MUSEUMS ARE THE PLACE TO BE over the Easter holidays.
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Monkwearmouth Station Museum and Washington F Pit will host a variety of events and activities for all ages between Thursday 2 and Sunday 19 April.
A mixture of craft and design based family activities with an Easter theme has been put together to encourage more people of all ages to come along and have some fun at their local museums.
Sunderland City Council’s Executive Director for the People Directorate, Neil Revely said:” With school holidays coming up it is great to see a wide range of activities, many of which are free for the young and young at heart, across the city. We continue to look at how best to deliver museum, library and heritage services across the city and I with the Easter half term holidays it is a fantastic time for everybody to make the most of the top class facilities we have in Sunderland.”
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens:
Burdon Road, Sunderland, SR1 1PP Tel: (0191) 561 2323
Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm & Sunday 2pm – 5pm
www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/sunderland-museum-winter-gardens
Easter Chicks Trail
Thursday 2 April – Sunday 19 April Museum opening hours
Follow the trail to find the Easter chicks hidden around the museum. Find them all and claim an ‘egg-citing’ prize sticker from reception. Collect your free self-led trail from museum reception.
Little Stories for Little Grafters
Tuesday 7 April 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm (drop in)
Join James Whitman, from Grafters’ Gables, as he shares some of the stories he has written about Hendon, and then helps your kids make up their own. The session is suitable for any little writers or doodlers with a parent/carer. You can pop in at any time during the session, as it is split up into bite-sized chunks. The best pictures and stories will be shared on the website www.graftersgables.com
Family Wildlife Day
Wednesday 8 April 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm (drop in)
Join local wildlife organisations including Durham Wildlife Trust to find out more about birds, minibeasts, mammals and much more. Make some really wild crafts and try some terrific trails!
Discover Arts Award (£20 per child)
Monday 13 April – Wednesday 15 April 10.30am – 3pm each day
Do you love art? Join us this Easter for a fantastic mix of hands-on art activities including clay modelling, collage and printing workshops, art safaris and much more. This programme is suitable for children aged 8 – 12 years old and participants will be supported to gain an Arts Award at Discover level. To book your place contact Jennie Lambert, Learning Officer on 0191 5612323 or e-mail museumlearning@sunderland.gov.uk.
Clay Creations
Monday 13 April 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm (drop in)
Make your own amazing creations from clay, including models and textured tiles. This activity is part of the Recollected: Work from the Arts Council and Crafts Council Collections exhibition learning programme.
Creepy Crawly Collections
Wednesday 15 April 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm (drop in)
Help us to create a colourful wall frieze printed with bugs and creepy crawlies. This activity is part of the Recollected: Work from the Arts Council and Crafts Council Collections exhibition learning programme.
Solar System Shows (ticket only)
Friday 17 April 11am, 1pm & 2pm
Find out some fascinating facts about the planets in our solar system in this interactive show, suitable for 8 – 12 year olds. (Please note, free tickets will be available to collect from museum reception from 10am on the day and are issued on a first come, first served basis.)
Monkwearmouth Station Museum
North Bridge Street, Sunderland, SR5 1AP Tel: (0191) 567 7075
Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm & Sunday 2pm – 5pm
www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/monkwearmouth-station-museum
Terrific Train Trails
Saturday 4 April – Sunday 19 April Museum opening hours
Find all the train clues hidden around the museum and claim a prize sticker. Collect your self-led trail from museum reception.
Marvellous Meccano
Tuesday 7 April 11am – 3pm (drop in)
See the amazing moving models of the North East Meccano Society, including cars, trams and robots. Investigate unusual objects at the curiosity table and borrow a family activity backpack to help you explore the museum.
FOSUMS Easter Fun Day
Wednesday 8 April 11am – 3pm (drop in)
Join the Friends of Sunderland Museums (FOSUMS) for their annual Easter Fun Day with games, competitions and prizes. There will be a small charge for some activities to raise funds for museum activities.
Runaway Train Stories and Crafts
Thursday 9 April 11am, 1pm & 2pm (starting in the Journeys Gallery)
Listen to the story of Duffy and the Runaway train in an interactive story session with singing and actions, make a flag to wave at passing trains and don’t miss the amazing train models from the Durham Modellers on show in the entrance hall.
Little Stories for Little Grafters Tuesday 14 April 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm (drop in)
Join James Whitman, from Grafters’ Gables, as he shares some of the stories he has written about Hendon, and then helps your kids make up their own.
The session is suitable for any little writers or doodlers with a parent/carer. You can pop in at any time during the session, as it is split up into bite-sized chunks. The best pictures and stories will be shared on the website www.graftersgables.com
Amazing Mining Frieze Thursday 16 April 1pm – 3pm (drop in)
Help us to welcome the Art of Mining exhibition with an afternoon of BIG drawing in the Platform Gallery. We’ll be covering the floor and walls with paper and inviting all little artists to draw with crayons, charcoal and pens.
For more information please contact the Learning Team on (0191) 561 2323 or e-mail museumlearning@sunderland.gov.uk
For more ideas on what to see and do in Sunderland visit: www.Seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk
