There’s so much to do and so little time this 1/2 term (so to get you planning ahead, and not missing out on booking your place on those workshops with limited space), for once I’m going to keep quiet, and deliver the goods. Don’t forget to check in with the schedule from the Family Arts Festival (17 Oct to 2 Nov), they have pulled together a whole lot of fun. Enjoy…
Don’t forget the Calendar of Events on the home page which will give you a wide range of activities for the whole year. As well as checking on the DIY CRAFTS category for rainy-play ideas, and Halloween inspiration. Also there’s my spectacular offer :: if you drop me a line in the comment box below, asking for help planning day trips, or almost anything else, I’ll send you some ideas, tied in a pretty gingham ribbon of course.
Updates to list :
Clifton Nurseries offers Plant Drawing with Artist Venetia Norris
1-November : 11-5pm : The Big Draw at Clifton Nurseries : A free event that takes the form of a fun collaborative drawing (all ages). There will be outlines of different plant pots for you to choose from and add your plant. and Adult Drawing Classes throughout November also with Venetia Norris : Thursdays 6, 13, 20 & 27th : 6:30pm – 8pm, Clifton Nurseries, adults, £15 in advance or £18 on the night (glass of wine included).
The Royal Albert Hall has the Music for Youth : Schools Prom : 10-12th November : 7-930pm or for Disney fans of Frozen, you can join the Sing-Along on 17-Nov. Performances at 2pm, 5:15pm, 8:45pm (All ages welcome).These events will see Frozen screened in stunning high-definition, with a bouncing snowflake over the lyrics allowing audiences to follow the music, in true sing-along tradition.
Technopop 2014 : (until 2Nov) Technopop is the UK’s first pop-up Science, Technology and Innovation Festival aimed at 6 – 19 year olds.Technopop includes a fully immersive exhibition, alongside interactive workshops and events – all of which are FREE for Children (aged 6-19), and only £10 for adults.
Burgh House : Halloween Party 31 October, 2-4pm : Their frightfully fabulous Kids’ Halloween Party is back! There’ll be spooky storytelling and creepy craft activities, with party food, fancy-dress competition and a monstrous museum trail. Advance booking is essential: tickets are not available on the day, so don’t miss out! Ages 10 and under. £15 per child. Must be accompanied by an adult.
Gamer Workshop on Saturday 1 November at ACE Hotel, Shoreditch with Technology Will Save Us (age 4+) :£10 per person for half hour taster slots (and they’ll offer discounts on DIY Electro Dough Kits on the day for anyone who wants the fun to continue).
Sadlers Wells, Chalk About : Dance Show (Ages 8+) : 1 & 2nd November . A family dance show that considers life’s big questions, and with dance, chat, music and more
1. RIBA : Workshops : Ages 7-18 : Start Monday 27/10 :: All workshops have been inspired by the exhibition Ordinary Beauty: The Photography of Edwin Smith and are led by professional educators. Materials included unless otherwise indicated. Workshops take place between Monday 27 and Friday 31 October 2014 and booking is essential. £30 per workshop (£20 – eligible for free school lunch). Family Fun events take place on Friday 31 October, £2 per child / £8 per family and paid on the door.
2. The National Gallery : Daily Family Drop In Workshops : Start 27/10 : Join in workshops ranging from clay, puppetry, painting, drawing and more.Free ticket required, available one hour before the event on a first come, first served basis. Places are limited to 20 tickets per session for children, plus an accompany adult. For ages 5+
3. British Museum : Drop In : Daily at 11am : Daily Activities in the Great Court : Magnificent Ming China
4. Geffreye Museum : Daily Activities : Join the museum as they celebrate their anniversary year. Bake special treats, create party-ware and make decorations. Start on Tuesday 28 – Friday 31 October, 10.30am – 12.30pm and 2 – 4pm
5. Museum of London Docklands & Museum of London : Daily Activities at 11am and 2pm. So many to choose from, check the site, and go for your life.
6. BFI, Southbank :: October Half-term Workshops for Children and Families (see bottom of post for all details) : Inspired by the Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder season. Start on 27 October.
7. Take a Yeoman Warder Tours at The Tower of London. Join one of the famous Yeoman Warder tours where Yeoman Warders (popularly known at ‘Beefeaters’) will entertain you with tales of intrigue, imprisonment, execution, torture and much more. Tours start near the main entrance every 30 mins.
