Wodonga Children's Fair a riot of colour | PICTURES
The children's painting room, where everything could be painted.
For Hollie Doogood, 5, painting a cupboard at the Kids Rule shed pictured below only half the fun. It also made a great place to hide.
Aliyah Siddique, 6, and Amina Siddique, 5, weren't afraid of getting dirty while working on their painted desk.
Aliyah Siddique, 6, and Amina Siddique, 5, weren't afraid of getting dirty while working on their painted desk.
Congupna's Mitchel Blight 3, Jacinda Blight, 5, and Cameron Blight, 7, had a blast n their mini construction site.
Codee Phillips, 11, Malakie Bedford-McDowell, 9, Declan Carmody, 11, and Dylan Bedford-McDowell, 11, hanging out at the fair.
Wodonga's Jack and Nate Redcliffe, aged 11 and 7, tried to match the rocks pictures with the real thing.
Wodonga's Phoenix Dimitrakellis, 4, and Harrison Dimitrakellis, 6, in the furniture painting room.
The crowd at the Wodonga Children's Fair.
Click or flick across for more photos from the fair.
DONE anywhere else, it would be seen as the mindless vandalism any caring parent condemns outright.
But in the context of yesterday’s Wodonga Children’s Fair, splashing paint on everything in sight was encouraged in a bid to foster their independence.
And the children didn’t need to be asked twice.
Elbow-deep in paint, they splotched colour on to television sets, beds and chairs, turning sterile white surfaces into a rainbow room for the imagination.
They worked on furniture from the tip that had been spray-painted white to provide a blank canvas with a difference.
Artist and Kids Rule co-organiser Donna Pinder said the idea was to allow kids to do what they’re not allowed to at home, sparking their creativity.
“This is a place where the only rules are kids’ rules,” she said.
Ms Pinder said giving children such freedom helped their independence to make decisions and solve problems.
Hollie Doogood was a picture of delight as she ran out of a colourful cupboard, blue paint dripping from her hands.
She loved painting on furniture rather than on paper because “I get to hide in the cupboards and run around the side to paint”.
“I always mess the papers up when I paint on them,” she said.
To the horror of her dad, Matt, she said she would like to paint on the furniture at home.
After he made the “house rules” clear, she giggled and hid back in the cupboard.
“Allowing kids to paint like this is an awesome idea,” he said.
“It lets the kids have freedom — it is something they definitely can’t do at home.”
The theme of the fair was “What I want to be when I grow up” and children had the chance to learn about building, emergency services, art and science.