Kids

Preview of the year 2007

2007 is about the future. And about the past. It’

3 Jan 2007

THE FUTURE Cyberspace invaders We may not be flying around in hover cars or wearing spangly all-silver outfits, but thanks to the internet the future has truly arrived. And the revolution will continue apace in 2007, argues Suzanne Black. A…

Lazytown Live!

4 Oct 2007

From Jamie’s School Dinners to Honey, We’re Killing The Kids, there’s no shortage of advice on how to feed our children. But perhaps the most successful TV programme to combat rising levels of childhood obesity, is aimed at the kids themselves. Created…

Best of the rest - Kids shows

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

The Gruffalo. Mouse can scare hungry animals away with tales of the terrifying Gruffalo, but what happens when he comes face to face with the very creature he imagined? Potted Pirates. From the good people who brought you Potted Potter comes this…

Kid loves - Children's books round-up

Edinburgh International Book Festival

22 Jul 2008

Harry Potter may have played his last game of Quidditch and Lemony Snicket’s series of events have unfortunately ceased to be, but there are still plenty of iconic figures hanging around in children’s literature. Brian Donaldson finds ten of them…

The Mozart Question - Kids theatre

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

Over the last couple of years, Fringe audiences have wept at his stories. Kelly Apter finds former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo continuing that tearful trend with a sad tale from World War II Michael Morpurgo is standing on a sun-drenched…

Andrew Clover’s Crazy Kids’ Show

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

Andrew Clover’s show for children came about purely by accident. Last year he wrote a novel for teenagers with an agency booking him to appear at schools to discuss it. Only they booked him into the wrong schools. ‘They sent me to primary schools by…

Meet Dave

17 Jul 2008

CHILDREN’S SCI-FI FANTASY MEET DAVE (PG) 90mins The last time Eddie Murphy united with director Brian Robbins, audiences got Norbit as a result. Now, one of the least eagerly anticipated reunions in cinema history invites us to Meet Dave. The result…

School of Comedy

16 Aug 2007

In this age of Asbos, hoodies and teenage gang warfare it’s probably illegal to encourage youngsters to swear and be rude in front of adults, but this is exactly what the grown-ups behind School of Comedy plan to do. The show is billed as ‘an adult…

WALL-E

Video Game Review

17 Jul 2008

Whatever the merits of the original work, game-of-the-movie titles tend to be rushed to market to coincide with a cinema release for the most cynical of purposes. The multiple development years that characterise genre-defining titles such as Halo and…

Hairspray

16 Jul 2007

MUSICAL HAIRSPRAY (PG) 110min Director Adam Shankman appears at last to have found his niche after bestowing clangers The Pacifier and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 on this world. With his feeling for good choreography (in a previous life he…

Tracy Beaker

Tracy Beaker Gets Real

26 Mar 2007

MUSICAL THEATRE She’s rude, inconsiderate, bolshy and the bane of many parents’ lives. Tracy Beaker may be a fictional creation, but her cheeky expressions - both facial and verbal - have been embraced by pre-pubescents across the…

Animal Olympics - Francesca Beard

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

With her daughters’ stuffed toys and an inspired wit, poet Francesca Beard is bringing the Chinese Zodiac to the Fringe. Her first solo Edinburgh show, Animal Olympics, is ostensibly for kids, telling the tale of the animals racing to work out the order…

GoMA Family Festival 2008

3 Jul 2008

FUN DAY Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Sat 5 Jul Messing around with paint, glue and glitter is fun at any age, so why should kids have all the fun? Although aimed primarily at 3–12-year-olds, the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Family Festival…

How the Giraffe Got its Neck - Tall Stories

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

Choosing a Fringe show can be a pot luck affair. So it’s nice to know that year after year, Tall Stories can be relied upon to come up with the goods. The team behind The Gruffalo and The Snow Dragon are back with a new show that fuses physical…

Kids - List picks

17 Jul 2008

Museum of Flight Airshow takes to the skies again, with thrilling flight displays from the Blades, fairground rides, kids activities and lots of vintage aircraft to climb inside and explore. National Museum of Flight, East Lothian, Sat 26 Jul. Fun in…

The Ugly Ducking and Me

(U) 88min

31 Jan 2008

Developed from a popular Danish TV series, The Ugly Duckling and Me is the familiar Hans Christian Andersen story with a suburban twist. Ratso is an average Disney-style, self-centred rat who dreams of going into showbiz. I know you’ll be saying…

Here comes the fun

17 Jul 2008

As the school holidays stretch out before us, Kelly Apter finds there’s no shortage of ways to get your hands dirty and learn something new this summer

Spinal Chord

2 Jul 2007

Through the side door and up the stairs of a church hall on Great Western Road, there’s a room where people fly and mermaids hang off bars. A trapeze hangs from the rafters by the big stained glass window, stopping about six feet above the floor. On the…

Good Vibrations

3 Jul 2008

One of the Capital’s most exciting visitor attractions, Our Dynamic Earth, has teamed up with Edinburgh International Science Festival to bring you Good Vibrations. Join Maestro and Bella as they embark on a journey of discovery to find out how noise is…

Dance Base & Dance House

4 Jan 2008

DANCE CLASSES There was a time when dance classes meant scraped back buns, stern ballet teachers and splinters from the church hall floor. Not anymore. At the sleek studios of Edinburgh’s Dance Base, there’s not a loose plank in sight, and enjoyment…

The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit

1 Aug 2007

There are lots of monsters appearing at this year’s Fringe, but none so ugly as this one.

The Undersea World of Bubble McBea

19 Jun 2008

CHILDREN’S OPERA Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 20-Sun 22 Jun The words ‘children’ and ‘opera’ aren’t often found in the same sentence. But over the past few years, Scottish Opera has managed to make the artform not just accessible, but great fun.

Cabbages and Kings

28 Feb 2008

CHILDREN’S DANCE THEATRE Platform, Glasgow, Sat 8 Mar; Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Sat 22 Mar As a choreographer, Claire Pençak is fuelled by a wonderfully rich imagination. So rich, in fact, that sometimes there’s only one group of people to take…

Bang On! - Junk Percussion Workshop

16 Aug 2007

Before you leave home to attend this workshop, take a good look around you. What have you got that’s broken, unwanted, and, most crucially of all, makes a good noise when you whack it, shake it or scrape it? Whatever it is, bring it along – because the…

James Campbell's Onomatopeia Society III & Spinistry of Moonerism

16 Aug 2007

James Campbell is, deservedly, at the forefront of the children’s comedy scene and his shows will always attract a loyal following, which makes the slight flatness of this year’s offering confusing. Alongside the popular Comedy Club 4 Kids, he’s written…