Staff at Blackbutt Reserve will be offering youngsters the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the region's reptiles. Reptile shows are at 11am weekdays from within the park's Wildlife Arena.

The shows cover topics about the behaviour, physiology and habitat of cold-blooded, scaly creatures for just  $3 per person.

Here you can also feed emus and play in Richley Reserve's new 60m-long adventure playground complete with ropes course, swing and adventure tower.

Once you've fulfilled your outdoor fix head to the city's cultural facilities. Newcastle Art Gallery runs Art Cart activities where children can create masterpieces under the supervision of staff.

Staff will work with children to help them recreate a work from within the gallery. 

Next door at Newcastle Library, kids can witness an exhibition of Terry Denton's original illustrations from the popular book series The Treehouse.

Sketches and layouts showing the development of crazy ideas, characters and stories for The Treehouse series developed in collaboration with author Andy Griffiths, will be on display until April 27.

Visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/School-Holidays.