Family-friendly
Events
In and around
Birmingham
November | December | January 2008 |Home | Links | About
I'm a mum with a toddler and when I started looking for events for us to go to as a family in and around Birmingham I found it hard to find out about them - there was no comprehensive single source, no "Time out" style guide with a children/family section. Listings guides in the national newspapers rarely mentioned Birmingham, and I couldn't believe that this was because nothing was going on for kids in the UK's second city.
I started pulling together all the individual bits of information I was gathering about family-friendly events and made a diary of them - and then it occurred to me that others might find this information useful too, so I decided to use it as an opportunity to develop my web skills, and put the diary online. I now use it to help me plan (especially during the school holidays when no regular toddler groups are on) what we'll get up to for fun as a family.
This site is run on an entirely voluntary basis - I use the time my toddler naps to maintain the site. I don't make any money out of the site - I just do it, because I like to go to interesting events with my toddler and I'm sure I'm not alone in this!
In the Spring of 2007 I wrote an article on the Arts and the Under 5s for my local branch of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) - I really believe that even the youngest kids can get a lot out of going to museums, creating art, listening to music, going to the theatre and so on. Not only that, I also get to learn new things and go to places I've never been before, making my life more enjoyable and interesting. A slightly edited version of the article, which provides some tips on taking kids to cultural events, is reproduced below.
The Arts - literature, music, dance, drama, visual art - are a rare thing, being both tremendously enjoyable AND good for you, but they are not often associated with the under 5s. Museums are all too often seen as hallowed halls where silence should reign, concert halls and theatres as places where the sound of unwrapping a chocolate, let alone a wriggly two-year old, will invite something akin to death stares from other members of the audience. Indeed, the Warder's Handbook 1952 for the Victoria and Albert Museum states
"Children are a difficult problem. Any child may visit the Museum if he or she behaves properly; but Warders should call upon any child who will not behave to leave the Museum, and if complaints from parents follow, Warders will have the full support of the Director."
And yet if we remember occasions when we were unable to stop our toes tapping to some great, live music, or were mesmerised by a thrilling play, lost in a gripping good read, or gasping in awe at the beauty of a magical dance production; Aren't these experiences we would love our children to be able to feel, and to share with us? As one NCT mum wrote about taking her 8 month old daughter to the theatre:
"Music, lights, movement, facial expressions and interaction were all perfectly combined into a magical experience. My daughter sat on my husband's knee and was totally absorbed by the show. It was a very special time and made me quite emotional to see her so engrossed. She loved watching the performance and I loved watching her face!"
And if personal delight seems too indulgent a reason to take kids to experience the Arts, it's perhaps a relief to know that there is a growing body of research into the benefits for children of experiencing the Arts; many experts believe that classical music may stimulate the brain in a way that helps educational and emotional development. Other research has shown that learning about paintings and sculpture can help children become better students in other areas . The Arts can also have therapeutic applications helping children (and indeed adults) to express and explore their feelings free of everyday constraints. Another benefit of taking children to arts events was highlighted by a second NCT mum:
"We've always maintained that our children need to be exposed to events in order to help them learn to socialise, and to teach them how they need to behave in public. I think that it is therefore incredibly important to take them out."
So taking kids to experience the Arts can be enjoyable, stimulating, educative at the very least! This article will explore some of the options for enabling our kids to experience the Arts - including tips on where good music can be heard, how taking kids to the theatre can be stress-free, where to find out about good children's literature and so on. It will focus mainly on the growing area of theatre productions, music concerts, cinema screenings etc. aimed specifically at children, but I will also discuss taking the kids along to events aimed at us the adults. The latter may require a bit more planning and care, but is certainly feasible and can be done so that both child and adult get something out of it. This article won't include information on how and where under 5s can actually be involved in creating dance/theatre productions, films, or music - but if you would like to see this covered in a future article please get in touch!
Telling and listening to stories, dancing, singing, dressing up -- for children, these are all just part of everyday play so it's not surprising that they love live theatre performances!
There are nearly 70 theatre companies in the UK who create production especially for children, and many of these companies tour the country. For example Quicksilver (www.quicksilvertheatre.org) and Oily Cart (www.oilycart.org.uk). Children's productions are generally relatively short, e.g.40 minutes - 1 hour, and often make the most of multi media effects. Story lines may be relatively simple, but will probably still engage you as a parent - when the great Russian director Stanislavski was asked by a member of his troupe how to act for children, he replied, "We act for children the same way we act for adults-only better."
