Gayle's Guide ✨ 26th September 24
Gayle's Guide ✨ 26th September 24
Issue 25 - Doors Open Days, cheap Zoo entry for new parents, Irish Culture and Heritage Day, family printmaking workshops and much more!
Right lads, the heating is on and the Bake Off has started so it’s officially Autumn! 🎉 We celebrated the arrival of our favourite season at the Botanics at the weekend for their Harvest Festival with wonderful stories from Mrs. Mash and some incredibly entertaining “botanico-encyclopaedic” folk music from The Barrow Band. Honestly, even if nobody was reading this newsletter, I’m so delighted to be finding these amazing things to do with my family so I hope you are making some great memories with yours too.
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🌻ASN 🐣Baby 🐤Preschool 🐔Primary
Friday 27th
🍂 Autumn Stories (2-5y) 10.00 🐤
📍 Festival Theatre, Southside
Writing this newsletter is opening up a whole new world of parenting for me. Who knew you could take preschoolers to the theatre for a wee cosy storytelling session? Not me, but I’m into it.
🧩 Hispanic Playgroup 10.30-11.30 🐣🐤🆓
📍 Little Plaza, Leith Walk
This playgroup is for Spanish speaking families to connect with each other. Bring some toys and Spanish books to share.
⛔️ SOLD OUT
Welcome to Edinburgh Zoo: New Parents Social10.30-12.00 🐣
📍 Edinburgh Zoo
Well well, I’ve found a fantastic deal for my wonderful readers! For £8 you can bring your baby along to this informal, new parents’ group to drink some tea, eat some cake and learn all about the animals in the zoo. Plus it saves a massive £18.50 on the price of a zoo ticket 🤯 Also, the sorely missed Penguin Parade is back (albeit “reimagined” every Thu-Sun during Autumn/Winter) so stick around til 14.15 for the Wee Waddle.
🤖 Friday Friends 14.00-16.00 🌻
📍 National Museum of Scotland
This robot themed session offers a welcoming space for D/deaf children and their families.
🚲 A Wee Pedal 14.00-16.00 🆓
📍 Bridgend Farmhouse, The Inch
This weekly social bike ride is open to any age and ability and they even have bikes to borrow if you don’t have your own and e-bikes to rent for a fiver. Places are free to book but a small donation is welcome to support the work of the charity. I’ve not been to these particular rides but I whole-heartedly recommend taking kids on group cycles to help with their confidence. A great way to mark the end of Cycle to School Week.
✂️ Children's Craft (5+) 14.30-15.30 🐔🆓
📍 Morningside Library
Look at the cool peacocks the kids made at this craft session last time - well done gang! 👏🏻 On the last Friday of the month with limited numbers so book in advance.
Saturday 28th
✨ It’s Doors Open Days this weekend! Read to the end of the newsletter for a wee round-up of some stuff I like the look of.
🚫 SOLD OUT Creative Play: Wonder Studio (2-5y) 10.30/12.00 🐤🆓
📍 Fruitmarket Gallery, Market St
We went to this before and what we found was a fantastic, free form space for pre-schoolers to explore and make whatever they can imagine from loose parts. There were all sorts of art materials scattered about and some very inventive and engaging grown-ups to help inspire the little ones to be creative. My daughter left dressed in a pipe-cleaner crown and paper cape with her new invention - a “pinker” - which was a window made from straws and pink cellophane that she could look through and turn anything pink. 🥰
🇮🇪 Irish Culture and Heritage Day 12.30-18.00 🆓
📍 The Grange Club, Stockbridge
I’ve been living away from Ireland nearly 20 years but when one of the organisers contacted about this event, it made me feel strangely patriotic. For such a tiny country, Ireland punches way above its weight when it comes to its cultural influence across the globe. This is a celebration of the music, sport, dancing and language of Ireland, with plenty of opportunities to get involved (plus the obligatory face-painting and bouncy castles). So if you have any connection to the Emerald Isle (we Irish get around so you probably do!), tar liom agus bain taitneamh as an lá iontach seo for some craic agus ceol!
🚲 Critical Mass 14.00 🆓
📍 Middle Meadow Walk, The Meadows
I’ve featured these monthly mass bike rides a few times purely because I genuinely really, really recommend them and they’re great craic for all the family! Their motto is: “We're not blocking the traffic, we are the traffic!” so taking part is casting your vote for better infrastructure and safer conditions for cyclists. Everyone cycles together as one large vehicle and folk are exceptionally mindful of little ones, keeping them in the centre of the pack, well away from any motorists.
Sunday 29th
🖼 Family Print Club (6y+) 10.15 🐔
📍 Edinburgh Printmakers
These sessions are intended for different generations to have fun together while exploring printmaking techniques. This week, they will be inking up LEGO bricks to make their marks.
