Join us this October half term for spooky themed creative activities for children of all ages. Make your very own monsters with the wonderful Rosie Johnson, join Helen Bovey to craft a beautiful shadow puppet to take home, help solve a mystery in the Agent Alibi drama workshop, come along to our cosy pop-up play cafe or snuggle up with a hot chocolate for some very special spooky storytelling… we’ve got something for everyone.
Mon 26th October – Fri 30th October
Open daily from 10am – 4pm (Friday until 3pm)
Monday 26th – friday 30th october
PLAY café and crafting
10am – 4pm (3pm on Friday)
Open to all
Free entry
Find out more
Whilst you enjoy a hot chocolate, cup of tea or a sweet treat, we’ll have a selection of toys, drawing and colouring available for your little one, and crafting stations set up for children of all ages to get stuck into. Everyone is welcome, and there’s no need to make a purchase from the cafe if you don’t want to, just come and hang out!
Wednesday 28th october
Agent Alibi
Tickets £10 per child
Suitable for: 7 – 11 years
Time: 11am & 2pm
Duration: 90 minutes
Join Alibi for a fun and hands-on drama and games workshop this October Half Term
Agent Alibi has been called in to Emmanuel Hall because all of the books in St Thomas Library have gone missing! As a book detective, Agent Alibi is an expert in all book-related problems but has never encountered a mystery on this scale before, so will need the help of some trainee book detectives.
Using drama games and activities, story prompts and a big bucket of imagination, join Agent Alibi to create a brand-new, unique story that explains the mystery of the missing books.
Grown ups, this is a drop-off workshop so you’re welcome to relax in our café with a coffee or step out and return at the end of the workshop.
Thursday 29th october
Monster Book Workshop with Rosie Johnson: drop-off workshop
Tickets £10 per child
Suitable for: 7 – 11 years
Time: 11am & 2pm
Duration: 90 minutes
What kind of monster lives inside your imagination?
Join artist Rosie Johnson for a wonderfully inventive workshop where children will dream up, design and create their very own monster-themed perpetual book.
Using paper, drawing and plenty of imagination, children will bring a cast of weird, wonderful and wonderfully monstrous characters to life before turning their ideas into an ever-evolving book. With a perpetual book, the story never has to end, pages can be flipped, mixed and rearranged to create new creatures, new combinations and new adventures every time.
A brilliant opportunity for young artists and storytellers to get creative, experiment and make something completely their own.
Friday 30th october
Shadow Puppet Workshop with Helen Bovey: drop-off workshop
Tickets £10 per child
Suitable for: 7 – 11 years
Time: 11am & 2pm
Duration: 90 minutes
Step into a world of shadows, silhouettes and storytelling!
Join artist Helen Bovey for a playful, hands-on workshop where children will discover the magic of shadow puppetry. They’ll design and create their very own shadow puppets, experimenting with shapes, characters and movement before taking them behind the screen and bringing their creations to life.
From mysterious creatures to fantastical characters, children can let their imaginations run wild as they learn some simple tricks and techniques for making puppets move, dance and tell stories.
And the best bit? They’ll get to take their puppet home, ready to put on their own shadow shows and continue the fun long after the workshop is over.
Spooky Stories with Thomas Spencer
Tickets concession £10, Standard £12, Boost £14
Every ticket includes 1 x hot chocolate
All children must be accompanied
Suitable for: 7+
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Duration: 2 hours
Join storyteller Thomas Spencer for a special performance of wild folk tales. Expect surprising creatures, magical journeys, and (because it’s Halloween) a few spooky moments along the way. And then help us to invent a brand-new adventure story unlike anything that’s been told before. There will be a series of fun creative tasks that need your ideas, from drawing magical maps to inventing unusual beasts.
We’ll have cosy, relaxed seating, so we can imagine ourselves gathered around a campfire as darkness falls (all within the comfort of Emmanuel Hall). In between seasonal tales, we’ll have a break for drinks and snacks.
Thomas Spencer is a writer and storyteller. Having toured the UK with award-winning theatre productions for many years, he now spends his time working with young people: sharing folk tales from around the world and inventing new and surprising stories.