There are many places in and around Birmingham where children's theatre productions are regularly put on. Two of the best venues are the Birmingham Rep (www.birmingham-rep.co.uk), and MAC (Midlands Art Centre, http://www.macarts.co.uk/?page=home). In addition to their First Steps season aimed at 3-7 year olds Birmingham Rep's Early Years Arts Worker has introduced babies as young as 6 months to the theatre whilst at MAC they have a special club for children and present performances for kids nearly every week. Other nearby venues include:
Perhaps the easiest way to find out if there is any kids theatre on near you is to use the search page on the UK Theatre Web:
www.uktw.co.uk/dl/page.php?page=type1&pg=search.html
Here you can type in your location and dates and all relevant shows will be listed. You can also use this searchable listing if you want to find out if anything is on nearby when visiting Granny and Grandpa over half-term!
Many theatre companies specialising in kids' productions can be booked for shows in schools and other organisations, so if no theatres near you have any shows for kids, why not consider booking the production directly! (See www.assitejuk.org if you would like to find out more about individual companies)
An item about kids' theatre has to mention London - it has at least 3 dedicated children's theatres and a trip to these is well worth considering as a family alternative to a west end musical if visiting the capital:
www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/kids/familybulletin provides a fortnightly roundup of current theatre productions in London specifically for children and can be really useful when planning a trip to the Big Smoke. Scotland's capital city also has a thriving kids' theatre scene, and in May Edinburgh will be hosting an international festival of children's - www.imaginate.org.uk
In my experience children often particularly enjoy puppet theatre and puppet show listings can be found at www.puppeteersuk.com - click on the "What's on?" button on the left of the screen. (By the way, if your children get the bug and would like to make puppet shows of their own then www.craftykids.co.uk is a lovely website selling puppet kits.)
So having found a venue and a show that you think sound good, before taking your kids to see it (especially if it their first time in a theatre), you might find the following suggestions helpful:
Whole books have been written on the benefits for children of being exposed to music, especially classical music (e.g. Mozart Effect for Children by Don Campbell, or Good Music, Brighter Children: Simple and Practical Ideas to Help Transform Your Child's Life Through the Power of Music by Sharlene Habermeyer). At my local GPs in Sutton there is even a leaflet in their health stand titled "Why Music is Good for My Child?" Whilst the claim that exposing your child to Mozart will increase their intelligence is not uncontroversial, very few people would refute the claim that listening to music is simply enjoyable and can boost your mood, or console you when feeling blue. The same goes for kids - especially as they generally love to dance and make music themselves.
Many UK based orchestras and ensembles run education programmes with special concerts for kids, including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (www.cbso.co.uk/?page=concerts/familyConcerts.html), The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (www.liverpoolphil.com/content/getinvolved/FamilyConcerts.aspx), The Halle (www.halle.co.uk/publishedsite/family0607.asp), and the Ulster Orchestra (www.ulster-orchestra.org.uk/concerts/family.shtml)
Lunchtime or commuter concerts are also possible occasions to take your kids to hear music - whilst not aimed specifically at families, these concerts are often fairly short, and sometimes free - both big plusses when taking kids out! The following venues in an around Birmingham often have lunchtime/commuter concerts that are worth checking out:
As lunchtime/commuter concerts are rarely billed as primarily for families, it is worth checking with the venue in advance that they are happy for you to bring children. Most venues will be, provided that you are prepared to leave if your child disturbs other members of the audience.
Classical music and one-off concerts aren't the be-all-and-end-all of music with children - another way for both you and your kids to hear some great live music (pop, rock, folk, world etc.) is to make a small holiday of it and try a festival. www.efestivals.co.uk has an extensive listing of UK festivals and the following festivals are deemed by many to be particularly family friendly in terms of facilities (e.g. special part of the camp sites for families, lots of activities for children such as crafts, dressing-up, circus, and story telling):
www.babyworld.co.uk/information/travel/tales/festival_families.asp has a great article on one mum's trip to a festival with her 8 month old and may help give you some idea of what to expect, as will the following tips, I hope:
If going to a festival is a bit to much to bear even thinking about, but you want to try something other than a classical concert, look out for bands who write and perform specifically for children such as The Wiggles (www.thewiggles.com), an Australian band which regularly tours in Europe and will be playing at the NIA in Birmingham in July, The Singing Kettle (www.singingkettle.com) based in Scotland or The Miles of Smiles Show (www.myspace.com/themilesofsmilesshow) from Northern Ireland. It has to be said that the UK kids' music scene is not well developed, but there are many North American bands that are simply brilliant, and who occasionally tour in the UK such as Dan Zanes (www.danzanes.com).
