5 minute read
Little Vikings try
Storymakers
I didn’t think there was much of an art to telling a story until I took our three year-old and one yearold along to a session of Storymakers at York Theatre Royal’s De Grey Rooms. We’re a bit late to the Storymakers party: their multi-sensory craft and drama sessions for 2-5 years have been running for five years and are so popular that they’ve had to add extra sessions. And after an hour or so in their company we can see why.
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We stepped out of the cold into the warmth of the De Grey rooms - where Storymakers has relocated while the theatre has its makeover - to be greeted by the sight of lots of children happily building their own robots at the well-stocked craft table. Parents were equally happy as the pop-up café was open and serving very welcome hot drinks and cake to fuel the Blue Peter-style making fest. If, like me, your artistic side is a bit lacking and you don’t know one end of a pipe-cleaner from another, don’t panic. Jenna, who runs the sessions, is on hand with good ideas for what to stick where. Even our robot looked pretty cool in the end.
Robots finished, we headed downstairs to the studio (I’ll gloss over the part where the girls and I got stuck in the lift and just say thank you to the kind person who let us out. Never a dull moment, unfortunately). As Jenna and her helper performed in front of us - with props, music and costumes - it wasn’t long before we worked out why we’d been
Little Vikings try….
Storymakers
making robots (the craft always relates to the story that week). The story was The Trouble with Dad, an everyday tale of a dad who creates crazy robots in his Who: The girls (1, 3 and 30-something) What: Storymakers at York Theatre Royal When: Wednesday mornings term-time shed, and the children were all encouraged to get involved in acting out the story. They helped to catch a robber and to work out what might happen next in the story. It was great fun and even the shyest kids - and their robot creations - joined in. After all that excitement, the session ended calmly with everyone sitting down and listening to Jenna read the book.
The girls really enjoyed Storymakers; the 3 year old loved hearing a new story and getting involved in creating it through craft and drama, while the 1 year old proved that you’re never to young to enjoy a bit of theatre. And I learnt that there’s more than one way to tell a story. Bedtime will never be the same again (we might just hold off on the pipe-cleaners though).
Storymakers runs from 10.15 to 11.30am on Wednesdays during term time in York Theatre Royal’s De Grey Rooms, St Leonard’s Place. It’s £5 per child. Book online or in person at the York Theatre Royal Box Office (yorktheatreroyal.co.uk)
Post-Christmas pep-up for parents Vikings try Love Community Acupuncture
It’s dark and cold (and it’s been pretty blooming wet too), so it’d be easy to feel pretty gloomy as the year kicks off. Although it’s tempting to rely on tea and cake to see us through to the lighter months, we’ll be dropping into
York’s first multi-bed community acupuncture clinic for a bit of extra zing when we’re flagging. I’ve been an acupuncture convert for a few years, having used it for various pregnancy-related things with great success. It’s now my go-to therapy for specific ailments or if I just want to give my immune system a boost (vital with three kids bringing home new germs all the time). It’s not always the cheapest of treatments, making it hard to justify the cost sometimes. So I was excited to be invited along to the new multibed clinic at Briar House, Museum Street over the road from the Museum Gardens.
The idea’s simple: a small number of patients are treated in the same room by two highly trained acupuncturists. The trade-off for the lack of privacy is a hugely reduced fee (just £12 for a 45 minute session; excellent value). Having only ever had private treatments, I wondered if I’d feel embarrassed or inhibited in a room of other patients, but it was a lovely experience. Karen and Elaine, the acupuncturists who run the clinic as a not-for-profit venture, have created a warm and relaxing atmosphere where I felt instantly at ease. I chose a reclining chair by the window and had a brief chat with Elaine about what I’d like from the treatment before she worked her magic with the needles. I was left for 20 minutes to relax before skipping out onto the street feeling energised, ready for the day and figuring out when I could go back.
The clinic runs on Fridays from Briar House, Museum Street, York YO1 7DN. For more details and to book online visit lovecommunityacupuncture.com. You can also drop in without an appointment, but you may have a short wait.
Rainbows Ceramics Painting Studio, 15/17 Bootham, York YO30 7BW. (You can find us on the corner of Bootham & Gillygate). Tel: 01904 675533 www.rainbowsceramics.co.uk Rainbows Ceramics Painting Studio OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Mon - Sat 10am - 5.30pm. Sun 11am to 5pm.
Fantastic fun for 4 & 5 year olds every Saturday! Come along and join the fun at pqa
THE PAULINE QUIRKE ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS IS ENROLLING NOW IN YORK! Outstanding Performing Arts tuition for 4 - 18 year olds.
Find us at Huntington School, Huntington Road, Huntington, York, YO32 9WT Saturdays from 10 till 11.30am To enrol your child and for further information please visit www.pqacademy.com or call us now on 084567 32022
BOOK YOUR FREE TASTER SESSION NOW!
