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mask to take home. See preview. Shaun the Sheep in Shaun’s Big Show Thu 30 Jun, 7pm; Fri 1 & Sun 3 Jul, 11am, 2pm & 5pm; Sat 2 Jul, 1pm, 4pm & 7pm. £7.75–£18.25. Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647. Shaun decides to perform for his friends Bitzer, Shirley and Timmy in this music and dance show. Glasgow Kids Comedy Club Sun 3 Jul, 3pm. £4. The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. Live comedy for younger fans, particularly those aged 8–12. With Bruce Devlin. Head in the Clouds Fri 8 Jul, 10.30am, noon & 1.30pm. £3. Eastwood Park Theatre, Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, 577 4970. A new show from Ipdip Theatre all about the world of the sky and the floating sheep that live there. Ages 0–3. Early Years Festival. Mr Stink Tue 12 Jul, 7pm; Wed 13–Sat 16 Jul, 2.30pm & 7pm; Sun 17 Jul, 11am & 3pm. £16.75–£19.75 (£14.75–£18.75). King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0844 871 7648. The first ever scratch’n’sniff theatre production is an adaptation of the book by David Walliams (yes, he of Little Britain fame) about a little girl who befriends a rather smelly old man. See preview in Theatre.

EDINBURGH Activities & Fun Jolly Rogers in the Forth! Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jun, 10.30am–12.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 336 2060. Make a paper pirate costume and storm the seas! Edinburgh Zoo Front Entrance The Big Launch! Sat 25 Jun, 11am–4pm. £15.50 admission (£13; children £11; under 3s free; family ticket £33.70–£57.60). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. The zoo opens up its brand new, sleek ’n’ speedy entrance system, with a day of fun to celebrate, including bouncy castle, sideshows, giant games, panto performances, face painting and more. Most activities included in zoo admission. FREE Mobile Pets Sun 26 Jun, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. Museum of Childhood, 42 High Street, 529 4142. Make a pull-along pet to take home, inspired by the many on show in the museum. FREE Traditional Games Sun 26 Jun, 12.45pm, 1.45pm, 2.45pm & 3.45pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Put down the Wii and indulge in some old-time fun with the kind of games your grandparents would have played way back when, including whips and peeries, tops and diablos. Magic School Sat 2–Fri 8 Jul, 10am–12.30pm & 1.30–4pm. £12 (workshop + show). Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street, 473 2000. A series of workshops led by magician Gary James. Workshops last 90 minutes and are for kids only, with parents welcome to return for a 50-minute show by Gary at the end. Ages 7–9 at 10am; ages 10–12 at 1.30pm. Advance booking essential. Part of Edinburgh International Magic Festival. Farmers’ Helpers Mon 4 Jul–Fri 12 Aug (not Sat/Sun), 10am–12.30pm. £7 per session. Gorgie City Farm, 51 Gorgie Road, 337 4202. Hugely popular sessions for kids who want to get a proper taster of farm life. Aimed at ages 8–12, the sessions involve tasks such as leading the cows up to pasture, mucking out, collecting eggs and cleaning out the hen house. Musical Theatre for Children Mon 4–Fri 8 Jul, 10am–4pm. £125. Sing for Smiles Vocal School, 3 Quayside Street, 555 5721. A week of learning the singing, acting and movement skills needed to put on a jolly good show which is exactly what participants will do on the Friday evening. Workshop: Make and Take Mon 4 Jul–Thu 11 Aug (not Fri/Sat/Sun),

Kids

PREVIEW INTERACTIVE FAMILY FUN THE FORGOTTEN ISLAND Yorkhill Quay, Glasgow, Sat 2 Jul–Sun 18 Sep

For ten weeks it will be a magical place filled with possibility. Then, just as quickly as it arrived, The Forgotten Island will disappear from its temporary residence on the banks of the River Clyde and find another place to call home.

A massive structure spanning 5,500m2, the Island is being facilitated by children’s art organisation Giant, who have a number of exciting but very secret plans for it. ‘There will be a programme of different things happening and you’ll start to see changes in the Island as it grows,’ explains Giant’s executive director, Karen Shaw. ‘It will be really exciting to see how it develops over the ten weeks, and the impact the people who come to the Island have on it.’

Visitors can explore the Island at their leisure, including a beautiful labyrinth, sound forest, sensory

areas and picnic lawn. Most importantly of all, the Island is there for families to discover together. ‘It’s about the interaction between adults and kids,’ says Shaw. ‘It’s not that kids come along and do things while the adults stand there and watch they can play on the beach, too.’

Part of Giant’s remit was to find a team of artists, gardeners and designers who could help bring the Island alive. ‘We were looking for people who could respond to the themes of the island,’ says Shaw, ‘which were around sustainability, recycling, being low-fi and the challenge of working outside in Scotland in the summer.’ Ah yes, the Scottish summer an unpredictable

and often damp affair. But as Shaw says, The Forgotten Island is a place for discovery, come rain or shine: ‘It’s an outdoor experience, so we’re encouraging people to come with their cagoules and get stuck in whatever the weather.’ (Kelly Apter)

noon–3pm. Included in museum admission: £9.50 (£7.50; children £5; under 5s free). National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, 0300 123 6789. Who needs computer games? Turn everyday objects into toys to take home. Ages 3+. Lyceum Youth Theatre Summer Courses Tue 5–Sat 23 July, times vary. Prices vary (bursaries available). Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street, 248 4830. A range of courses for different age groups, suitable for both those who want to show off on stage and those who’d rather get busy behind the scenes. Slimy Safari Tue 5 Jul, 10–11.30am. £3 (accompanying adults free). Inveresk Lodge Garden, 24 Inveresk Village Road, Musselburgh, 0844 493 2124. Join the rangers on a hunt for slimy, squelchy and slippery types. Booking essential. Castle Comics Thu 7 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Make a comic book based on the castle’s 400-year history. FREE Dragonflies from Scratch Sat 9 Jul, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2979. Hang out with BBC Springwatch’s dragonfly nerd Ruary Mackenzie Dodds and learn all about the beautiful devil’s darning needles and their various to-ings and fro-ings. Ages 8+. FREE A Slice of Life Mon 11–Fri 22 Jul (not Sat/Sun), 11am–4pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Drop in to the museum and meet characters from Scottish history. Flying Fish Wed 13 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30 –3.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Learn the Scandinavian art of birch bark weaving to make a fish mobile. FREE Young Guides Wed 13–Fri 15 Jul, 2–4pm. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Edinburgh World Heritage Trust and the Scottish Storytelling Centre join forces to offer an unusual three-day workshop for ages 12–15 in which they’ll learn how to research, edit, design and deliver a creative tour that will bring Edinburgh’s vibrant Old Town to life. Booking essential. Once Was a Tree Thu 14 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road

South, 529 3963. Make games using wooden pieces found on a treasure hunt. Carnival of Creatures Fri 15 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Use felt to make your own mini circus with teeny animals. Go Wild in the Woods Sat 16 Jul, 10.30am–1pm. £4. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Make some woodland art and learn how to build a shelter with the Lauriston ranger. Susan’s Summer Art Club Mon 18–Fri 22 Jul, 10am–noon. £60. St Catherine’s Argyll Church, 61–63 Grange Road, 667 7220. A week of morning workshops to keep artistically inclined kids busy in the summer holidays. Workshops cover drawing, painting and ceramics.

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