8. Imperial War Museum : Various Activities for Age 4+ : (see bottom of post for all details) : Themed around War Horse, Book ahead to reserve and pay for places
9. London Transport Museum : Storytime daily at : 11.00 and 14.00 : Fun and interactive storytelling sessions. Join us on a time travelling adventure to Victorian London. Can you make it back to 2014 without anyone finding out you’re from the future? Maybe you’ll need some sort of disguise! Suitable for families with children aged 3–7. Make and Take Craft Workshops Daily at: 11.30 and 14.30 : Get messy with some hands on craft activities. Build your own bus inspired by over 150 years of public transport, then take it on a ride round the Museum before taking it home. Suitable for families with children aged 4–12
10. The skate rink opens at The Natural History Museum on 30 October, and as you all know there is enough to see and do to keep you going for weeks around this part of town. Check out the listings on line for daily talks, hands on exhibits, and free films showing in the Attenborough Studio.
11. Royal Maritime Museum, Greenwich. A whole range of fun to be had, you can also meet various characters aboard the Cutty Sark, and hear Cutty Sark’s incredible stories, brought to life by characters from the ship’s past. Meet Captain Woodget, the ship’s most daring master; Jock Willis, the man who built Cutty Sark; Nannie the ship’s figurehead; or the ship’s cook, James Robson, who all have a special story to tell.
12. V&A Museum : Make it Painting workshops are at the V&A Museum in South Ken. In this family event you can work with a landscape painter to recreate details from some of Constable’s famous paintings.Imagine you’re in the Salisbury water meadows, sketching cowslips, wild herbs and willow branches. Held daily during 1/2 term : Times are 10.30–12.30 & 14.30–16.30 : Recommended for ages 5-12 : £7.50 per child, children must be accompanied by an adult.
13. Horniman Museum and Gardens : There is daily free family art fun for ages 3+, between 11-2.45 in the education centre. Choose from Monday 27 October: Loi Krathong Paper Boats: Make a paper boat complete with tissue paper candle and some shiny pretend coins., Tuesday 28 October: Loi Krathong Paper Boats: Make a paper boat complete with tissue paper candle and some shiny pretend coins, Wednesday 29 October: St.Martins Day Lanterns: Make a lovely decorative lantern on a stick from card and tissue paper, Thursday 30 October: St.Martins Day Lanterns: Make a lovely decorative lantern on a stick from card and tissue paper and last but not least Friday 31 October: St.Martins Day Lanterns: Make a lovely decorative lantern on a stick from card and tissue paper.
14. Cartoon Museum, Bloomsbury : Great sessions with illustrators and publishers over 1/2 term. Booking essential, fill up your basket, and sharpen your pencils. Write & Draw Your Own Comics! workshop is on Sunday 26 October, 2pm & 3pm. Draw Big for Big Draw! on Saturday 18 October 12 – 4pm is a free drop in event for all visitors. Come and take part in the creation of a giant cartoon-strip mural, inspired by the film Night at the Museum, that will be displayed around the Cartoon Museum’s upstairs gallery.
Under-18s Free! Adults £5 (advanced booking only)
15. V&A Museum of Childhood : Never ever a dull moment in this museum, check the site for all the exhibitions, daily craft drop ins and holiday activities. For the 1/2 term, they are running ‘Wizz-Bang and Pipsqueaks‘ which are daily war themed activities between 10.30-4pm. You will be able to design your own medal to take home, try on costumes, and join story time at their Discovery Station.
16. Saatchi Gallery : This half term will be the last chance to see the exhibition Pangaea: New Art From Africa and Latin America before it closes on 2nd November. The education team are hosting a new animation workshop led by professional illustrator and animator Helen Piercy (whose book ‘Animation Studio’ is stocked in the bookshop!). (see below for more details).
17. The Queens House (Royal Museums Greenwich) : Halloween Spooktacular Family Fun Day : 31 Oct from 11-4pm £40 for a family of 4. Check online for more ticket prices (all ages).
Come along in your scariest fancy dress to a spooktacular Halloween party at The Queen’s House. Make a pom-pom creepy-crawly to take trick or treating. Create and animate your own ghost story, and enjoy storytelling about mysterious happenings in the night sky. Have your photo taken at our dress-up family photo booth; play super-sized board game Spooks and Shudders; and show off your monster moves at our Halloween disco. Parade your outfit at the end of the day in our creepiest costume competition. You may even bump into our resident ghost… There are heaps of activities from stories, animation, crafts and wizard and magic shows all day, check the website for the schedule.
