An exciting programme of affordable Easter activities is already underway at venues across a North East city.

Spanning captivating storytelling adventures and exciting family theatre to hands-on craft sessions and Easter-themed glass workshops, Sunderland Culture has produced a jam-packed schedule of events and fun activities for all ages.

At Arts Centre Washington (ACW) there’s anopportunity for young people to take part in singing workshops. The Creative You Junior … Come and Sing sessions start next Tuesday (April 2) from 1pm to 3pm. The free sessions, for children aged between eight and ten years old, are repeated on Thursday, April 4 (1pm to 3pm) and Tuesday, April 9 (10am to 3pm). Sunderland Youth Choir will lead the workshops.

Staying at ACW, the venue will be staging the family play The Not So Big Bad Wolf on Thursday, April 4 at 10.30am and 1.30pm. Join Little Red, the daring adventurer and ‘True Grimm’ podcaster on her mission to debunk myths with storybook favourites, her red invisibility cloak, and a basket brimming with music, mayhem, and magic tricks. Tickets for the show, suitable for children aged four and over, and produced by Wrongensemble, start at £7 with a family ticket for four priced at £25.

Meanwhile the venue will host a Film and Fun Saturday on Saturday, April 13 (1pm) when the popular family movie The Witches (PG) will be screened. Youngsters will also get the chance to create their own witch hand puppet with artist Georgia Hill. Family tickets for four cost £17 while individual tickets start at £5.

On Thursday, April 18, ACW will host The Velveteen Rabbit, a magical tale told through music and dance and brought to the venue by respected dance comedy Ballet Lorent. There will be two performances, one at 11am for children aged up to three and a second at 1.30pm for children aged four and above. The show is about love and growing up and there will be a chance for audience members to interact with the cast after it has finished.

The Northern Echo: Sunderland Culture is hosting several activities over the Easter period

For more information on any of the above, or to book tickets, go to https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/our-venues/arts-centre-washington/

National Glass Centre (NGC) is hosting a series of workshops and activities over the Easter holidays, many with a Spring theme.

On Tuesday, April 2 and Tuesday, April 9 NGC will host collage portrait workshops, giving children aged six and over the chance to explore a range of craft materials to create colourful and textured collages. The workshops are timed at 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm and cost £5.

On Monday, April 8 (11am) the venue will host a ceramic bird feeder workshop for children aged four or over. The workshop will cost £4. Sticking with an animal theme, NGC will also host creative sessions for children aged six or over to create innovative dog print. The sessions, on Wednesday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 10 (11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm) will cost £5.

Moving back to birds, bird glass fusing sessions will be held on Saturday, April 6 and the following Saturday (April 13). Children aged six and over will have the chance to design and create their own glass bird in these exciting glass fusing sessions, which cost £12 and are timed at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm.

Lastly at NGC, two patterned glass-painting workshops will be held on Thursday, April 4 and Thursday, April 11 (10am, 12pm, 1pm and 3.30pm). Children aged four or over will be helped to create their own geometric, abstract or traditional patterns. These drop-in sessions will cost £5.

To book any of the above sessions, or for more information, go to https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/our-venues/national-glass-centre/

A similar number of family workshops will be held at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens over the next fortnight.

The fun starts on Monday, April 8, with a Little Inventors: Help the Sea Creatures! drop-in session. Timed between 1pm and 4pm the free session will give children aged seven to 11 a chance to help our water-based friends – it could be a home for a mussel or a restaurant for whales!

Other drop-in sessions will enable children (four and over) to explore the Museum’s taxidermy collection. The Creature Collections are on Tuesday, April 2 and Tuesday, April 9. No booking is required and the free drop-in sessions will be from 1pm to 2.30pm.

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Other sessions and workshops at the Museum include:

  • Discovery Zoo (Fridays April 5 and April 12, sessions at 11am, 1pm and 2.15pm) Ticket fee/ Recommended age 4+. Meet a Carolina corn snake, Giant African millipede, Harlequin gecko and Costa Rican zebra tarantula and find out about their behaviour and habitats.
  • Drawing with Dan (Wednesday April 10, sessions at 1pm and 2.30pm) Free child places/ Recommended age 5+ Work with artist Dan Waterston to draw animals and landscapes from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition using a range of materials.
  • Mini Science Club (April 17, 1pm) Free/ 1- 4 year olds. Join the team from Big Science UK for fun activities for one – four year olds.
  • Baby Dino Egg Hunt, Until Saturday 13 April (10am – 4pm) £2.50 per trail / No pre-booking required/ Recommended age 4+.

For more information on the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens activities, go to https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/our-venues/sunderland-museum-winter-gardens/

Rebecca Ball, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture, said: “Our venues have worked hard to create a busy and exciting programme of Easter fun for the whole family. Children and their families are assured a warm welcome at our sessions in a safe and welcoming environment.”