Gayle's Guide ✨ 30th January 25
Issue 41 - An art gallery kids' session, Frozen in the cinema, a family fun day, Lunar New Year celebrations and much more!
I’m fully lurgied this week so not going to bother with a proper intro. Instead, I’ll just give you a wee reminder that you can earn FREE PAID ACCESS, simply by referring a few pals. Share your personalised link with friends, in WhatsApp groups or social media.
🌻ASN 🐣Baby 🐤Preschool 🐔Primary
Friday 31st
🍿 Toddler Club: Frozen (1-5y) 09.30 🐤
📍 The Everyman Cinema, St James Quarter
Straight out the gate, I’m sure this will be a big deal for some of your preschoolers! A ticket for this includes a seat for yourself and your little one plus a hot drink and slice of cake. Also showing on Sat 1st at 09.45.
⛔ SOLD OUT! DynaMites: Playful Puffins (0-4y) 10.00-11.00 🐣🐤
📍 Dynamic Earth, Holyrood
Learn about the natural world with your pre-schooler. This session's theme is all about puffins and will involve sensory play, crafts and puppets. £4 a ticket for 1 adult and 1 child, can’t say fairer than that!
✨ The session for 4-6 year olds at 14.30 🐤🐔 is still available!
🥳 Family Fun Day 11.00-14.00 🆓
📍 Muirhouse Library
It seems as though lots of libraries are holding family fun days these last couple of weeks. This one has carnival games, face painting, slime, Bookbug, a magician and even free pizza. Very well done! 👏🏻
🚲 Cargo Bike Give it a Go! 11.00-14.00 🆓
📍 Bruntsfield Links
The folk at BANZAI (Bruntsfield Area Net Zero Action Initiative - excellent acronyming) are teaming up with the Cargo Bike Movement to offer a shot of the cargo bikes in their fleets and will be on hand to answer questions from anyone curious about these wonderful machines. I can say wholeheartedly that our cargo bike has changed our lives and paints this city in a whole new light for us and the kids absolutely love it! We gave a neighbour’s daughter a lift home in it one day and she refused to get out until some of her classmates had walked past so they could see her casually sitting, looking cool in it, as if to say, “Oh, this old thing?”💅🏻 So if you’re even a teeny bit intrigued, pop along and give one a shot and who knows, maybe you’ll even book a free rental to see how it fits?
Saturday 1st
🎨 Art Stomps 10.30-12.00 (2-5y) 🐣🐤🆓
📍 Modern One, Belford Road
As much as I often mean to take the kids to this gallery, it can often fall off my radar with other plans getting in the way so this is a great excuse to visit. These sessions used to be ticketed and always sold out very quickly but they’ve switched to drop-in, so come one, come all! When we’ve been before, the session was really gently guided with a lot of free, creative play in very inspiring surroundings. There’s a fantastic art space for kids to get stuck in and wonderful outdoor sculptures to explore too. And did I mention it’s zero pennies?
🐇 Who Framed Roger Rabbit 11.00
📍 Cameo Picturehouse, Tollcross
Blast from the past or what? ”In this trailblazing combination of animation and live-action, down-on-his-luck private eye Eddie Valiant gets hired to investigate a pattycake scandal involving Jessica Rabbit, the sultry wife of Toontown superstar, Roger Rabbit.”
✂ Crafternoon 11.00-16.00 🆓
📍 The Scottish Parliament
A bit of a strange one and not sure I’d be rushing here specifically for this, but it might be a useful stop-gap at some point if you’re wandering the Mile or Holyrood Park and you need an emergency distraction from a potential meltdown. It’s geared up for all ages too so everyone can get stuck in.
🐍 Lunar New Year Family Craft Afternoon 12.00/13.30/15.00 🆓
📍 St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry St
Also running on the 8th Feb, here’s a free craft session to celebrate Lunar New Year, where you can design a paper chain snake and make your own Angpow fish.
🐲 Lunar New Year Lion Dance 12.00/13.00 🆓
📍 St James Quarter
More Chinese culture! If you're in town at lunchtime, pop along to see this traditional Chinese lion dance.
💡 The Winter Light Parade 17.30 🆓
📍 Mountcastle Drive/Northfield Broadway
I spotted this in edi.bike (an excellent, weekly cycling newsletter) and thought it sounded nice for anyone local to the area. Basically it’s a mini parade (with lanterns and a choir) through Fishwives Causeway, a little known/used short cut from Restalrig to Portobello which avoids the dangerous crossroads at the edge of Portobello. The idea is to encourage the use of this safer route and highlight the need for better signage.