18. Whitechapel Gallery : Free Family Workshop : On Saturday 1 November, 12pm – 4pm (All children must be accompanied by at least one adult). Get inspired by Richard Tuttle’s playful use of humble everyday materials. Join artists Monica Rivas Velasquez and Freya Gabie to make and exhibit your own collaborative drawings in wire, cotton, string, rope, plywood and paper. Explore the exhibition with a new Family Trail by artists Simon & Tom Bloor.
19. Tate Modern : Open Studio: Sculptural Weave is in the Clore Learning Centre Activities are available every weekend. Additionally, Thursdays and Fridays during holidays, 11.00–16.00.
20. Museum of London : Find out more about the big beasts of prehistoric London, and meet giants of the imagination in craft, drama, storytelling and digital art workshops daily throughout October half term. – See more details of timings, and events online.
21. RAF Museum : First World War Airfix Make and Take : Between 25th – 31st October 2014 | London :: Make your own Airfix model at the Museum over the October half term.
22. Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art : Friday 31 October 14.00-15.30. Hercules on Halloween: storytelling and shadow puppets workshop. Join them for a special Halloween storytelling of Hercules’ twelve gruesome tasks. Hear how he used his strength and ingenuity to overcome impossible tasks such as saving a village from a flock of man-eating birds and tackling a five headed monster. Bring the characters to life by making your own scary shadow puppet. Storytelling will start promptly at 2pm.
Family events are drop-in with no booking required. Free for children accompanied by a paying adult.
23. The Parasol Unit : Sunday Family Workshop: 19 October : 2.30-4pm : Ages 5-15 yrs : The Music of Sound, with SoundFjord : Improvisation with Everyday Material :: inspired by Artist, Shinro Ohtake’s works and materials.
24. The Royal Society : Free – The Big Draw Event : 25 October : See and draw historical artefacts and scientific illustrations pulled from the Royal Society’s archives, as well as the extraordinary architecture of our Carlton House Terrace building.
25. Storystock Festival : Bush Theatre : 28-30 October. Book tickets on line for this storytelling festival for children (3-11) and their families, which launched at the Bush Theatre in autumn 2013.
26. Benjamin Franklin House : Halloween Event :: Family Day: Tuesday 28 October, 4-5pm
As Hallowe’en approaches, brave the dimly lit corridors and creaking floorboards of this 18th century Georgian house for ghostly games and scary stories told by Benjamin Franklin’s friend Polly Hewson. Dress up and be ready to trick-or-treat, otherwise the lady of the House may not let you enter… (£5 per child, free for adults).
27. Ragged School Museum : This October Half Term on 28&30/Oct, the Ragged School Museum is becoming the Ragged GHOUL Museum! They will be running a whole host of fun, free Halloween activities, including arts and crafts, face painting and dressing up. There’ll be lots to make and do, so bring your little pumpkins to us this half term! Ideal for primary aged kids.
28. Cass Arts (Islington) : Saturday 25 October (10-12pm) : Decopatch Scary Cats and Spooky Spiders : Decorate paper maché witches’ cats and spooky spiders with Decopatch colourful, patterned papers. Wednesday 30 October : Halloween Masks : Get ready for Halloween and draw your make your own scary mask to go with your Halloween costume. Saturday 1 November : Monster Drawings : Colour your own monster using templates or practise your comic drawing skills.
29. Cass Arts (Hampstead) : Saturday 25 October (10-12pm)Decopatch Scary Cats and Spooky Trees. Get ready for Halloween and decorate paper maché witches’ cats and spooky trees with Decopatch colourful papers. Tuesday 28 October Monster Piñatas ; Create your own scary monster piñata for Halloween by decorating boxes with coloured tissue paper! Saturday 1 November; Vegetable Printmaking; Using fruits and vegetables, learn the art of printmaking to create colourful and easy works of art.
30. Cass Arts (Kingston) : Children must be accompanied by an adult events 10-12pm. For ages 4+ : Saturday 25 October : Decopatch Scary Cats and Spooky Spiders Decorate paper maché witches’ cats and spooky spiders with Decopatch colourful, patterned papers. Thursday 30 October ; Halloween Masks ; Get ready for Halloween and make your own scary mask to go with your Halloween costume.Saturday 1 November ; Fireworks! Create your own firework picture using coloured pencils and black wax crayon.
31. Hyde Park Look Out : More grown up Movie Nights : On the eeriest nights of the year, tip toe by torch light through the mystical plains of Hyde Park to our hidden pop-up film venue! Watch screenings of Ghostbusters, The Wicker Man, Little Shop of Horrors & The Blair Witch Project. £25. Ticket price includes a free glass of fizz, a street food wrap, Halloween themed activities and a fire pit with marshmallows.