Live music is fantastic, but if you can't get to hear any there are at least plenty of alternatives more stimulating than the Fimbles to download or listen to on CD.
Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child (www.sparetherock.com) has a weekly children's music radio show "based on the radical notion that music for kids shouldn't want to make parents gouge out their ears". The radio show is available to download (a podcast) and is a great way to discover new bands and songs. Spare the Rock has links to lots of other websites devoted to kids' music (scroll down on the left hand side of the screen when you go to www.sparetherock.com) - I've found the following particularly enjoyable:
On the American TV channel Noggin (www.noggin.com) there is a programme dedicated to children's music - Jack's Big Music Show (www.pokeypup.com) is a specialist retailer based in the US (who ships internationally). Although you may have to pay more for postage than with Amazon, CDs often work out cheaper because of the current exchange rate. If looking for kids' music in languages other than English then Putumayo Kids (http://www.putumayo.com/en/putumayo_kids.htm), a record label "committed to introducing children to other cultures through fun, upbeat world music" is a must.
Other CDs which have been recommended by NCT parents include:
Steve Biddulph, a family psychologist, who has written many books on nurturing happy, healthy families and who spoke at the NCT annual conference in 2005 suggests that we should find time every day to dance a little with our kids - I'm confident that you'll find some music you and your kids love to dance to amongst the suggestions above.
Museums and art galleries have often in the past been seen as places where families are not welcome. Despite some bad press (such as in 2003 when the son of Guardian Writer Dea Birkett was "thrown out" of the Royal Academy for making a noise, or in 2004 when the National Gallery in London banned an NCT member from breastfeeding her son) many museums make great efforts to welcome families, especially with young children. Birmingham Museums and Art Galleries (BMAG) have a special website for kids (www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/preload.htm) and many of their exhibitions include space and unsupervised activities for children, allowing you to look at the exhibition at the same time as your kid is enjoying something crafty. BMAG also runs art and craft workshops for children regularly, as does the Barber Institute for Fine Arts (www.barber.org.uk/childwork.html), the New Art Gallery in Walsall (www.artatwalsall.org.uk), Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Gallery (www.rbsa.org.uk) and the Dudley Museum and Art Gallery (www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums--galleries/dudley-museum--art-gallery). www.show.me.uk, as the children's section of a website called the 24 Hour Museum, is very useful for finding museums and galleries anywhere in the UK with family friendly events taking place.
May is national Museums and Galleries Month (www.mgm.org.uk) so many venues will be holding special events for families and kids even if they do not normally do so. Another nationwide event to look out for is Children's Art Day (www.art-works.org.uk/artday/index.shtml) the very purpose of which is "to encourage and inspire children to engage with art in museums and galleries and at school", although the date for 2007 is still to be confirmed. A third annual event is the Guardian's award for Britain's most Family Friendly Museum (www.guardian.co.uk/kidsinmuseums).
There is an excellent guide to getting the most out of a visit to a museum or gallery with kids written by the US Department of Education, available online at www.ed.gov/pubs/Museum/visit.html
Some of their tips and comments which I particularly like are:
It is also worth mentioning that worldwide there are several museums dedicated to children. In the UK there is the brilliant Eureka (www.eureka.org.uk), in Halifax. The whole museum has been designed especially for 0-11 year olds, and was a huge hit with both me and my (then) 1 year old. Eureka is now working together with a London team to create a similar museum near Kings Cross in London, due to open in 2011(www.londonchildrensmuseum.org). Some aspects of Birmingham's Thinktank (www.thinktank.ac) are similar to Eureka, and although Thinktank the museum isn't entirely dedicated to children, there is lots in it suitable for even very young children. My two year old, when asked what she'd like to do today ALWAYS says "Go to museum!" meaning she wants to go to Thinktank!
Eureka has many counterparts across the world, including the Zoom Kindermuseum in Austria (www.kindermuseum.at), Le Musee des Enfants - Het Kindermuseum in Brussels www.museedesenfants.be), Nemo www.e-nemo.nl) and Museon (a href="http://www.museon.nl">www.museon.nl) in the Netherlands and Please Touch in Philadelphia www.pleasetouchmuseum.org). Full details (perhaps useful if planning a holiday abroad) are available from Hands On!, the Europe Association of Children's Museums www.hands-on-europe.net/html/members.htm)
With the success of the national Bookstart scheme (www.bookstart.co.uk), books, literacy, and storytelling form the one area of the Arts that is most readily associated with under 5s. The Bookstart scheme "aims to provide a free pack of books to every baby in the UK, to inspire, stimulate and create a love of reading that will give children a flying start in life" and you should generally receive a pack from your health visitor around the time of the 8 month and two year check ups and one more pack around the time your children are three (if you don't receive a pack from your health visitor, ask at your local library).