Sunday 2nd
😌 Relaxed Morning 10.00-12.00 🌻🆓
📍 National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street
These sessions at the museum are on the 1st Sunday of the month for anyone who would prefer a quieter and calmer experience. There is a quiet space on level 4 and sensory backpacks available to borrow. There’s also two Sensory Sunday sessions (5-10y) at 11.00 and 14.00 🌻🐔🆓 which are also for children with additional support needs, where the kids will explore the museum under the theme of The Romans.
Monday 3rd
🎨 Bring Your Own Baby/Bump 10.15/11.00/11.30 🐣🆓
📍 Modern One, Ravelston
One for all you arty folk! Bring your baby along for a guided tour of the gallery, explore the work of Everlyn Nicodemus and mingle with some other new parents/carers.
📚 Scots Language Bookbug (0-5y) 10.30-11.00 🐣🐤🆓
📍 National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge
Wid ye like tae coorie in and gie's yer lugs, for a wee story? A Bookbug session featuring songs, stories, and rhymes in Scots. These are pretty few and far between across the city so they usually book up quickly. If you’re interested, check out BBC Sounds Stories in Scots too.
👑 Royal Rhyme Time (2-4y) 11.00 🐤
📍 Abbey Strand Centre, Palace of Holyrood House
”Join us in the historic Abbey Strand Centre for our special Royal Rhyme Time sessions for toddlers. Each session is led by a member of the Learning Team and explores different themes through interactive storytelling, songs and rhymes.”
Tuesday 4th
❤ Valentine’s Baby Massage 10.00-11.00 🐣
📍 Dr Bell’s Family Centre, Leith
For families in EH6/EH7 with a pre-mobile baby, you’ll get a chance to give your little bundle of joy a Valentine’s themed massage. A little gift, a sweet treat and plenty of photo ops included. Too cute!
🐝 Busy Bees Playgroup 10.00-12.00 🐣🐤
📍 Bellfield, Portobello
A weekly community run playgroup by the sea. Runs during term time so won’t be on next week.
🎈 ASN Soft Play (0-10y) 16.30-18.00 🌻
📍 Royal Commonwealth Pool
This is a weekly session for children with additional needs with specially trained staff to support the children and families. There will be dedicated sensory toys and equipment available and a virtual familiarisation tour online.
Wednesday 5th
🎼 Music Makers (0+) 10.30 🐣🐤
📍 North Merchiston Club, Polwarth
This isn't your typical sit-in-a-circle-and-sing-nursery-rhymes baby group. The teacher is a musician and clearly very passionate about introducing music to little ones, using stories, songs, instruments and puppets to explain pitch, rhythm and even tonality of music. Just give the club a buzz to make sure it’s on before travelling.
📚 A Dragon Story (3-5y) 14.00 🐤🆓
📍 Newington Library
”Come join us for an extra special Storytime for Storytelling Week with Author and Illustrator Madeline Pinkerton.”
🐅 Zoo Tails (5+) 15.30 🐔🆓
📍 Corstorphine Library
Taking place on the first Wednesday of the month, head along to the library to hear from some of the Zoo staff to learn all about their residents.
Thursday 6th
🚶🏻♀️ Motherwalk (0-6m) 10.30-12.00 🐣🆓
📍 Middle Meadow Walk, The Meadows
Run by the Pregnancy and Parents Centre, this hour long, gentle walk is a great way to get some fresh air while making some new baby pals for your newborn.
📚 Storytime (3y+) 14.00 🐤🐔🆓
📍 Drumbrae Library Hub
Stories and crafts, every fortnight.
♻ Something I came across this week:
Some of you may already know about this charity, but I’d never heard of them. NappiRunz was started by a local Edinburgh mum to redistribute unwanted nappies to families in need. There are donation points all over Edinburgh, accepting full or opened packs and even those rogue individual ones that were hiding in a drawer, as long as you wrap them up to keep them clean. There’s a few libraries and supermarkets on the list so an easy job to donate. Great idea! 👏🏻
✨ Here’s another week’s worth of fun stuff for my paid subscribers, plus some events further down the road which I reckon will sell out quickly. Thanks so much for your support!