www.list.co.uk/kids
Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to suzanne@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Suzanne Black.
Glasgow Activities and Fun FREE Toddler Time Fri 5 & 12 Feb, 11.30am–noon. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. Take the wee ones along for songs, stories and fun. No need to book. FREE Saturday Art Club Sat 6 & 13 Feb, 10.30am–1pm. Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, 287 3050. Art activities relating to the art on display with drawing, collage, sculpture-making and games. Parents can get stuck in too. Ages 3–12. FREE Back to the Drawing Board Sun 7 & 14 Feb, 2–3.30pm. Museum of Transport, Kelvin Hall, 1 Bunhouse Road, 287 2651. Drop into the museum and have fun at this creative workshop where you can sketch some of the objects on display. Film Classes: Beginners to Advanced Thu 4, Tue 9, Thu 11, Tue 16 & Thu 18 Feb, 6.30–8.30pm. £3 per class. Project Ability, Trongate 103, 552 2822. Learn all about animation, set making, camera techniques and editing. Booking required. Ages 8–25. Saturday Visual Art Classes Sat 6 & 13 Feb, 10.30am–noon, 12.30–2pm & 2.30–4pm. £3 per class. Project Ability, Trongate 103, 552 2822. Get creative in a professional studio environment and take inspiration from trips to museums and galleries. Booking required. Ages 12–18 and 18–25. February Holiday Craft Workshops Fri 12–Wed 17 Feb, 11am. Studio fee £3; crafts from £1. Busy Bees Craft Studio, 82–84 Niddrie Road, 433 9506. Decorate ceramic, wooden and fabric crafts then take them home to brighten up the house or give away as presents. Ages 2–12. FREE February Half Term at the Burrell Sat 13–Tue 16 Feb, Sat, Mon & Tue 10am–5pm; Sun 11am–5pm. Burrell Collection, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, 287 2550. Daily fun activities at the Burrell, including picture painting, storytelling, and even meeting a medieval knight. Little Explorer Days: Twinkle Time Tue 16 Feb, 10am–1pm. £6.25 per child (accompanying adult free). Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, 08715 401000. Songs and stories about sparkly things and stars with a helping hand from Benny the puppet. Ages 2–5. Music Children’s Classic Concerts: Bongos and Brass Sat 6 Feb, 3pm. £10 (£6). Tramway, 25 Albert Drive, 0845 330 3501. Madcap musical mayhem and amazing virtuoso performances by percussionists and brass players, presented by Owen and Olly.
Theatre & Dance How Cold My Toes Thu 4 Feb, 10.45am & 1.30pm. £3.50 (£2). Scottish Youth Theatre, The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 287 9835. Award- winning children’s theatre company Travelling Light presents a new production about the changing seasons, taking you from the bursting buds of spring to the shivery snowflakes of winter through dance, music and performance. Suitable for ages 2+. How Cold My Toes Fri 5 & Sat 6 Feb, 10.30am (not Sat); 1.30pm. £4. Eastwood Park Theatre, Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, 577 4970. See above. Looking for Nessie Sat 6 Feb, 2pm. £5.50 (children £4.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8-10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Do you believe in Nessie? Maybe keeper of the loch Angus McGregor can help you spot him. Fun and laughter with Talking Heads puppets for ages 3+.
Storytelling Family Story Time Sessions Sat 6 & Sun 7 Feb, 10.30am. £5 (family ticket £15). The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 3988. Interactive storytelling sessions for families with children under 7 years.
