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Kids aims to provide information about events in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow for children and young people. Please send details not later than 10 days before publication.
GLASGOW '
Activities and fun
I JOHN SMITH AND SON (GLASGOW) LTD 57 St Vincent Street. 221 7472.
Sat 20 1 1am. Trevor Smith. animal handler and author of The Amazing World. brings Snoopy the fruit bat. an Indian rock python. a black mamba. a bird-eating spider and a blue-tongued lizard to the children's department.
I DOME OF DISCOVERY South Rotunda. Govan Road. 427 1792.
Over 60 exhibits to push. pull and press. Fun for parents too. Open all year. Tue—Sun 10am—5.30pm. Kids£1.20; adults £2 (family ticket. 2 adults and 2 kids
£5).
I EASTWOOD BUTTERFLY FARM Rouken Glen. 620 2084.
Indoor tropics with hundreds ofbutterflies flitting about. Creepy Crawlies housed in the Insect Kingdom. Open every day. 10am—5.30pm. Kids£1;adults£1.50 (family ticket. 2 adults and up to 4 kids £4).
I GLASGOW ZOO Caldcrpark. Uddingston.771 1185.
Open every day. 10am—5pm Kids£1.90; Adults £3.
I LITTLE MARCO'S Templeton Street. 554 7184.
Children’s indoor play centre with climbing frames. slides. ball pits. soft play areas. Children under 4ft 7in only and under 3-year-olds must be supervised. One and a half hour sessions. £3. Mon—Sat 10am—8pm.
Exhibitions
I MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT Bunhouse Road. 357 3929.
Largest collection of vehicles in the UK. from prams to trams. Wander down a pre-war Glasgow street complete with cinema and subway. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm; Sun 2—5pm. Admission free.
Oufings
I BLACKSHAW FARM PARK West Kilbride.
North Ayrshire. 0563 34257.
Working farm with daily demonstrations ‘of farm activities. Tractor rides available
and 3 and 4-wheeler motor bikes for older
children and adults. Lots ofanimals.
Outdoor play area and under-cover play
space when wet. Open every day.
10. 30am—5pm. Kids £1.50; adults £2 or £6
per car.
I KELBURN COUNTRY CENTRE On the A78
between Largs and Fairlie. 0475 568685.
Open daily 10am—6pm. Attractions
include Pets Corner, Commando course.
Riding Centre (phone for bookings).
Nature Centre. Adventure Course and
Wooden Stockade.
See also Edinburgh Outings section.
Theatre I CUMBERNAULD THEATRE 0236 732887.
Advance booking for children‘s shows recommended to avoid disappointment. Klds’ SIuII Fun, magic and song for for 4—11-year-olds. 1.15pm. Kids£l.25; adults£l .75.
Sat 20 Apr Mr Boom.
CLOWN LEAR
The perennial appeal at Edward Lear’s ‘Nonsense Poems' is underlined with the appearance of yet another edition of a book that has been lllmed, cartooniiied, taped and translated into umpteen languages. Children are tickled by Lear’s verbal dexterity, his seemingly haphazard and delicious list-making and his linguistic invention. Returning to such lamiliar favourites as ‘The Dong With A Luminous Nose’ and ‘The Pobble Who Has No Toes’, l’m struck not by his wit or the exuberance of Leslie Brooke’s draughtsmanship In the accompanying Illustrations, but by the melancholy mood that undercuts so many of the
poems. Lear, it comes as no surprise to
learn, was not infrequently a prey to depression, beset by sell-doubt and thoughts of the grave. This may be why children respond to him, but I rather think not. Children see none of this in the likes of ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’
.,. n..- . \\ . ' \
and ‘The Ouangle Wangle’s Nat’. To them Lear simply is someone on the same wavelength, his mind tree from adult constraints. Whereas his literary skills were well honed, his unlettered lmaglnatlon never left the playground. Thls is the hallmark ola top-drawer lantaslst whose only peer is Lewis Carroll. (Colin Barrie)
Edward Lear's Nonsense Poems is published by Little, Brown and Company, price £9.99.
Sat 27 Apr Magic Bob.
I PAISLEY ARTS CENTRE New Street. Paisley. 887 1010.
Magic Bob Slick tricks and audience participation. Sat 20 Apr 11.30am and 1.30pm. Kids 50p; adults£1.
Alakazam Puppets An hour of fun from Mr Alakazam the Magic Man. Sat 27 Apr 11.30am and 1.30pm. Kids 50p; adults£1. This World is Ours 45-minute show of drama, music and poetry on the theme of the endangered planet. presented by P.A.C.K. Sundays 28 Apr and 5 May 2pm.
I PAVILION THEATRE 121 Renfield Street. 332 1846.
Rainbow A new adventure from children‘s television stars Zippy. George and Bungle. kept in check as always by Geoffrey Hayes. 23—27 Apr. Tue 4.30pm; Wed 10am and 2pm; Thurs 2pm and 4pm; Fri 10am. 4.30pm; Sat 11.30pm. Kids
£4. 15; adults £5. 15 (all areas).
EDINBURGH Activities and fun
I EDINBURGH CENTRAL LIBRARY George [V Bridge.
