www.list.co.uk/kids
Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to suzanne@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Suzanne Black.
Glasgow Activities and Fun Braehead’s 4-D Santa Movie Until Thu 24 Dec, 11am–8pm; Sat 9am–6pm; Sun 10am–5.30pm. £4.50 (family ticket £7.50–£15). Braehead Shopping Centre, Kings Inch Road, 885 1441. Watch Tinkerdoodle’s Christmas while snowflakes fall from the sky. Ticket price includes gift. Arts and Crafts with the Creation Station Fri 4 & 11 Dec, 9.45am. £4.50 (£2.25). Gardner Street Church, Muirpark Street, Partick, 07713 741502. Fun and mess with arts and crafts for pre- schoolers. Glasgow on Ice Until Sun 3 Jan, 10am–10pm. £6–£8.50 (£2.50–£6; family ticket £23). George Square, 564 4220. Feel festive at this open-air ice rink. Parent and toddler sessions on Sundays (10–11am) and Wednesdays (noon–1pm). Mrs Claus at Pollok House Until Thu 24 Dec, 11am–4pm. £4. Pollok House, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, 0844 493 2202. Santa’s missus pops in to visit the children and drop off some gifts. The Great Christmas Puppet Making Workshop Sat 5 Dec, 10am & 2pm. £3.50–£6.95. Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Make a cool Santa, a helpful elf puppet, a Christmas fairy or an angel. Baby’s First Christmas Gifts Sun 6 Dec, 10.30am–5pm. Studio fee £3; crafts from £2. Busy Bees Craft Studio, 82–84 Niddrie Road, 433 9506. Decorate gift items with your baby’s hand and foot prints. Glasgow Kids Comedy Club Sun 6 & 13 Dec, 3–4pm. £3. The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0870 600 6055. Live laughs for younger comedy fans. On 6 Dec Graeme Thomas, Ava Vidal and host Bruce Devlin keep it clean for ages 8–12. 13 Dec is the turn of Shazia Mirza and Andy Sir. No under 5s. Little Explorer Days: Twinkle Time Thu 10 Dec, 10am–1pm. £6.25 per child (accompanying adult free). Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, 08715 401000. Songs and stories about sparkly things and stars with a helping hand from Benny the puppet. Ages 2–5. Music Children’s Classic Concerts: Let it Snow Sat 12 Dec, 1pm & 3pm. £10 (£6); family ticket £29. Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. Owen and Olly present a Christmas cracker of a concert. See preview, right.
Theatre & Dance The Puddock and the Princess Thu 3–Thu 24 Dec, times vary. £5 (family ticket £22). Scottish Youth Theatre, Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 4267. Scottish Youth Theatre’s Scottish twist on The Frog Prince. Age 3–7. Santa’s Little Helpers Sat 5, Sun 6, Sat 12 & Sun 13 Dec, Sat 10.30am; Sat/Sun 1.15pm & 3.15pm. £10 per adult and child. Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Help out Stamp and Stitch, the overworked Christmas elves, in Changing House’s seasonal storytelling show. The Singing Kettle: Christmas Pyjama Party Thu 10–Sun 13 Dec, Thu–Fri 10.30am (Thu also 1.30pm, also Fri 5pm); Sat/Sun noon & 3pm. £11–£12 (family ticket £40–£44). Braehead Arena, Kings Inch Road, 0870 277 6062. Festive singing and dancing from the Kettlers. Christmas at Hotel Marionette Sat 12 Dec, 2pm. £4.95 (children £4.75). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. A marionette performance courtesy of Sokobauno Theatre Company. Ages 3+. Sticky Kids Show Mon 14 Dec, £tbc.
Maryhill Community Central Hall, 304 Maryhill Road, 332 9115. Musical show for 2–6 year olds. Watch out for flying sausages. Books FREE Linda Tennant Sat 12 Dec, Noon. Borders Books, Fort Retail Park, 390 Provan Walk, 773 2910. Linda Tennant introduces the world to Polly & Meril & the Wicked Spell. Ages 4–8.
Storytelling FREE Storytelling for Mums and Tots Fri 4 & 11 Dec, 10–11am. St James’ Parish Church, 183 Meiklerig Crescent, 882 3025. Weekly storytelling sessions. The World Through Wooden Eyes Sat 12 Dec, Sat noon & 2.30pm. £4. Mitchell Library, 201 North Street, 287 2870. Traditional Russian style puppet theatre featuring the tales of ‘Snegurotchka’ or ‘The Snow Maiden’.
