www.list.co.uk/kids Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to kids@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Laura Ennor.
GLASGOWw
Activities & Fun FREE Saturday Art Club Sat 25 Sep & Sat 2 Oct, 10.30am–1pm. Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, 287 3050. Arty activities relating to the art on display. Ages 3–11. FREE Gardening Day Tue 28 Sep & 5 Oct, 12.30pm. The Children’s Garden, Botanic Garden, 730 Great Western Road, www.weegarden.co.uk. Weekly green-fingered session for little ones. French Speaking Toddler Group Wed 29 Sep & 6 Oct, 10am. £1. Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church, Observatory Road, 334 2788. Weekly playgroup for French-speaking children and their families. FREE Toddler Time Fri 24 Sep & 1 Oct, Fri 11.30–11.55am & 2.30–2.55pm. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. Take your tots along for songs, stories and fun with a different theme inspired by the museum’s myriad delights each week. FREE Busy Bees @ The Loft Sat 25 & Sun 26 Sep & Sat 2 & Sun 3 Oct, noon–2pm. The Loft, Ashton Lane, 339 8444. Free crafty activities for kids to enjoy while mums and dads have lunch. Busy Bees at the Life Craft Sat 25 Sep, Wed 29 Sep, Sat 2 Oct & Wed 6 Oct, 3–5pm. £8. The Life Craft, 691 Great Western Road, 334 2722. Drop-in craft activities involving beads, felt, papier-mâché and stencils. Ages 6+. FREE SNO!zone Family Fun Day Fri 24 Sep, 9.30am–6pm. Xscape Braehead, Kings Inch Road, Braehead, 0871 222 5672. A super-cool day out featuring ski, snowboarding and sledging taster sessions, plus face- painting, crafts, music. Taster session must be booked in advance. A Celebration of Science in Scotland Fri 24–Mon 27 Sep, 10am–5pm. Included in admission: £9.95 (£7.95). Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, 420 5000. A weekend of fun celebrating the exciting work of science organisations around Scotland, with drop-in science activities covering everything from why bubbles pop to powering a motor using only the heat of your own body. FREE Welcome to the Jungle Part 2: South East Asia Sat 25 & Sun 26 Sep, Sat 10am–1pm & 2–5pm; Sun 11am–1pm & 2–4pm. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. Explore the Sumatran rainforest, and learn about its inhabitants and importance. FREE Archaeology Uncovered Sat 25 Sep, 11am–1pm. Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, 200 Woodhead Road, Nitshill, 276 9300. A chance for families and children aged 7+ to handle some archaeological finds and learn about the work of the real Indiana Joneses of this world. Advance booking recommended. FREE Get into the ’Grove Sun 26 Sep, 1–4pm. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9509. Monthly activities for teens, this time looking at upcycling – the process of turning rubbish items into useful objects. Ages 12–17. We Dance Wee Groove Tue 5 & Wed 6 Oct, 10am & 1.30pm. £8 (£3.50–£4.50). Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, 276 9696. A groove extravaganza for clubbers aged 0–5 and their grown-ups. Theatre & Dance In The Night Garden Live Until Sun 26 Sep, 9.30am, 11.15am, 2pm, 3.45pm & 5.30pm. £5–£20. Glasgow Green, Greendyke Street, 0844 581 1251 or book online at www.nightgardenlive.com/glasgow. The
people behind the popular children’s TV show bring Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka to life on stage. Family Story Time: The Magic Porridge Pot Sat 2 & Sun 3 Oct, 10.30am & 12.30pm. £5 (under 2s free; family ticket £15). Scottish Youth Theatre, The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 3988. Storytelling theatre from SYT Productions, telling the tale of the breakfast dish that just keeps on giving. Under 7s and their families. Mucklemouth Meg Sat 2 Oct, 2pm. £5.95 (children £4.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Poppy’s Puppets are back with the story of Meg, the ugliest lassie in the Scottish Borders. With the aid of a pop-up book and Bruce the Border Collie, her search for love unfolds. Age 3+. White Thu 7 & Fri 8 Oct, Thu 2pm; Fri 10am. £8 (£3.50–£4.50). Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, 276 9696. Charmingly surreal show for toddlers from Andy Manley and Ian Cameron, about a dazzling and intriguing world where everything is white. Ages 0–4. EDINBURGHRgh Activities & Fun Art’s Cool Thu 23 & 30 Sep & 7 Oct, 6–7.30pm. £1 (NEAC Good Neighbours 50p). North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Drop-in art club for teenagers with Muirhouse Youth Development Group. Ages 11–16. Dance Sat 25 Sep & 2 Oct, 10–10.45am & 11–11.30am. £1 (NEAC Good Neighbours 50p). North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Dance workshops for ages 8–11 at 10am and ages 5–8 at 11am. Kids Knit Sat 25 Sep & 2 Oct, 9.30–11am. £10 per class. United Free Church of Scotland, Glebe Street, 07943 367314. Beginner knitting class for children: learn to make needles and felt, cast on and off, and knit garter stitch. New members always welcome. Kids Knit Tue 28 Sep & Tue 5 Oct, 4.45–6.15pm. £10 per class. Imagination Workshop, 136 Marchmont Road, 07943 367314. See above. Zoo Arts Wed 29 Sep & 6 Oct, 3.30–5.30pm. £1 (NEAC Good Neighbours 50p). North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Art club for kids aged 7–11. Queen Victoria Visits the Castle Thu 23 & Fri 24 Sep, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. Included in admission: £14 (£11.20; children £7.50). Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, 225 9846. Queen Victoria pays a return visit to Edinburgh Castle. Find out what she makes of it now at this living history event. Miss Dolly Sat 25 Sep, 10.30am–12.30pm or 1.30–3.30pm. £4. Museum of Childhood, 42 High Street, 529 3963. Cheer up your bedroom with your own paper doll wall decorations. Booking essential. Ages 5+. Zoom in on Printmaking Sat 25 Sep, 10.30am–12.30pm or 1.30–3.30pm. Included in admission: £8 (£5; children £2.50; family ticket £8). City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. Family workshop where you can make your own prints inspired by Edward Weston’s gorgeous still life photographs. Booking essential. FREE Colonise: A Game of Lichen Survival Sat 25 & Sun 26 Sep, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Arboretum Place, 552 7171. Join the lichens in their battle for survival against climate change, pollution and – worst of all – Simon the hungry slug. Ages 8+. Glowing Autumnal Jewellery Sat 2 & Sun 3 Oct, 10.30am–12.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Collect objects from the castle grounds, then make your own jewellery. Booking essential.
