Ballarat Botanikids convenor Julie Bradby said the group of under fives visited the Botanical Gardens once a month to learn about the natural world around them. On Tuesday, they sang songs and played games before moving on to the Robert Clark Conservatory to decorate icecream snowmen.

“The whole aim is to get the kids outside and interacting with nature,” Ms Bradby said.

Ms Bradby said they wanted to make the gardens a “big education hub”, with Ballarat Botanikids – which is affiliated with Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens – also running school group activities. To find out more, go to the Ballarat Botanikids Facebook page.