Edinburgh Activities and Fun FREE Super Science Show/Meet the Scientist Sat/Sun 12.15pm, 1.15pm, 2.15pm & 3.15pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 225 7534. Fun science show. Ages 5+. Children’s Christmas Corner Until Mon 4 Jan, 10am–10pm. Stalls £2.50; rides £2. East Princes Street Gardens. www.edinburghschristmas.com. Gentler funfair rides for younger children. Part of Edinburgh’s Christmas. The Christmas Wishing Tree Sat 5 Dec, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4 per adult/child. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Make a magical wishing tree. Under 8s must be accompanied. Book in advance. FREE Make a Treasure Sat 5 Dec, noon–4pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 225 7534. Make a beautiful embossed medal as a Christmas decoration. Santa Claus is Coming . . . to the Zoo! Sun 6 Dec, 2.30–4pm. Also Sat 12 & Sun 13 Dec, 10am–4pm. Included in admission: £14 (£12; children £9.50; under 3s free). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. See Santa in his grotto, listen to carollers, eat mince pies, receive a gift, have a photo taken and post him a letter. Christmas Present Making Workshops: Owly Paper Weight Sun 6 Dec, 3.30–5pm. £12. Imagination Workshop, 136 Marchmont Road, 466 0148. Stuff and sew a paperweight in the shape of an owl. Ages 6+. FREE Santa’s Reindeer Garden Sat 12–Wed 23 Dec, 10am–6pm. West Princes Street Gardens. www.edinburghschristmas.com. Visit and feed Santa’s fleet-footed, antlered friends. Part of Edinburgh’s Christmas. Trinkets for the Tree Sat 12 Dec, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4 per adult/child. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Make unique tree decorations from recycled materials. Under 8s must be accompanied. Book in advance. Fun Workshops at Santa’s Igloo Village Sat 12–Wed 23 Dec, 11am–5pm. £3. West Princes Street Gardens. www.edinburghschristmas.com. Christmas crafts run by the Imagination Workshop. Part of Edinburgh’s Christmas. FREE Green Christmas – Botanical Illustration Sat 12 Dec, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Use seasonal plants for inspiration to create Christmas cards or gift tags. Ages 5+. StoryLab: Angelic Tales Sat 12 Dec, 2pm. £6 (£4; family ticket £17). Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Help storyteller Bea Ferguson create tales of unusual angels. Ages 6+. FREE Cool Kites Sun 13 Dec, 1–3pm. Holyrood Park Education Centre, 1 Queen’s Drive, 652 8150. Design, make and fly your own kite. Booking essential.
Kids Kids
FREE Green Christmas – Wreaths Sun 13 Dec, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 552 7171. The Art-tastic team combine urban waste with natural materials to make beautiful, quirky Christmas wreaths. The Red Bus Christmas Trips: The Father Christmas Special Sun 13–Thu 17 Dec (not Wed), times vary. £6 (family ticket £22). Various Venues, 07599 912687. Festive day trips on board a decorated Routemaster bus with a very special passenger handing out gifts to the children. Ages 7 and under. Theatre & Dance Primary School Musical! Fri 4–Sun 6 Dec, Fri & Sat 7pm; Sun 3pm. £6 (£3). The Big Red Door, Lady Lawson Street. The freshest new musical on the block, back after its successful debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. Written by award- winning playwright Angus Reid, this witty, gritty show celebrates the highs and lows of primary school with songs such as ‘Girls are so Weird’, ‘Save our School’ and ‘The Single Parents Singles Club’. To reserve seats, email bookings@primaryschoolmusical.org.
Books FREE Janis Mackay Sat 5 Dec, 2–3pm. Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8206. The author of Magnus Fin and
the Ocean Quest digs into her treasure trove of tales for adventures from under the sea. Ages 8+. FREE Kelsey Drake Sat 12 Dec, 11am. Borders Books, Fort Kinnaird Retail Park, 657 4041. Kelsey Drake signs copies of the books in her Lothian Dragons series. Storytelling FREE Green Christmas – Talking Trees Storytelling Fri 4, Fri 11 & Sun 13 Dec, 2–3pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Settle in for some wintery, Christmassy tales. Ages 5+. FREE Green Christmas – Trees Sat 5 & Sun 6 Dec, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Learn about growing, harvesting and different species of Christmas trees and make a Celtic Tree Calendar pendant or key ring. Ages 5+. Part of National Tree Week. FREE Storytelling at Santa’s Igloo Sat 12 & Sun 13 Dec, 11am–4pm. West Princes Street Gardens. www.edinburghschristmas.com. The Scottish Storytelling Centre warms up your imagination with stories in the igloo. Part of Edinburgh’s Christmas. FREE Old Town Families Project Sat 12 Dec, 4pm. Ticketed. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Tales for families created by families after a six-week storytelling project.
FESTIVE CONCERT CHILDREN’S CLASSIC CONCERTS: LET IT SNOW Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat 12 Dec
There is no shortage of role models at the Children’s Classic Concerts Christmas show. Not only will young audiences experience the boundless enthusiasm of percussionist hosts Owen and Olly, but their Glasgow concert also features internationally renowned violinist Nicola Benedetti. Talented, inspirational and terribly nice to boot, West Kilbride-born
Benedetti is no stranger to Children’s Classic Concerts. ‘I played for them when I was 12,’ she recalls, ‘and found them to be a wonderful organisation providing a great musical experience for young children. I’m both excited and honoured to play for them again.’ Joining Benedetti for Let It Snow will be dancers from the Manor School
of Ballet, the National Youth Choir of Scotland Training Choir and the fabulous Orchestra of Scottish Opera. Together they’ll prove, once again, that classical music can be fun and accessible for all ages – especially with Owen and Olly at the helm.
‘It doesn’t take much for children to not only love classical music, but to find it genuinely exciting,’ says Benedetti. ‘Classical music is so varied and diverse, and has so many colours and emotions you can’t always find in pop music. But in my opinion, the real interest to them comes from it being live – it’s such an experience for any child, and if it’s presented in an unintimidating setting, there’s no question that children will learn from it and above all, enjoy it.’ (Kelly Apter)
3–17 Dec 2009 THE LIST 63