Children to have a whale of a time at Curtin Open Day 2011

Miri – 22 August 2011 – Children attending the Curtin Open Day 2011 at Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) this 10 September 2011 can look forward to a great time at the event’s ‘Kiddies Corner’.

Located in the Event Hall at the university’s Recreation & Event Centre, it will feature a number of attractions for children of all ages. They include clowns and cartoon character mascots, bouncy castles, a colouring competition, spelling bee, and a variety of children’s games and activities like sand art and handicrafts. There will also be lively performances by pupils of local preschools.

The fun will start at 10.00 am with an introduction to the clowns and mascots following pre-registration for the day’s competitions, games and activities. Early birds will have the opportunity mingle and be photographed with the clowns and mascots, including characters from the popular cartoon series Spongebob Squarepants.

This will be followed by stage performances by pupils of Tadika Bukit Mewah and Tadika Sri Indah from 10.30 am onwards. The crowd will surely be entertained by their song, dance and musical performances.

Budding artists amongst the children will be thrilled to take part in the colouring competition, which will be held in two 1-hour sessions. There will be a session for preschool children aged 6 and below commencing at 10.30 am, and a session for primary school students aged 7 to 12 at 2.00 pm.

Attractive prizes such as art class vouchers, hampers and trophies sponsored by Global Arts, Pelican and Think-in-Motion await the top three winners in each session. There will also be a number of consolation prizes.

In between the two sessions, a spelling bee for preschool children will be held. Participants stand to win interesting prizes sponsored by Maybank.

Parents can pre-register their children for the colouring competition and spelling bee by contacting Kokilah Manogaran at +60 85 443 939 or e-mail kokilah@curtin.edu.my. Children participating in the colouring competition are advised to bring along their own coloured pencils.

Make Tomorrow Better is the main theme of Curtin Open Day 2011 reflecting Curtin’s new brand identity and strategic objective to be a forward-looking international research-focused and teaching university positioned amongst the top 20 universities in Asia by 2020.

Curtin Open Day is that special occasion each year when the university opens its doors to all Mirians, inviting them to visit its campus and participate in a variety of interesting activities in a festive and fun atmosphere.

It is also a ‘green’ event in support of Curtin Sarawak’s environmental initiatives and Miri City Council’s goal to make Miri the first ‘green city’ in Malaysia. In keeping with the green theme, Curtin Sarawak is discouraging the use of plastic bags and styrofoam containers at the event, and visitors will be presented eco-friendly shopping bags and recyclable plastic containers.

Attractions at the event will include an ‘Innovation Expo’; ‘Future Students Booth’; ‘Environmental Corner’; ‘Hobby Corner’; a ‘Bike Show’ featuring static displays of big bikes, street bikes and electric motorbikes; and a lucky draw offering attractive prizes including electrical appliances, hotel and restaurant vouchers iPads, iPods, notebook PCs and digital cameras.

There will also be a series of academic talks for potential students and a motivational workshop for students sitting the SPM and STPM, as well as a wide variety of food and beverage stalls, retail and activity stalls, and live musical and stage performances including a Miri Got Talent Contest and cultural dance contest.

As with previous Curtin Open Days, there will be a number of community outreach activities during the event, including a blood donation drive and free health checks. Furthermore, the event’s ‘Charity & Community Corner’ will see some 15 non-governmental organisations promoting their charitable and community causes.

For more information on Curtin Open Day 2011, one can visit the event website at www.curtin.edu.my/openday2011, call the event secretariat at +60 85 443806, or e-mail corpcomm@curtin.edu.my.

Kiddies’ Corner a hive of activity during last year’s Curtin Open Day.