32. Hyde Park : Discovery Centre : 2 free discovery days for kids in October Half term – 29 & 30 Oct. 11 – 3pm. You can get into the Halloween spirit and take part in a host of spectacularly spooky activities from ‘Pin the wart on the witch’ to potion making from herbs, sticks and mud. Or why not come along in your own Halloween fancy dress?
33. National Theatre : Family Days are being held at The Clore Learning Centre, National Theatre. The next one will be held on 1 November 2014 and the workshops are inspired by the production of Romeo and Juliet which will be performing at the National Theatre during half term (29 – 31 October, daytime performances), and then until the 14th of November (details on http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk)
34. Fulham Palace : Come along and help them celebrate Apple Day at Fulham Palace.
Sunday, 19 October, 11am-3pm. Join in the family fun celebrating their apple trees and different varieties of apples with wildlife activities, story telling, baking competition, live music, food and drink stalls and more. Family Fun Day : Wednesday, 29 October, 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm. A day of free family fun including crafts, storytelling and dressing up! Run with the Hammersmith and Fulham Adult Learning and Skills Service.Hallowe’en Crafts and Pumpkin Parade. Friday, 31 October, 2pm-4.30pm : Meet by the café in Bishop’s Park for Hallowe’en themed crafts and face painting. Bring your pre-carved pumpkin for the pumpkin parade around the Park at 4pm!
35. Brixton Book Jam : Workshops & Storytelling FREE ALL DAY :It all starts at 2pm Age 5-7 : Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow: London Calling and A Possum’s Tale & Andrew Weale: Nora & Tamara Macfarlane: Dylan’s Amazing Dinosaurs……3.30pm Age 6-9 : Piers Torday: The Last Wild : Emer Stamp: The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig……..5pm Age 9-12 : Margaret Bateson-Hill: The Silver Flame & Jan Devenish: The Great Pie Rivalry & Sam Hepburn: Chasing the Dark
36. Between Oct 18-Nov 2 : Deadly and Disgusting Plants and Fungi at Kew Young visitors can follow clues and puzzles on a trail through the gardens to help save London from the evil Smedly Deadly and his poisonous plants, meeting some interesting characters along the way.
37. Frieze Art Fair : Oct 16-19 :152 galleries from 30 different countries gathering in Regent’s Park for the biggest contemporary art event of the year. 2013′s fair saw a redesign which featured more sizeable public areas, plus the return of the Frieze Sculpture Park
38. House of Vans : Skatepark, Under Waterloo station. It looks amazing, even if you don’t own a skate board and goaty beard. I am digging for more information as you read, watch this skate space.
39. The Royal Academy : Totally wonderful workshops in one of London’s most beautiful museums. Family events start with The Big Draw on Sunday 19 October between 11am — 3pm. In this free drop-in workshop, part of The Big Draw 2014, families have the chance to work collaboratively with RA artists in a drawing workshop inspired by Anselm Kiefer.
39a. Also, book now for the Anselm Kiefer Family Workshop. On Oct 28 & 30th, inspired by the work of Anselm Kiefer, the session comprises an interactive tour and a practical hands-on session. (Ages 6+) This event is also taking place on 30th October. Meet at the Learning Desk.
40. House of Illustration : Workshop : Discover the history of comics and make your own with creator Karrie Fransman : 18 Oct 2014, 2:00pm – 5:00pm : £15/£10 concessions – book tickets here. Join in the fun for their Big Draw Family Day : Workshops will run from 11 am to 1 pm, and 2 pm to 5 pm – no booking necessary, just show your admission ticket to the workshop leader and get stuck in!