Kids
CHILDREN’S THEATRE PAPERBELLE North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Fri 24–Wed 29 Sep, then touring
Amazing things happen inside a child’s imagination – an old twig becomes a magic wand, a cardboard box a castle. And, as theatre director Heather Fulton discovered while working with nursery children, a small piece of paper can come alive with all kinds of personality traits. ‘I just used a really plain cut-out figure,’ explains Fulton, ‘and it was
interesting to see how the children connected with it. She instantly became a character, and they didn’t need a lot to make that happen – it didn’t need to be animated or have expression on its face. They called her Paperbelle, and the idea for our next show came from that.’ Performed by Frozen Charlotte Productions, Paperbelle takes place in a
world made of paper. Light, dark, textured, plain – the only common factor is the absence of colour. But whereas Paperbelle’s friend (played by actor Stanley Pattison) wants to let some colour into their lives, the little paper girl is keen to keep things plain.
‘The paper world is fine, but it could be so much more,’ says Fulton. ‘So
the colour adds something extra, and by the end it’s like a big colour party.’ On a deeper level, Paperbelle touches upon the way friendships are experienced by the show’s target age range of 2–5.
‘It’s about their relationship and how they learn to play together with some of the colours but realise that sometimes they’re better off playing on their own,’ explains Fulton. ‘It’s a kind of journey for them, and we’ve been comparing it to a child going into a nursery for the first time – they might get on with some of the children really well, but others might be a bit too much.’ (Kelly Apter)
Sunshine and Shadow – Your Treasured Place Sat 2 Oct, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. Included in admission: £8 (£5; children £2.50; family ticket £8). City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. Take your inspiration from Edward Weston’s photos of Mexico and California, and make a collage that represents your favourite place. Booking essential. We Dance Wee Groove Thu 7 & Fri 8 Oct, Thu 10.30am; Fri 2pm. £5 (£3–£4). North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. See Glasgow, above. Theatre & Dance Paperbelle Fri 24–Wed 29 Sep (not Sun/Mon), Fri 10am; Sat, Tue & Wed 10am & 11.30am. £5 (£3–£4). North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Pennywell Court, 315 2151. An enchanting new show by Frozen Charlotte. Ages 2–5. See preview. Shakespeare for Schools Festival Tue 28 & Wed 29 Sep, 7pm. £7.50 (£5.50). Pleasance Theatre, 60 Pleasance, 650 2656. The Edinburgh outpost of the UK’s largest youth drama festival features four local schools staging four different half-hour abridged Shakespeare plays.
Sticky Kids Live Fri 1 Oct, 10am. £5 (£4). Church Hill Theatre, 33a Morningside Road, 529 4147. Molly Muddle and Old MacDonald are back with the Funky Monkey Singalong Show. Pinocchio Sat 2 Oct, 11am & 2pm. £6 (under 18 months £1; family ticket £22). Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. The classic tale about the wooden boy is presented using puppetry, shadow and illusion. Ages 4+. Room on the Broom Thu 7–Sat 9 Oct, Thu 10.30am; Fri 12.30pm; Sat 10.30am & 12.30pm. £10. King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. Tall Stories, the team behind The Gruffalo, present this fantastic show adapted from another Julia Donaldson picture books. Ages 3+. Highly recommended. Books FREE Cloudberry Castle Ballet Book Launch Party Sun 26 Sep, 2.30–4.30pm. Dance Base, 14–16 Grassmarket, 337 2372. Janey Louise Jones (Princess Poppy) launches her new book, with ballet-themed fun, real ballerinas, and wine for parents. Please book in advance.
23 Sep–7 Oct 2010 THE LIST 69