www.list.co.uk/kids
Road, Davidson’s Mains, 447 7145. Wear dark coloured non-rustle clothing. Please bring a rug or cushion to sit on, binoculars and torch. Ages 8+. Booking essential. The Circle of Life Sat 22 May, 10.30am—1pm. £4 per adult/child. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Learn about the food chain with Lauriston’s Ranger, and afterwards make a mobile of what you’ve learned. Booking is essential. Sandy Shores Sun 23 May, 11am–3pm. £6 per adult/child. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 336 2060. Lauriston’s glasshouse studio is a stone’s throw from the shore (though we don’t recommend you try it), so in this workshop you can use the sea as inspiration for a variety of crafty projects. Booking essential. Please bring a packed lunch. FREE No Biodiversity, No Breakfast! Sun 23 May, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. You’d be surprised at how much we rely on plants and animals for our food, even vegetarians. Play some biodiversity games to find out. Ages 5+. Baby Loves Disco Sun 23 May, 2–5pm. £8 (non-walking babies free). Corn Exchange, 11 New Market Road, 477 3500. See Glasgow. Theatre & Dance Cinderella Fri14–Sun 16, Fri 4pm; Sat 10.30am, Sun 11.30am & 3pm. £10. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 228 1404. A re-imagining of the well-known fairy tale by Shona Reppe Puppets, mixing puppetry with quirky music. Ages 5+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. One Thousand Paper Cranes Sat 15 & Sun 16 May, Sat 11am; Sun 3.30pm. £10. Church Hill Theatre, 33a Morningside Road, 228 1404. Abigail Docherty and Lu Kemp retell the moving and inspirational story of Sadako, who folded 1000 cranes while incapacitated by Hiroshima fallout. Ages 8+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. The Sun, the Moon and a Boy Called River Until Sun 16 May, Thu 1pm; Fri 9.45am & 12.30pm; Sat/Sun 1.30pm (also Sat 7pm). £10. Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 228 1404. Wee Stories theatre company takes the classic fairytale set-up of two babies born on different sides of the track, and brings it to life in imaginative and surprising ways. Ages 5+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk Thu 13–Sun 16 May, Thu–Fri 10.15am (Thu mat 1pm, Fri mat 12.30pm); Sat 3.30pm; Sun 11am. £10. Church Hill Theatre, 33a Morningside Road, 228 1404. Catherine Wheels present the funny yet poignant tale of a boy’s first day at school and how it ends up giving him the nickname Pondlife McGurk for life. Ages 9–13. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. Madcap Thu 13–Sat 15 May, Thu 10.30am & 1.30pm; Fri 9.30am & 11.45am; Sat 4pm. £10. Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 228 1404. Dutch company De Stilte combines dance and play with egg and bird props. Ages 4+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. Sense Thu 13–Sat 15 May, Thu 10.30am & 7pm; Fri 10.30am, Sat 4pm & 7pm. £10. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 228 1404. Five plays about teenagers led by their senses. The bill is split into ‘Nose & Skin’ (Thu 10.30am & Sat 4pm) and ‘Eyes, Ears & Tongue (all other performances). Ages 14+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. The Terrific Adventures of Brave Joan Woodsword Thu 13–Sat 15 May, Thu–Fri 10.30am (Thu mat 1pm); Sat
Kids Kids
MUSIC EVENT FLUTTER ECHO Platform, Glasgow, Sat 22 May
Ordinarily, singing in the swimming pool, playing drums in a library or standing in a café and scratching out your first few notes on the fiddle would provoke frowns of disapproval, possibly even an ASBO. But on 22 May at Glasgow’s Platform, budding musicians can do all that – and more. Flutter Echo is a day-long adventure in music for children and young
people aged 0-17, and as organiser Alun Woodward explains, it’s all about getting involved. ‘We wanted to put together a children’s music event where the emphasis would be on participation, rather than being part of an audience,’ he says. ‘Where they can find out all about music in lots of different ways, in both a formal and informal manner.’