Your local library is an excellent place to nurture your child's love of books and stories; libraries tend to be very welcoming, often with toys as well as books, and a good stop-off if you need somewhere in town to change nappies, or feed the baby! Local libraries often hold storytelling sessions for under 5s and this is a good place for new parents to meet others in the same position, as well as supporting your kid's love of books. Full details of regular story telling sessions in Birmingham libraries can be found at www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraries (Click on "Children and Young People" on the left hand side of the screen and then select "What's on?" Storytelling sessions are listed under "Activities for Children under 5"). The Bookstart Book Crawl is now also running at local Birmingham libraries - The Book Crawl encourages children under 5 to join the library and to borrow books by rewarding them with stickers and certificates. Apart from Birmingham Central Library, Sutton library is also particularly well set up for kids. The staff are really friendly and the atmosphere is very welcoming. Stories from the Web (www.storiesfromtheweb.org) is an interesting website managed by Birmingham Libraries primarily aimed at children rather than adults and has sections for readers aged 0-7, 7-11 and 11-14.
Of course staff at your local library will be very willing to help you discover good books for your children, but if you want to do some research of your own, or can't get to a library there are many other interesting sources of help.
The Federation of Children's Book Groups (www.btinternet.com/~martin.kromer/) is a national, voluntary organisation concerned with children and their books. Their aim is "to promote enjoyment and interest in children's books and reading, and to encourage the availability of a range of literature for all ages, from pre-school to teenage." They run local book groups and activities such meetings for adults to discuss books and children's reading and visiting speakers such as authors and illustrators. There are several groups in the West Midlands (see www.btinternet.com/~martin.kromer/News.htm for contact details).
There is a huge number of websites devoted to helping parents and carers choose stimulating, enjoyable books for children under 5. These can also be very helpful when looking for birthday or Christmas presents! Here are some of my favourite sites:
Once your kids are a little bit older kidsreview.org.uk is a fantastic site containing book reviews written by children for children. The site does contain some books for under 5s, but is primarily aimed at children 7-14.
Children's books aren't cheap, but good deals can be found - look out in local charity stores, and at booksales (often held in libraries). If you want to buy online, and get more advice than is available from Amazon, the following sites are great:
What I tend to do with my daughter is use the library extensively - taking out a random selection of books each week, and then if we find books that she really takes to, we consider buying them - this way we can be pretty sure that the money is well spent.
Instead of buying books, or borrowing them from the library, you might instead visit www.childrenslibrary.org - the International children's digital library, whose mission "is to support the world's children in becoming effective members of the global community - who exhibit tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online free of charge"
No item on Children's books would be complete without mentioning The Centre for Children's Book, Newcastle (www.sevenstories.org.uk) Seven Stories is the only exhibition space in the UK dedicated to the celebration of British children's literature - it could be called the UK's museum of children's literature, except that would probably not do it justice in terms of its vibrancy, range of activities and atmosphere. As well as exhibitions, there are regular creative activities, storytelling sessions and opportunities to meet authors and illustrators.
Discover (www.discover.org.uk) is also worth mentioning. Described by Meera Syal thus "Totally unique. A gem of a place in East London - focused on fun, imagination and literacy. Well worth visiting again and again," Discover is a small museum for kids specialising in literacy and storytelling.
"Storytelling" in the context of libraries often means reading a story from a book, but "live" or "oral" storytelling i.e. without a book is often even more captivating and exciting, both for youngsters and old alike. Each year there is a national Storytelling Week (usually late January/early February) which provides an excellent opportunity to hear professional storytellers (and to pick up tips as parent on how to tell a good yarn!). Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery holds family storytelling events on a fairly regular basis and the first Saturday of every month sees "Come Mek Me Tell Yu!" - a storytelling club by African Caribbean Orators for Children Aged 3-11 and their parents, held at the Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre (ACMC), 339 Dudley Road, Winson Green, Birmingham B18 2HB.
Young Readers Birmingham (www.birmingham.gov.uk/youngreaders) is an annual festival featuring the best children's authors, illustrators, storytellers and poets at libraries and other venues around the city. This year (2007) it is running from 19 May - 2 June and will include several storytelling events for under 5s as well as poets, performers, bookstalls and the change to meet authors.
