list.co.uk/kids
FREE Rumpelstiltskin Thu 13 Jun, 4pm. Tchai Ovna, 42 Otago Lane, 357 4524. The classic Grimm tale told through puppetry and physical theatre. West End Festival.
✽Little Howard and The Magic Pencil of Life and Death Sun 7 Jul, 3pm. £4. The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. Little Howard (he’s a cartoon) and his sidekick Big Howard’s (he’s a real person) comedy double act. See preview.
EDINBURGH
Activities & Fun ✽FREE Dads’ Day Sat 15 Jun, 10.30am–2.30pm. Scottish
Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. On the eve of Fathers’ Day, there’s a celebration of all things good about dad. See preview. Happy Ears Sat 15 Jun, 22 Jun & 29 Jun, 10–10.45am. £5 per session. Calton Centre, 121 Montgomery Street, 07778 117333. Music group for dads and male carers and their little ones. Ages 0–3.
✽The Sick Kids Foundation Teddy Toddle and Summer
Fair Sat 15 Jun, noon–4pm. £5 per toddler for the Teddy Toddle. Meadowbank Sports Centre, 139 London Road, 668 4949. A fun day out to raise money for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. Molly’s Magical Mystery Mayhem!!! Sat 15 Jun, 12–4pm. £1. Molly’s Nursery, 2 Bonnington Road Lane, 554 1314. Magic, games, food and fun. Leith Festival. FREE Bags of Art Sun 16 Jun, 2–4pm. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Two, 73 Belford Road, 624 6200. Collect a bag of art activities and you and your family can explore the gallery and make your own art. Ages 4–12. Absolute Improv: Stories Sun 16 Jun, 2–3pm. £5. The Granary, 32–34 The Shore, Leith, 554 9465. Shout out your funniest ideas for the comedians onstage to turn into wacky stories. Leith Festival.. Zoo Arts Wednesdays 19 & 26 Jun, 3 & 10 Jul, 4–5.30pm. 50p. North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Art club for kids aged 8–14 who want to get stuck into a range of creative activities, including sculpture, painting, drawing and crafts. Cycle to the North Pole Fri 21 Jun, 1.30–4pm. £1. Craigroyston High School, Pennywell Road, myadventure. org.uk Join the North Pole Club for a fun carnival-style ride. Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling. FREE Sea Collage Sat 22 Jun, 10.30am–12.30pm. Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate, 529 4143. Create a seaside scene using shells, driftwood and different coloured sand. FREE Strings of Silver Sat 22 Jun, 10.30am–12.30pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Make your own friendship bracelet, perhaps as a gift, using silver beads, pearls and gems. FREE Magical Midsummer Mobiles Sun 23 Jun, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2909. Make a mobile using natural and recycled materials. FREE Meet the Ancestors Sun 23 Jun, 2pm, 2.45pm & 3.30pm. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, 624 6200. Explore history using costumes, props and your imagination. Ages 4–12. Magic School Sat 29 & Sun 30 Jun & Mon 1–Fri 5 Jul, 10am–12.30pm & 1.30–4pm. £15. Trinity Apse Church Nave, Chambers Close, 473 2000. A magic school for kids aged 7–10. Part of Edinburgh International Magic Festival. FREE Creative Fashion Collage Sat 29 Jun, 10.30am—12.30pm. City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. Let the exhibition inspire you to create some
KIDS 0300 123 6789. Make your own quaich, a traditional Scots drinking bowl.
Books & Storytelling ✽FREE I Knew a Man Called Livingstone Fri 14 Jun, 6pm.
National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. Toto Tales presents a fascinating storytelling performance all about David Livingstone told from the perspective of the African people who knew him best. Ages 7+. FREE Familiar Tales Told in an Unfamiliar Way Sat 15 Jun, 2–2.45pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2909. Sit down to hear Emma Thompson’s The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit read in both Gaelic and English, followed up by Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo translated into Scots. Ages 5+. Part of Leafing through Natural Scotland. FREE Talking Trees Storytelling Sun 16 Jun, 2–2.45pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2909. Talking Trees storytelling transport you to a magical land far, far away. Ages 5+. FREE Toddler’s Story Time Tue 18 Jun, 2–2.30pm. Waterstones, 98/9 Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive, Leith, 554 7732. Are you sitting comfortably? Then it’s time for a storytelling session for little ones. Family Storytime Sat 22 Jun & 6 Jul, 10.30am & 12.30pm. £5 (family £15; under 2s free). Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. See Glasgow, Storytelling. Images of Japan Sun 30 Jun, 10.30am–12.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Hear some tales of Japan, which should inspire you to design a picture for your bedroom with lots of Japanese imagery.
