Join in the holiday fun at the powerhouse this month linked to our new exhibition, Evolution & Revolution : Chinese dress 1700s to now. DON'T FORGET our other special event, the Club Med Circus School which is part of the Circus! 150 years of circus in Australia exhibition experience !

    ◆ Chinese Folk Dancing: Colorful Chinese dance and musical performances by The Chinese Folk Dancing School of Sydney. Dances include: the Golden stick dance and the Chinese drum dance. A feature will be the Qin dynasty Emperor's court dance. Also included is a show of face painting for Beijing opera performances.

    Sunday 29 June and Wednesday 2 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm.

    ◆ Australian Chinese Children's Arts Theatre: Well-known children's play experts from Shanghai lead this dynamic youth group. Performances include Chinese fairy tales and plays.

    Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm.

    ◆ Chinese Youth League: A traditional performing arts group featuring performance highlights such as the Red scarf and Spring flower dances, and a musician playing Er Hu.

    Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

    ◆ Kids Activity: Make a Paper Horse: Young children make a paper horse cut-out. (The horse is a frequent theme in Chinese painting, indicating a kind of advancement. ) Suitable for ages 8-12 years.

    Sunday 28 June to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.

    ◆ Club Med Circus School: Learn circus skills, including the trapeze, trampolining and magic. Note only for children over 5: There are 40 places available in each 1 hour session and these must be booked at the front desk, level 4, on the day.

    Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 July at 11:30 am & 1:00 pm.

    Enjoy unlimited free visits and many other benefits by becoming a family member of the Powerhouse. Our family memberships cover two adults and all children under the age of 16 years at the one address. Members receive powerline, our monthly magazine, discounts in the shops and the restaurants, as well as free admission to the Museum. All this for as little as $50.00 a year! Call (02)9217 0600 for more details.

    In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five fays off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I'd hitch a ride (搭便车).

    I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn't give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured （使…放心）me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.

    Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the kindness I'd been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.

    After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven't changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.” I couldn't remember where I'd met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.

    Walt had a strong commercial sense of what would appeal to the public.Disneyland，Walt Disney World，and finally the other Disney theme parks around the world all came about because Walt Disney insisted that he could build an amusement park that was so much bigger and better than other amusement parks that it shouldn't even be called an amusement park.

    In 1940，he disclosed a plan to show Disney characters in their fantasy surroundings at a park across the street from the Disney studio in Burbank.

    The idea of an amusement park grew in Walt's mind as he traveled through the US and Europe and visited attractions of all kinds.Walt was sure that an amusement park would be successful in the United States if it offered a “good show” that families could enjoy together，was clean，and had friendly employees.

    In 1948，he shared his concept with trusted friends，a modest amusement park with a central village including a town hall，a small park，railroad station，movie theater，and small stores.Outlying areas would include a carnival(联欢) area and a western village.Soon he added spaceship and submarine rides，a steamboat，and exhibit halls.

    Four years later，he decided on “Disneyland” for the name and formed a company to develop the park，Disneyland，Inc.

    In 1953，he got Stanford Research Institute to examine the economic future of Disneyland and to find the perfect location.

    They broke ground in July,1954，and one year later，Disneyland opened.Within 7 weeks，a million visitors had visited Disneyland，making it one of the biggest tourist attractions in the US.

    Walt combined his talent and his sense of what the public would want with lots of hard work.In 1960，with a mixture of huge successes and failures，Disney had created something that was successful beyond Walt's own dreams.

    Gardening can be a very relaxing hobby for many people and this wonderful experience is not just for adults. Children are interested in gardening as well, if given the chance to explore nature and science in this way. Gardening can bring joy to both children and their parents alike, especially when the experience is shared together.

    The time that is spent gardening together builds precious memories within their hearts and minds for years to come. When you are gardening with your children, try to give them their own special area. Keep their area in the center of the best soil and light, as you want to make sure of a successful gardening experience.

    Plastic tools easily break and are difficult to use in the dirt, so when you are gardening with your children, give them real tools to use if possible. Even offering to let them use your tools is a way to admit the worth of the work they are doing. It is also important to talk with your children about the whole process of gardening, from planting to the harvest. They need to understand how things work and the importance of what they are doing.

    Show off the children's gardening work by taking friends and visitors for a walking tour through the garden and point out the children's particular spot. When you give attention to the children's work, this is a great motivation（动机） for children to continue wanting to be involved. Do not force children to take part when they are in a bad mood or if they are becoming bored. Instead, allow them to do something different, like building a scarecrow(稻草人)! This makes the gardening experience even more interesting. As you work together side by side with your children, you will encourage a love of the land in them, as well as creating lasting memories of time spent with you.

    Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.

    Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don't have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts' “close” buttons are a complete scam(骗局), at least in the US-the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.

    It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.

    But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren't completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.

    “Perceived (能够感知的)control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “having a lack of control is associated with depression.”

    Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don't do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats(温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.

    But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

    “That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said“Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I've got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”

New Books Just Waiting for You!

    Saving nia

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    This book is based on a girl's true story. Separated from her nappy home and placed with drug-addicted relatives, Nia sinks into a depression and attempts to set herself on fire. The love of another child lights up her darkness and brings her out!

    An Insider's History of the Swingin' Medallions

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