' kids@list.co.uk

Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to kidsQlist.co.uk, by post or by tax on 0131 557 8500. Listings are compiled by Ruth Hedges.

Activities and Fun

Falconry Sat 18 8; Sun 19 Jan. noon. l.30pm & 3pm. £5.50—£l4 (£4—£l0). Glasgow Science Centre. 50 Pacific Quay. 420 5000. Professiottal falconer Graeme Neilson brings a selection of birds of prey front the diminutive White l-‘aced Scops ()wl to the impressive Turktnattinan Iiagle ()wl. Learn about these amazing birds up close in all their glory.

Back to School Sun 19 Jan. 2--3pm. £1.50. Scotland Street School Museum. Museum of Education. 225 Scotland Street. 287 0500. Join teacher Miss Baxter fora living history class set itt Victorian times. .Arrive 15 minutes early to dress up in period costume before seeing props. a genuine gas mask and the dreaded belt. The Life of Mammals Thu 23—Sun 26 Jan. £5.50—£l-1 (£4-£10). Glasgow Science Centre. 50 Pacific Quay. 420 5000. David Attenborough's landmark television series visits Glasgow in the fortn of a special BBC wildlife exhibition where all five senses are stimulated through hands-on activities exploring mammal behaviour. Step behind the camera and discover the world of nature and the technologies used to capture it for our delight.

Theatre & Dance

Aladdin Thu 16—Sat 18 Jan. 7pm. £3.50---£l6.50. King‘s Theatre. 297 Bath Street. 240 1111. Elaine C Smith and Gerald Kelly star in the King's annual panto.

Cinderella Thu l6--Sun 19 Jan & Tue 21—Sat 25 Jan. times vary. £10—£12 (£8—£9). Pavilion Theatre. 121 Rentield Street. 332 18-16. The Krankies star in the evergreen favourite of ugly step sisters. pumpkins. glass slippers and princes. Calamity Jane Tue 21 --Sat 25 Jan. 7.30pm; Wed & Sat 2.30pm & 4.30pm. £8—£22.50. King's Theatre. 297 Bath Street. 240 l l 1 1 . When the Deadwood stage brings the wrong Adelaide Adams to the town's music hall. Calamity"s in trouble again. Popular musical with Toyah Wilcox in the lead role.

Little Shop of Horrors Tue 2l—Sat 25 Jan. 7.30pm; Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm. Mitchell Theatre. 6 Granville Street. 0845 330 3501 . Glasgow Schools Youth Theatre perform the tongue-in-cheek musical. Anansi the Spider Sat 25 Jan. 2pm. £4 (£3.50). Scottish Mask & Puppet Theatre Centre. 8 - 10 Balcarres Avenue Kelvindale. 339 6185. Jack ()'1.antern puppets bring you the tale of Africa's favourite folk hero through shadow puppets and enchanting storytelling. lndian Tales Sat 25 Jan. 2pm. £4 (£3.50). Scottish Mask & Puppet Theatre Centre. 8 -10 Balcarres Avenue. Kelvindale. 339 6185. Clydebuilt Puppets bring you a story derived from American lndian tradition where a Raven who loves bright and shiny things frees a moon from an old cedar box and carries it back to hang among the stars.

Bear in the Big Blue House Thu 23 Sun 26 Jan. times vary. £9.50—l5‘. family £45“ £54. Clyde Auditorium. Pinnieston Quay, 0870 040 4000. Jim Henson's furry friends head to a stage near you. See preview.

Film

The Cupttf) Sat 25 Jan. 10.30pm & Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PG). l 1.15. £2.25. Glasgow 1‘ilm Theatre. 12 Rose Street. 332 8128. See Film Index.

Human Body ( PG): Everest (ti ): Dolphins (L'); Into The Deep (ti). Cybervvorld (cert tbc). times vary. check

84 THE LIST 16-30 Jan 2003

Film listings for showing times. £5 (£3.50). IMAX Theatre. Glasgow Science Centre. 50 Pacific Quay. 420 5000.

Activities and Fun

The Medieval Archer Sat 18 Jan. £8 (£2—£6). lidinburgh Castle. Royal Mile. 225 9846. Living History Scotland tell the story of the cross and bow with demonstrations and presentations about clothes. sayings and techniques. Doodles and Tales Sun 26 Jan. 2v-3pm. l-‘ree. National Gallery of Scotland. The Mound. 624 6200. Storytelling using the gallery‘s collection as a springboard into the imagination. focusing especially on Greek myths and Scottish stories. l’eeling inspired‘.’ Drawing materials are available afterwards to draw and tell your own story with between 3 and 4pm.

Theatre & Dance

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Thu 16—Sun 19 Jan. times vary. £|2.50—-£l9.50. King's Theatre. 2 Leven Street. 529 6000. Alan Stewart. Andy Gray and Kenny Baker star in this pantomime for the last date this season.