Music BabyLovesBeats! Sun 23 Jun, 1–2pm. £3 per family. Calton Centre, 121 Montgomery Street, 07846 961257. Lively dance and play session serving up reggaeton, dancehall, hip hop, house and urban sounds. Suitable for under fives. Theatre & Dance Horrible Histories: Vile Victorians Thu 13 Jun, 10.30am. Fri 14 & Sat 15 Jun, 7pm. £12.50–£16.50. King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. The gruesome side of the Victorian era is translated onto the stage with 3D special effects. Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors Thu 13 Jun, 1.30pm. Fri 14 Jun, 10.30am. Sat 15 Jun, 2.30pm. £12.50–£16.50. King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. All the terror of the Tudors brought to the stage in 3D. Max to the Future Sat 15 & Sun 16 Jun, 2–3pm. £7.50 (£4.50). Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Young Max hasn’t bothered to do his homework, so the only reasonable course of action is to build a time machine and travel back to when he had more free time. Sylvanian Family Feud Sat 15 Jun, 7pm. Sun 16 Jun, 5pm. £7.50 (£4.50). Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Jim Harbourne’s play about mutiny in the toy box! Hickory and Dickory Dock Mon 1–Sat 6 Jul, 2–2.50pm. £3. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Musical puppet tale about a how a wee village copes when the clocks go mad. Ages 4+. Tricky Ricky: Magical Madness Mon 1–Fri 5 Jul, 5pm. £10 (£8; children £5; family £25). Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. An afternoon of magical fun with Tricky Ricky. Edinburgh International Magic Festival. The Singing Kettle: Rumble in the Jungle Sat 6 Jul, noon & 3pm. £13 (family £48). Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. Join the Kettle team on a marvellous adventure deep into the jungle to see what creatures can be found there.
13 Jun–11 Jul 2013 THE LIST 71
COMEDY LITTLE HOWARD AND THE MAGIC PENCIL OF LIFE AND DEATH The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 7 Jul
You can get away with quite a lot when you’re a comedian hiding behind a character. During his appearance at the 2007 Royal Variety Performance, Howard Read was able to be rather naughty in the guise of someone else: his live animated six-year-old alter ego, Little Howard.
‘Firstly, Little Howard mistook the Queen for Helen Mirren (a few have done that joke since, but we were the first) and then he belched “I am the devil,”’ Read recalls mischievously. ‘The Queen’s response was a complete wall of Royalness, though there was no real telling what she thought as she was in the darkness.’
For over a decade now, responses to Little Howard and his tech- savvy creator have been firmly in the positive. In 2003, their second full Fringe show together resulted in a Perrier Award nomination, while their profile was raised further with factual CBBC show, Little Howard’s Big Question.
Although initially a double act for the grown-ups, Read found a way to make Little Howard work for kids and he’s in Scotland now (and in August) to entertain both sides of his fanbase. ‘It’s like having kids or hanging out with elderly parents: you just switch off the swearing button in your head,’ he says. ‘But you can still be quite rude. With the kids shows, I’m trying to make the adults laugh as well, so you’re always trying to sneak in cheeky little things that the kids won’t get.’ (Brian Donaldson)
fashionable pieces of your own. Baby Loves Disco Sun 30 Jun, 2–5pm. £8. Electric Circus, 36–39 Market Street, 08444 999990. See Glasgow, Theatre & Dance. Summer with StrangeTown Mon 1–Fri 5 Jul, 10am–4pm. £99 for five days. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. Work with actors, directors, writers, dancers and musicians to explore your creativity and create a play in five days. Ages 8–10. Let’s Go Fly a Kite Mon 1 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. There’s colourful paper and ribbons on hand for you to create a magnificent kite. FREE Glitzy Glamorous Magazine Covers Mon 1 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm. City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. Drop-in workshop where you can star in your very own glamorous magazine cover. Tick Tock Woodland Clocks Tue 2 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Create a fabulous wooden clock – shaped in the style of your favourite animal. FREE Hallmarking, Heraldry and Hammermen Wed 3 Jul, 10.30am– 12.30pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Make your own hallmark using traditional symbols or perhaps something more contemporary. FREE Flower Power Fri 5 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm. City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. Get into the 60s vibe with some help from the exhibition and create a totally groovy piece of jewellery or accessory. FREE On Your Marks, Get Set, Read Sat 6 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Take inspiration from the patterns in the silver gallery to make your own bookmark. FREE Young Designers Mon 8 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm. City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. All you need is a plain white t-shirt – craft materials are provided for you to create something spectacular. Bows and Arrows Tue 9 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Learn all you can about crafting bows and arrows from greenwood, then make a fancy bag to store them in. FREE A Cup of Friendship Wed 10 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street,