The oral storytelling scene for adults is quite extensive in the West Midlands and nearby, with regularly monthly meetings in Wolverhampton, MAC (Midlands Art Centre), The Kitchen Garden Café (B14) and elsewhere. For a comprehensive listing go to www.storytelling.uk.net/cafe/programme.html. Partly because storytelling events tend to be with relatively small audiences in intimate surroundings, they are often sold out in advance, so early booking is recommended. Also, some storytelling events are held in venues where due to licensing restrictions children under the age of 14 will not be admitted, so do check in advance if you would like to bring along your babe-in-arms.
Strictly speaking cinema films and the under 5s don't mix much - according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), a U certificate film is suitable only for audiences aged 4 and over. Uc classification, on the other hand is deemed especially suitable for children under 5, but I have never seen it on a film, only on video/DVD releases of TV programmes, such as Pingu and Teletubbies. Putting the strict interpretation of the BBFC classifications aside, many parents do take their 3 and even 2 year old to the cinema to see U and PG certificated films and so it is perhaps useful to know exactly what might be expected of films with these certificates.
According to the BBFC, "a 'U' film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. U films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror." ('Uc' films being particularly suitable for pre-school children normally raise none of the issues set out below).
What to expect from a U certificate film:
A PG film, on the other hand "should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children." In the eyes of the law unaccompanied children of any age may watch a PG film.
What to expect from a PG certificate film:
Film Classifications should always be taken with a pinch of salt as film distributors are sometimes keen to get a younger classification for their film (and thus a bigger audience), than the film might strictly speaking warrant. Recently there was quite an outcry over the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, which although rated 12A, many parents thought was far too violent to be appropriate even for young teenagers.
If you are keen to take your child to see a film (or are being badgered particularly persistently by your little one!) then the following suggestions might help make the trip as successful as possible:
Some cinemas run special kids screenings in the mornings at weekends. Tickets are generally very cheap (often only £1.50), and typically one adult gets in free for every child. Birmingham and Tamworth Odeons (www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/kids/), and Birmingham Vue (www.myvue.co.uk/family) run such events.
There are several annual film festivals in the UK dedicated to films made by and for children:
Instead of you accompanying your child to the cinema, what about your child accompanying you? If your child is one or under you may be lucky enough to live near a cinema which offers parent and baby screenings, where you can watch current film releases whilst your baby feeds/sleeps/gurgles/crawls beside you. Such screenings tend to be on weekday mornings, with slightly quieter soundtracks than normal, and often the lights less dim (very helpful if you need to change a nappy!). These screenings are normally reserved for adults bringing babies, so everyone knows that there will be some noise and mess. Babies will almost inevitably cry at some point during the film(and once one starts, all the babies in the cinema often join in), and so I tended to watch either subtitled films, or blockbusters where it didn't matter if you lost some of the soundtrack behind a chorus of babies!
Dudley, Tamworth and Worcester Odeons run "Newbies" screenings for parents and babies (www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/newbies), with tickets for adults priced as normal and babies going free. MAC (Midlands Art Centre) is planning to start a "Brat Pack" series in April, running along the same lines. For more information either register to the "my mac" service at http://www.macarts.co.uk/?page=home, or call MAC's ticket office and ask to be added to their Cinema mailing list.
Although dance classes for under 5s are quite common (eg DanceXchange www.dancexchange.org.uk, MAC http://www.macarts.co.uk/?page=home, Stagecoach www.stagecoach.co.uk) dance performances which they might enjoy are much thinner on the ground. This is a shame as I think the combination of live music and often fabulous costumes could be ideal for young kids, if programmes were not too long. Birmingham Royal Ballet (www.brb.org.uk) often performs at the Hippodrome and if your child is very keen on ballet a trip to see a classic production such as Coppelia (being performed this June) may be worth while. However, ballets are often too long for little children to manage, and tickets are often much more expensive than for theatre, live music or cinema (the cheapest tickets for this summer's Coppelia production are £15.50 each). If you do want to take your young child to see some live dance, choosing a mixed bill may be a better choice than a classic production - mixed bills are often full of short pieces, with a great deal of variety. These will hopefully keep your kids engaged for longer, but if the worst comes to the worst and you have to leave the theatre, this is more straightforward as there are regular breaks for applause.
Going out to plays, reading new books, listening to live music with my daughter has helped me feel connected with "life out there". It's got us out of the house and inspired us, providing plenty of fun and stimulation along the way - I hope it can do the same for you and your little culture vultures.
Any comments on this article, including further suggestions about arts events for the under 5s in the area? Please get in touch - zoe.toft@kuvik.net