1v STAGE SHOW BEAR IN THE BIG BLUE

HOUSE Glasgow Clyde Auditorium, Thu 23-Sun 26 Jan; Edinburgh Playhouse, Thu 30 Jan—Sat 1 Feb

You know you’ve arrived when people call you by your species name, though Top Cat, Deputy Dog, Mickey Mouse et al still all need a prefix. But like Madonna and Prince before him, Bear needs just one name to separate him from the other kiddie characters. To be fair, without his Blue House, Bear might be a little less recognisable, but let’s not quibble - the guy’s huge. Literally. At 7ft tall he’d be lethal on a basketball court, but Bear would much rather turn his

Tae a Mouse and A’ That Sat 25 Jan.

12.30pm & 3.30pm. Free. Mttseum of Scotland. Chambers Street. 247 4219. Ages 8 712. Celebrate Burns‘ Night with Wee Stories Theatre for Children as they take you around the Museum of Scotland. exploring tlte life and poetry of Robbie Burns in their characteristically entertaining way.

Calamity Jane Tue 28 Jan Sat 1 Feb. 7.30pm; Thu & Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £15.50 £25.50. Festival Theatre. 13 29 .\'icolson Street. 529 6000. See Glasgow. Bear in the Big Blue House Thu 3t) Jan Sat 1 Feb. Thu 6pm; 1-‘ri 2.30pm: Sat

1 1am. 2pm & 5pm. £9.50 £15. Playhottse. 18 22 Greenside Place. 0870 6063424. See Glasgow attd preview.

Exhibition

The Golden Ages of Toys t'ntil Sat 7 Jun. l-‘ree. Mttseum of Childhood. 42 High Street. 529 4142. Share the magic of Meccano. llornhy trainscts. teddy bears and the wonderful array of toys that catne to life between 1890 and 1930.

My Queen Elizabeth t'ntil Sun 19 Jan. National Portrait Gallery. 1 Queen Street. 624 6200. In association with Blue Peter. this exhibition highlights the 50 prize-winning entries in their Golden Jubilee portrait competition by children aged 15 or under.

Outside the Cities

Activities and Fun

Winter Wonderland t'ntit Sun 26 .lan. 10am 3.30pm. liree. Stttnmerlec Heritage Park. Heritage Way. (’oatbridge. (11230 43 l 2(il. l.t)ts 01' fun for the younger child with tltis magical recreation of famous scenes from .’l/f('(' in ll'mtt/t'r/uml.

Theatre & Dance

Alice in Wonderland Sat 18 Jan. 2pm. £4.50 (£3.50): £16 for family ticket. (irccnock Arts Guild. ('atnpbcll Street. Grecnock, 01475 723038. Hopscotch 'l'hcatrc pl'Csc'ltl lhc L‘lthstc‘ lttlL‘ letlltlt'lltg the Cheshire (‘at and the Mad llatler. Happy Gang in a Fairytale Forest Sat 25 Jan. 2.30pm. £6; £22 for fatnin ticket. Carnegie Hall. liast Port. 1)tmfermline. 01383 314000. The Happy Gang are back with tnore magic treats. Prince Chat'ming's been tendittg the Forest for years but he's become a bit scll‘lslt in his ()ltl age stealing the \ltlglv‘ l)ust for himself. Who cart saye it',’ Come and see...

Tae a Mouse and A’ That Sun 26 Jan. 2.30pm. £3 (£1.50: under-18s free). Museum of Scottish Country Life. Wester Kittochsidc. liast Kilbride. 01355 224181. Ages 8 12. Sec lidinbttrgh.

attention to the serious art of the cha cha cha. And, of course, wrapping those big furry arms around his adoring, pint-

sized fans.

Those of you who forgo Dermot Mumaghan and Eamonn Holmes in favour of Channel Five’s Milkshake of a mom, will be more than familiar with Bear and his band of brothers. Shacked up in their primary coloured house, Treelo the lemur, Ojo the bear, Pip and Pop the otters, Tutter the mouse, Shadow the storyteller, Luna the moon and Bear the, well, bear explore healthy eating, making friends, potty training and a whole host of other subjects crucial to the pre- schooler. Having received an Emmy for its TV series, the Jim Henson Company decided to conquer the live arena by taking Bear on the road. Over 300,000 US kids went to the ‘Surprise Party’ during 2001, and with 13 cities scheduled on the UK tour, he’s likely to attract as many fans this side of the pond.

But will the stage characters live up to the ones on our TV screens? ‘All the voices and songs are pre-recorded, so they sound exactly the same as the characters on television,’ explains the show’s director Joseph Bearss, a man who assures me he wasn’t chosen for the job purely because of his surname. ‘But there are also four live performers who interact with the audience, so there is still a level of spontaneity.’

Operated by highly skilled puppeteers, the House occupants spend the show pretending they’ve forgotten Tutter's birthday, when in reality they’re planning a surprise party. ‘There’s a lot of audience participation,’ says Bearss. ‘The children sing along to songs from the TV show, and we take a roving camera out into the crowd which projects the kids onto a giant screen.’ And true to the Bear philosophy, the show has key themes about life, the universe and everything. ‘lt’s about love, friendship and sharing,’ says Bearss. Looks like the Blue House could teach the Big Brother

House a thing or two. (Kelly Apter)