Free creche facilities available to Central Library users. Tuesdays and Thursdays. 10am—noon. Open to children of all ages. Large selection of toys. Run by the Edinburgh Creche Co-op.
I EDINBURGH DANCE PROJECT
Youth dance groups meet at Calton Centre (Montgomery Street). in South Queensferry. Abbeyhill. Tollcross and Ainslie Park. New term starts Mon 8 Apr. Contact 220 4348 for details.
I EDINBURGH ZOO Corstorphine Road. 3349171.
Open every day. 9am to 5pm (9.30am on Sundays). Kids £2; adults £3.75.
I GORGIE CITY FARM 51 Gorgie Road. 337
4202.
Check out spring-time‘s new arrivals. Children‘s play area. Open every day, 9am—4pm. admission free.
Young City Farmers Group Meet every Saturday. 10am—1pm. For 7—13-yearolds. Learn about farm life and how to look after the animals.
I MURRAYFIELD ICE RINK Riversdale Crescent. 337 6933.
Various sessions from 10am at the weekend. 2pm weekdays. including Beginners Skating Mon and Fri 5—7pm; Thurs 7—9pm. Admission £1.20. Skate hire 50p.
I PORTOBELLO SWIMMING CENTRE Bellfield Street. 6690780.
Fun and Fitness for all the family Saturdays 10am—noon. includes under 10s table tennis club. 50p per session.
I OUEEN’S HALL Clerk Street. 668 3456. Family Choice Piccolo Pack SCO‘s Guardian Angel Oolie McDoolie guides the orchestra through some works by Britten. Beethoven and Stravinsky - with some help from the young audience of course. Kids £1 (75p if you still have your Piccolo Pack badge); adults £2. Sat 20 Apr 1 1am.
I THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN lnverleith Row. 552 7171 ext454.
Living In a Rainlorest Family workshops. childrenmust be accompanied by at least one adult and vice versa! (Not suitable for under-7s). Limited spaces. booking advised. contact Marisa Main at the Garden. Kids £2; adults £4 (£10 family). Sat 20 Apr Festival of forest spirits. Become a forest creature as a rainforest village prepares for a festival. 11am—1pm. Sat 4 May Dyeing to create a rainforest. Be creative with batik artist Fran Marquis Faulkes. Ham—1.30pm.
I THINS BOOKSHOP 53—59 South Bridge. 556 6743.
Saturday Club Every Saturday. 10.30—11.30am. Activities and
competitions for 3—1 l-year-olds. plus storytelling for younger children. Free.
I 369 GALLERY 233 Cowgate. 3013.
Art Classes Saturday morning/afternoon classes for 6—10-year-olds. 10.30am—noon or 2.30—4pm. £28 for ten weeks. Term starts 15 April. Further details from Claudia Petretti at the Gallery.
Film
I EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE Lothian Road. 228 2688.
Saturday afteroon children‘s matinees; all seats £1 , bookable. Films start 2pm.
Sat 20 AprThe Brave Little Toaster (U) Cartoon capers when the toaster and his chums go searching for their owner.
Sat 27 Apr Babar the Movie (U) King Babar fights to save his kingdom from the nasty rhinos.
Out Now
I SCOTTISH CHILD Non-specialist magazine about children in Scotland. Articles in Apr/May issue include a selection of readers’ prose and poetry. the Bernard van Leer Foundation newsletter features on adoption. children‘s homes.
educational issues. as well as a letters page
and diary. Available. priced £1 .50 fora limited period only in John Menzies. Subscription by direct debit £8; cheque/cash £10. Contact Scottish Child at 40 Shandwick Place. Edinburgh. 220 6502.
Oufings
I EDINBURGH BUTTERFLY AND INSECT WORLD Melville Nurseries. Lasswade, 663 4932. Tropical paradise of butterflies. Tarantulas. beetles and scorpions can be found in the Insect World. New for91! The Bee Garden contains a million busy bees. Look in on their life-style. Open every day. 10am—5.30pm. Kids£l .45; adults £2.60 (under 55 free). I PURVES PUPPETS Biggar Little Theatre. Broughton Road. Biggar. Lanarkshire (3/4-hour drive from Edinburgh; 1 hour from Glasgow), 0899 20631. Miniature Victorian puppet theatre run by the Purves family and set in attractive gardens with games and picnic area. There are puppet shows. workshops and guided tours. Often fully booked — best not to go on spec. Phone for times and details. Open daily Monday to Sunday. closed Wednesday. I SAFARI AND LEISURE PARK Blair Drummond, Near Stirling. 0768 841456. View elephants. lions and bison safari-style. ()ther attractions include sealion show. pets corner. splash cats. | pedal boats. adventure playground and l astraglide. Open daily from 10am. last , admission 4.30pm. Kids £3 l (3—14-year-olds); adults £4.50. 3 Theatre 1 I KING'S THEATRE Leven Street. 229 1201. 7 Rainbow New adventure with TV stars ! Zippy. George and Bungle. assisted by I their long-suffering minder. Geoffrey ' Hayes. 16—20 Apr. Tue—Fri 4.50pm:Sat 11.30am. 2pm and 4pm. Contact theatre for prices.
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