Edinburgh Activities and Fun FREE Saturday Feast Sat 6 & 13 Feb, 10am–noon. North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Drop-in arts, dance and storytelling activities with a separate dance class at 10.30am (P1–P7) and visual arts at 11.30am (P4–P7). Busy Little Sew & Sews Mon 8 & 15 Feb, 4–5.30pm. £50 for six weeks. Kiss the Fish Studios, 9 Dean Park Street, Stockbridge, 332 8912. Weekly sewing club with materials and equipment provided, as well as juice and a snack. Ages 8–12. Zoo Art Club Wed 10 & 17 Feb, 4.30–5.30pm. £1.50. North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. After-school art club for budding young artists. P4–7. Play in French Sat 6 Feb, 10–10.40am & 11–11.45am. £4–£6. Stockbridge Library, Hamilton Place, 07910 045743. French fun with Tania Czajka and Le Petit Monde. Ages 0–3 at 10am (£4); ages 3–5 at 11am (£6). Booking essential. Nest Box Building Workshop Sat 6 & Sun 7 Feb, 10.30am–4pm. £5 for one (£9 for two). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Drop in to make a nest box for the launch of National Nest Box Week. FREE Art Cart Sun 7 Feb, 2–4pm. National Gallery Complex, The Mound, 624 6200. Get the whole family involved in these artistic activities, inspired each month by different works from the collection. Ages 3–12. FREE Hopetoun’s Green Volunteers Sat 13 Feb, 10.30am–1pm. Hopetoun House, Shore Road, South Queensferry, 319 3956. Help the Rangers carry out conservation work in the grounds of Hopetoun House. Attend five sessions and get a free grounds season ticket. Booking essential. Under 16s must be accompanied. What Did You Do in the War, Great Granddad? Sat 13–Sun 21 Feb, 11.30am–1pm & 2–4pm. Included in admission: £8.50 (£6.50; under 12s free). National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, 247 4238. Learn how to uncover your family history, then make your own reminiscence book to record your findings. FREE Crafty Poetry! Sat 13 Feb, 3–5pm. Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, 557 2876. Workshop to make a portable poem. Bring your own crafty materials, although some are provided. Ages 7+. Part of Carry a Poem. Baby Loves Disco Sun 14 Feb, 2–5pm. £8 (non-walking babies free). Corn Exchange, 11 New Market Road, 477 3500. Baby Loves Disco is for kids aged 6 months–7 years and their parents and offers bubble machines, a chill-out area and healthy snacks. Tickets from www.babylovesdisco.co.uk Spring is Sprung Mon 15–Fri 19 Feb, 10am–noon. £75 for week. Imagination Workshop, 136 Marchmont Road, 466 0148. Make wind chimes and windmills, paint a frisbee, make a funky flower pot and create a bird house in a week of crafty projects. Poem Purses and Wacky Wallets Mon 15 Feb, 10.30am–12.30pm & 2–4pm. Writers’ Museum, Lady Stair’s Close, Lawnmarket, 529 4901. Half-term workshop to make something pretty in which to carry your favourite poem. Email sandra.marwick@edinburgh.gov.uk to book. Part of Carry a Poem. Storytelling Mrs Mash’s Pancake Day Tue 16 Feb, 2pm. £6 (£4; family ticket £16).
Kids Kids
MUSEUM FUN GET INTO THE ‘GROVE Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow
If you’re a primary school aged child growing up in the Central Belt, people are falling over themselves to entertain you with fun workshops. Pre- schoolers do increasingly well, too. But when it comes to those tricky teen years, the well of participation has a tendency to dry up. Which is what makes the free events programme at Kelvingrove Art
Gallery & Museum so impressive – nobody is left out. At one end of the scale they have Toddler Time every Friday at 11.30am and 2.30pm, introducing tots aged 0–3 to the collection through stories and songs. After which you graduate up to Kelvingrove’s Family Weekends, held every Saturday and Sunday from 11am–4pm for ages 4–12 and their families.
As Learning Supervisor, Michelle Berry explains, the diversity of the session leaders is reflected in their activities. ‘We’ve got quite a mixed bag of staff here at Kelvingrove, such as ex-zoo keepers,’ she says. ‘And they help people explore areas of the museum related to their specialism.’
Specialists have also been drafted in for Get into the ‘Grove,
Kelvingrove’s latest venture aimed at 12–17-year-olds. Run on the last Sunday of each month from 1–4pm, the workshops have so far focused on animation and comic book publishing, with soundscapes and T-shirt design planned for February and March. Materials are provided and there’s always something to take home afterwards. ‘We noticed that young people weren’t visiting the museum,’ says Berry, ‘and we wanted to create something specifically for them. All the sessions involve working with talented Glasgow-based artists and musicians so they can learn new skills and techniques they may never have tried before.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ To find out more about any of the above, call Michelle Berry on 0141 276 9509.
Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Foodie stories from Marie Louise Cochrane and edible treats afterwards in the form of healthy pancakes. Story Space Thu 18 Feb, 11am. £5. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Storytelling in the courtyard with games, songs and movement to get the imaginative juices flowing. Ages 2–5 (plus carers). Outside the cities Activities and Fun The Puffin Club Sat 6, Sun 7 & Sat 13–Sat 20, 2–3pm. Included in admission: £7.95 (£5.95; children £4.50; under 4s free). Scottish Seabird Centre, The Harbour, North Berwick, 01620 890202. Educational workshops with activities relating to wildlife. Ages 2+.
The First Tingles of Spring Sat 13–Sun 21 Feb, 10am–5pm. £5 (£3.50). Almond Valley Heritage Centre, Millfield, Livingston, 01506 414957. Be inspired by the first flush of spring to create snowdrop hats and flowery bird feeders. Creepy Crawlies Week Sat 13–Sun 21 Feb, 10am–5pm; Sat/Sun 10am–6pm. £12 (£10.25; children £8.25; family ticket £38.50). Deep Sea World, North Queensferry, 01383 411880. Let some insect facts get under your skin in a week dedicated to these small and misunderstood creatures. Storytelling Storytime by the Sea Fri 5 Feb, 2.30pm. Included in admission: £7.95 (£5.95; children £4.50; under 4s free). Scottish Seabird Centre, The Harbour, North Berwick, 01620 890202. Storytelling session for ages 2+.
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