MORE DETAILS HERE …
IWM Workshops info :: Inside the Horse : Tuesday 28 October – Wednesday 29 October, 3 – 4pm : Ages 4+ £10 : Join Jimmy Grimes, Associate Puppetry Director for the international blockbuster War Horse, as he demonstrates how the horses work and how the show was developed. Joey, the life-size horse puppet, will meet visitors after the event. In Conversation with Rae Smith :Tuesday 28 October – Wednesday 29 October, 12 – 1pm : Ages 4 and up £10 :Rae Smith, Tony Award-winning designer of War Horse, talks about her creative approach to the story and how IWM inspired her original designs. First World War in Children’s Literature :Monday 27 October, 12 – 1pm and 3 – 4pm :Ages 4 and up £7 :Join three renowned writers as they discuss the impact of and their approach to the First World War in children’s literature, fact and fiction. Martin Brown Draws the First World War : Sunday 26 October, 12 – 1pm and 3 – 4pm : Ages 4 and up £7 : Brush up on your art skills and hear some of the First World War stories that inspired illustrator Martin Brown’s Horrible Histories®: Terrible Trenches. Poppy Field : Saturday 25 October – Sunday 2 November, 11am – 5pm : Free drop-in family activity : Make your own paper poppy and plant it in our Poppy Field to remember those, past and present, who gave their lives to protect their country BFI Workshops Info :: Mon 27 October 10:00 – 16:00 The Invisible Man – Now you see him, now you don’t!Filmmaking workshop and screening
Using film techniques, we’ll be recreating all the horror and amazement of ‘tales of an invisible man’ including objects that move all by themselves! Starting with drama games and scripting, there will be plenty of scope to develop films that will truly make your hair stand on end! Workshop from 10:00 – 14:30 Screening of the Invisible Man from 14:30 – 16:00
Please bring a packed lunch
For 8 – 14 year olds (children work in age appropriate groups)
Parents leave their children with us for the duration Tues 28 October 10:00 – 16:00 The Black Hole … a sci-fi adventure!
Filmmaking workshop and screening
Mixing live action with stop-motion animation, this workshop will definitely challenge the most creative of young filmmakers … lots of acting and dressing up fun promised and non-stop action guaranteed! Workshop from 10:00 – 14:30
Screening of The Black Hole from 14:30 – 16:00
For 8- 4 year olds (children work in age appropriate groups)
Please bring a packed lunch Parents leave their children with us for the duration Weds 29 October 12:30 – 16:00 Sci-fi Messy Time!
Filmmaking workshop and screening – ET. the Extra Terrestrial (U)
Come and make your very own spaceship and alien or robot to take home, plus you can make a stop motion animation starring your very own alien, spaceman and rockets! We’ll also be making a large space canvas … so lot’s of fun to be had! Workshop from 12.30 – 14:00 14:00 – 14:30 BREAK Screening of ET from 14:30 – 16:15 You can bring a packed lunch or there are places to eat in our building or nearby
For children 0 – 7 years Parents must stay with their children
Please note: animations can be filmed onto mobile devices or bring a memory stick to take them away – we cannot send them after the workshop Thurs 30 October – no workshop The Invisible Man NFT3 14:30 Fri 31 October 10:00 – 16:00 Silly sci-fi slapstick! Filmmaking workshop and screening (The Black Hole) Is it possible to make a silly sci-fi movie? One that is a little bit scary but also very, very funny? We think so! This workshop will provide all the tools to script a hilarious sci-fi spoof and have a laugh a minute while doing it!
Workshop from 10:00 – 14:30 Screening of The Black Hole from 14:30 – 16:00
Please bring a packed lunch
Bring a packed lunch For 8 – 14 year olds (children work in age appropriate groups)
Parents leave their children with us for the duration Email Joanna.vandermeer@bfi.org.uk if you have any specific queries such as access/ disability/ allergies/ special needs
Bookings only via box office on 020 7928 3232 from 11am – 20.00 each day
All tutors are certificated Saatchi Gallery Monday 27th October: Manga Master Class Manga expert Samuele Falzone will be running his popular master class in creating Manga drawings. Participants will learn about the history of Japanese comics before developing their own characters and storyboards. For ages 7+
Drop In
11am – 1pm and 1pm – 3pm
£5 per participant Tuesday 28th October: Pangaea, Free Family Day Graffiti, collage, printing and painting, come and join us for our final Pangaea workshops. All ages
Drop in 10.30am – 3pm
FREE Wednesday 29th October: Manga Master Class Manga expert Samuele Falzone will be running his popular master class in creating Manga drawings. Participants will learn about the history of Japanese comics before developing their own characters and storyboards. For ages 7+
Drop In
11am – 1pm and 1pm – 3pm
£5 per participant Thursday 30th October: Animation Studios Learn how to make stop-motion videos like a pro. Discover 2D and 3D techniques with character design, cutout puppets, and speech bubbles. From storyboarding to the editing suite, you’ll learn everything you need to know on this workshop master class with animator and author Helen Piercy. This workshop is a fantastic opportunity to really learn the fundamentals of animation. Click here to learn more about Animation Studio Ages 7 – 12
11am – 1pm
£8.50 per participant
Limited places, booking required. Please book here
Creative Bus Stop 