crows Nest had lovely reviews and space the next day. Booked online in minutes: $85 for Penelope, $50 for me to tag along, 1:30 to 4:30pm.

That tag-along ticket turned out to be the best $50 of the holidays.

The afternoon

The studio is lovely, materials all provided, with long-term parking at the shopping centre nearby. The daily activity varies, their website lists the program, and ours was portrait-making: building faces from cardboard, layered and almost sculptural, then painting them.

Our group was four kindergarten girls and me, the only parent in the room. And when we arrived, the girls looked at me with genuine astonishment: "Are you also going to do it?" Of course I was. Their surprise says something about how rarely adults sit down and make things alongside children instead of supervising from a chair.

I have to mention Gabi, who ran the session. Four kindy girls at the end of school holidays are high energy and strong personalities in a small room, demanding work. She was patient, warm, and skilled in that specific way good teachers are: kind but firm, holding the room without dampening it. Watching her manage the group was its own quiet masterclass.

What I noticed

Something happens when you see your child among her peers that you can't see at home. I spend most of my time with Penelope one-on-one; here I watched four completely different personalities work side by side, how they negotiate, how they focus, how they show their work. Penelope connected easily with the other three girls, and I got a rare window into who she is in a room that isn't ours.

And the other thing: I made art too! and I loved every minute. Painting alongside your daughter is relaxing in a way that surprised me. We drove home with two cardboard portraits and the particular satisfaction of an afternoon spent making things.

One small recommendation

If I could offer the studio a single suggestion: a little background music. Surprisingly, it was the girls themselves who asked "We would love some relaxing music." While Gabi was busy gluing and helping, I took some initiative and played a little music from my phone, and the room lifted immediately. The girls danced with each other between painting, and the whole session relaxed into itself. Children are no different from us: a little music brings up the spirit and settles you deeper into what you're making. An easy addition that would make a lovely session even better.

The practical notes

• What: Kids' art sessions at Wave Art, Crows Nest, daily programs vary, listed on their site
• Cost: $85 per child, $50 for an accompanying adult to participate, and I'd strongly suggest you do
• Time: 1:30–4:30pm afternoon session
• Booking: Online and easy, we booked just one day ahead, so it's a genuine last-minute option when a holiday afternoon opens up
• Parking: Long-term parking at the nearby shopping centre
• Materials: All provided
• Best for: A bonding afternoon, a creative reset, or a small-group setting where your child can make new friends

Highly recommended, and if they ask whether you're also going to do it, the answer is yes!.

Field notes from a mother who believes the holidays are never just holidays.

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