👕 Little Children’s Market 11.00
📍 Queen Margaret University
One for the grown-ups. Here’s another pre-loved sale for kids’ items so if you’re decluttering or keen for a bargain, check out the website.
🎻 Family Ceilidh 14.00/15.15 🆓
📍 Reid Memorial Church, Marchmont
We’ve been to a couple of these family ceilidhs and they are so much fun! The dances are highly simplified so even very young children can keep up but you can definitely still work up a sweat. Aimed at 3-9 year olds but all welcome. Free or by donation, just drop in.
🪗 Autumn Magic Carpet Concert 16.00-17.00
📍 Stockbridge Church
Spotted in The Edinburgh Minute, this concert is raising funds for new carpets in Stockbridge Primary. That’s right, we live in a time where school carpets are a luxury item. Head along to see world class musicians performing for young and old and help prop up the public purse.
Know of any great events coming up? Email me: gaylesguide@substack.com or
Monday 30th
🦘 Parent and Toddler Jump (18m-5y) 10.00/11.00 🐤
📍 Gravity Trampoline Park, Fountain Park
These trampoline sessions run Mon-Fri at 10.00 and 11.00 plus weekend mornings at either 09.00 or 10.00. We go here a lot, especially when we need to burn off some serious energy and it never fails to do so. Bouncing along to Disney tunes is pretty hilarious and always turns my beautiful daughter (and myself) into a red, sweaty mess by the end. Just make sure you arrive in plenty of time to sign a waiver and don your mandatory, luminous orange socks.
🍿 Circle Square: New Pyjamas 11.00 🐤
📍 Cameo Picturehouse, Tollcross
Head along to the Cameo’s fortnightly Toddler Time screenings where this week they will be showing 30mins of Circle Square. Tickets are pretty cheap and adults go free.
Tuesday 1st
🚼 Buggy Walk 10.30-11.30 🐣🆓
📍 Saughton Park and Gardens
These weekly walks are a wonderful way to get some exercise, meet local parents and explore with some adult (if still baby-related) conversation. Lots of different walks take place all over the city so check them out here, just remember to sign up to get the exact location of where to meet.
Wednesday 2nd
📚 Gaelic Bookbug (0-5y) 13.00 🐣🐤🆓
📍 Edinburgh Central Library
Bookbug speaks Gaelic too! These sessions are pretty few and far between so book your spot if your phàiste loves leabhraichean. (Also on the 7th Oct) Apparently the Bookbug bags that all children in Scotland get are available in Gaelic too so have a look here for info.
Thursday 3rd
🌺 Anna Hibiscus’ Song (3y+) 10.30/13.30
📍 The Festival Theatre (The Studio), Nicolson St
“Told through music, dance, puppetry and traditional African storytelling, this theatrical adaptation of Atinuke’s much-loved children’s book will have you beaming from ear to ear.” Running the 3rd-5th Oct.
🎶 Rhymetime 14.00-14.30 (0-5y) 🐣🐤🆓
📍 Joy Tots Cafe, Ferry Road
A wee free half hour session of songs and rhymes for kids 5 and under in this baby and toddler craft cafe. Can’t say fairer than that.
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🗝️ Doors Open Days
Doors Open Day has become a whole weekend affair so there’s absolutely LOADS going on this weekend. Lots of places are running ticketed tours/activities that are bound to be very popular since many of the locations aren’t usually open to the public so book ahead if you can. I’ve kept it brief to fit more stuff in but here’s some places I like the look of:
🎨 Edinburgh Printmakers 10.00-18.00 SAT/SUN 🆓
There will be a Children’s Activity Zone, games, creative prompts and a treasure hunt.
🚌 Lothian Buses Marine Garage 11.00-17.00 SAT 🆓
Buses, games, a bouncy castle, face painting and food, all with sea views to boot.
🎭 Lyceum Theatre 10.00-16.00 SAT 🆓
Backstage tours, dressing up, stories and crafts inspired by The Baddies.
🚒 Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage 10.30-15.30 SAT 🆓 (MORE TICKETS RELEASED)
A chance to get up close to and even inside some fire appliances. There will also be coffee, donuts and wood-fired pizza served from inside a fire engine!
🚫 TOUR SOLD OUT National Library of Scotland (4-12y) 11.00-15.15 SUN 🐔🆓
Conservation tours for mini-bookworms where they will learn about being a pest detective and how the books are looked after.
🔭 Royal Observatory Edinburgh (6y+) 10.00-15.45 SAT/SUN 🐔🆓
Speak to astronomers, handle meteorites, do some astronomy themed crafts.
✨ Here’s an extra week’s events for my paid subscribers. Thanks for chipping in to keep Gayle’s Guide going. You’re the best!