Taking advantage of all Platform has to offer, Flutter Echo will spread
through the building, utilising the swimming pool, café, auditorium, library and several other smaller rooms. For tinies, there’s the Incredible Swimming Choir, primary aged children can enjoy a puppet show set to home-made instruments, while older kids can learn tricks of the trade about recording studios. There’s also a chance for all ages to sample a range of instruments and
see if anything floats their boat. ‘I like the idea that kids can become multi- instrumentalists in a short amount of time,’ says Woodward. ‘So they can try four instruments in 20 minutes and be able to play two chords on a mandolin or the first line of a song on a fiddle. I want kids to realise they’ve opened a door.’ If they do, Platform runs a number of music classes in drumming, fiddle, keyboard, guitar and more. But while Flutter Echo is a great opportunity for the local community,
Woodward is keen for those further afield to discover what Platform has to offer. ‘I’d love families from all over Glasgow and beyond to come and enjoy the day,’ he says. ‘And that’s part of the idea behind it, for people to see the centre and make use of it, because it’s a great facility.’ (Kelly Apter)
2pm. £10. Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. Ten-year- old Joan Woodsword escapes from playground bullying into the infinitely more exciting Middle Ages world of Joan of Arc. Ages 8+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. Woodbeat Thu 13–Sat 15 May, Thu–Fri 11.30am (Fri mat 9.30am); Sat 10.30am & 1.30pm. £10. North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court, 228 1404. See wood in a whole new light on a journey led by a percussionist and a puppeteer. Ages 2+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. Mister Porcelain Fri 14–Sun 16 May, Fri 10.30am & 12.30pm; Sat 11am; Sat/Sun 1pm & 3pm. £10. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 228 1404. A
sensitive introduction to the passing away of animals. Ages 6+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. Martha Fri 14–Sun 16 May, Fri 7pm; Sat 10.30am; Sun 11.30am & 3pm. £10. Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 228 1404. Catherine Wheels returns with the tale of stubborn Martha, who lives by the sea all on her own. She reckons she doesn’t need any friends, until one day she has an unexpected visitor who changes her life forever. Ages 4+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. Books & Storytelling Akitsushima (Land of the Dragonflies) Sat 15 & Sun 16 May, 10.30am–12.30pm. £4 per adult/child.
Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Enjoy Japanese stories and legends in Lauriston’s beautiful Japanese garden, and make dragonfly impressions in plaster. Booking essential. FREE Talking Trees Storytelling Sun 16 May, 2pm. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 248 2968. Talking Trees storytelling returns to transport adults and children alike to a magical land far, far away. Suitable for anyone with an imagination (ages 5+). Story Space Thu 20 May, 11am. £5 (accompanying adult free). 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). Tiny Tales: Africa Day Tue 25 May, 10–10.40am & 11.30am—12.10pm. £4 (accompanying adult free). Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Interactive fun for tots, with tales and rhymes inspired by Africa Day. Ages 6 months–3 years.
Outside the Cities Activities and Fun Garden Detectives Until Fri 31 Dec, 10am–5pm. Included in admission: £6 (£5; under 12s free). National Museum of Rural Life, Wester Kittochside, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, 247 4369. What’s lurking in your garden? Become a garden detective – turn over rocks, peer into the shed and delve into flower pots, and take a larger-than-life look at what you find. D Force Mon 17 & 24 May, 4–5pm & 5–6pm. Session £3; term £27. Howden Park Centre, Livingston, 01506 777666. Learn fast, high energy breakdancing in this class for boys led by an experienced dance tutor. Ages 5–8 from 4pm to 5pm; ages 9–14 5pm to 6pm. The Puffin Club Until Sun 23 May, 2–3pm. Included in admission: £7.95 (£5.95; children £4.50). Scottish Seabird Centre, The Harbour, North Berwick, 01620 890202. Different crafty activities for children every weekend at the Seabird Centre. Celebrate the Centre’s birthday with a puffin party hat. Ages 2+. Party With Thomas Sat 15 May, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm & 3.30pm. £9 (under 2s free). Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, Union Street, Bo’ness, 01506 822298. Help celebrate Thomas’s 65th anniversary with specially timetabled departures to Birkhill, competitions and giveaways. FREE Comic Book Capers Sat 15 May, 11am–12.30pm. The Changing Room, Tolbooth, Jail Wynd, Stirling, 01786 274000. Join Fruitbasket Collective artists, Jean Pierre Lapeyre and Caroline Mackenzie Lapeyre in an exciting exploration of storytelling and narrative through the format of comic books. Booking required. Ages 7–12. The ‘Save the Planet’ Show Sat 15–Tue 18 May, 2–3pm. Included in admission: £7.95 (£5.95; children £4.50). Scottish Seabird Centre, The Harbour, North Berwick, 01620 890202. Join Professor Egghead and his team of experts to work out how you can help save the planet before it’s too late. Wild About Art: Puffin Kites Sun 16 May, 2–4pm. Included in admission: £7.95 (£5.95; children £4.50; under 4s free). Scottish Seabird Centre, The Harbour, North Berwick, 01620 890202. A recycled art workshop led by Alchemy Arts. Summer Workshop – Jupiter Artland Sat 22 May, 1–4pm. £15. Jupiter Artland, Bonnington House Steadings, Wilkieston, 257 4170. A Children’s workshop for ages 8–12 exploring the Jupiter Artland collection on paper. Led by artist and teacher Sara Gough.
10th-16th May www.imaginate.org.uk tickets 0131 228 1404 13–27 May 2010 THE LIST 59