April – September 2014

Take a journey....

Discover create explore more!

...of discovery

www.cimumseums.org.uk

In ColchesterNatural History Museum9+10 April: Egg-cellent Easter baskets, £2 drop-in: 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pmCreate and decorate your own unique basket to keep your Easter eggs in.

15+16 April: Bunny and chick hangies, £2 drop-in: 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pmUse a wide range of materials to make a colourful and ‘scrunchy’ animal to hang from your ceiling.

17 April: The Colchester earthquake.Meet characters who witnessed the Colchester Earthquake of Easter 1884 and hear their tales. Plays at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.

Hollytrees Museum 8 April: Spray paint t-shirt, £4, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm Use special spray paints and stencils to design and make your own unique t-shirt.

10+11 April: ‘Pop-up’ puppets, £3, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pmLet your imagination go and create a fun and colourful ‘pop-up’ puppet.

15 – 17 April: Easter egg cups and cosies, £3, bookable:10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm + 3pmDecorate a wooden egg cup and make a fun egg cosy to hide your Easter egg!

Free

Easter holidayfun good value creative for all ages hands-on

Colchester bookings: 01206 282940 www.cimuseums.org.uk

In Ipswich Ipswich Museum

8+9 April: Super-size stories, drop-in: 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pmHelp us fill the pages of our GIANT storybook! All materials provided, just bring your imagination!

15+16 April: Puppet extravaganza, £3, drop-in: 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pmLet your imagination loose and make your own puppet, then use your storytelling skills to put ona performance in our mini theatre!

Ipswich Art School9+10 April: Storyshack, £3, drop-in: 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pmCalling all Imaginers! Join the Storyshack team to build a book, create a story, and get creative! Allmaterials included.

17+18 April: Mini story scenes, £3, bookable: 10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pmWork with an artist and use a range of materials including clay, soil and fabric to bring the pages ofyour favourite book to life!

Christchurch Mansion8 – 19 April: Beatrix Potter baskets, £5 refundable depositBorrow a basket and explore the mansion. Each contains a blanket and some Beatrix-inspired activities.

10 April: Beatrix Potter, £2, stories at 10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pmJoin Ms Potter as she strolls around the mansion, stopping every now and then to tell one of herenchanting stories. No booking required.

10+11 April: Decoupage eggs, £3, bookable: 10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm Learn the art of decoupage and use images of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddleduck to create anenchanting Easter gift.

16+17 April: Mr McGregor’s mini gardens, £3, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pmNo rabbits! Recreate a mini version of Mr McGregor's garden, complete with real seeds so that itwill keep growing long after you've gone home!

Free

Ipswich bookings: 01473 433691 www.cimuseums.org.uk

May half-term holidayfun creative good value for all ages exciting

Colchester bookings: 01206 282940 Ipswich bookings: 01473 433691www.cimuseums.org.uk

In ColchesterNatural History Museum27+28 May: Colourful willow fish, £3, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pmWeave willow and other materials into amazing deep sea creatures to help create a giant fish tankmuseum!

Hollytrees Museum29+30 May: ‘Designa-china’, £3, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pmUse special pens to decorate a piece of china with beautiful designs inspired by the views ofCastle Park.

Colchester Castle27 – 29 May: Living the Iron Age life! Free after Castle entryTalk to an Iron Age character in the in the roundhouse, handle artefacts, dress-up and hear storiesas you sit around the fire!

In Ipswich Ipswich Museum27+28 May: Meet the Saxons, £2, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm

Join the Saxon farmer to find out about how he and his family made use of the natural world ineveryday life, and create your own Saxon souvenir to take home.

Mansion 28+29 May: Tudor dyer, £2, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm

Meet our friendly Tudor lady, who will take you round the kitchen garden and explain which plantsshe’d use in her day-to-day life and have a go dyeing your own cloth.

Art School 28 May: Tidal Margins inspired family art room,£3, drop-in 10.30 - 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pm

Take inspiration from the Tidal Margins exhibition and marine collections to create your own pieceof coastal art using all sorts of sensory materials.

Colchester Castle re-opens 2 MayJoin us as Colchester’s mayor unlocksthe big Castle door to officially welcomeback visitors. The open celebrations willinclude re-enactors, musicians andcharacters who will be in and around theCastle throughout the bank holidayweekend of 2, 3, 4 and 5 May.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be one ofthe first people to walk across thedrawbridge into the new-look museum.Colchester Castle will also be running afull programme of Summer holidayactivities, which are featured on page 6of this leaflet.

Free

Ipswich Art School28 June: Beautiful Birdscapes for Ip-Art, drop-in 10.30 - 12.30pm + 1.30 - 3.30pm

Work with artists to create wire frame birds and help create a soundtrack for themuseum's bird gallery. Suitable for all ages.

Ipswich Museum11+12 July Unscene Suffolk: FOSSILS,£5 per person, 5pm, bookable 01473 295900 A performance by Unscene Suffolk – a local theatre group whose visually-impaired membersinvite you to explore the process of fossilisation and decomposition in a whole new way. Suitablefor all the family

Free

Castle Bailey, Castle Park

7 June: Battle of the AgesColchester Castle’s Battle of the Ages will take place on Saturday 7th June, in the CastleBailey. Romans v Iceni, Normans v Saxons and Roundheads v Cavaliers! The six teamswill be racing modern-day chariots to claim victory. Which team will you be backing?

Follow the teams on Facebook and Twitter to win prizes, visitwww.battleoftheages.co.uk for more information on how you can get involved.

colch_castle colchestercastle

In ColchesterNatural History Museum Discovery Zone, 22 July – 29 August(except Wednesdays with ‘Nature’s Theatre’)

Drop-in this summer and enjoy using our special indoor ‘wildlife hide’, discovery trolley, trail and microscope to explore nature.

Nature’s theatre, Wednesdays in Summer holidays£3 per person, 3yrs+.

See and touch a wide range of live animals this summer and discover some of the unusual talents and abilities they have developed to survive in the wild.

30 Jul: Owl shows – show times are 12pm, 1.15pm and 2.30pm6 Aug: Mighty predators – drop-in 12 – 4pm13 Aug: Natural defences – drop-in 12 – 4pm20 Aug: Creative camouflage – drop-in 12 – 4pm27Aug: Snakes and scales – drop-in 12 – 4pm

Wild crafts, Thursdays in Summer holidays£2, drop-in: 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pm

Explore the discover trolley, use the microscope and let your imagination run wild to inspire your creative ideas.

31 July: Owl masks7 Aug: Creative cardboard critters 14 Aug: Wildlife survival kit21 Aug: Cunning face painting28 Aug: Slinky snake puppets

HollytreesHouse detectives, Tuesdays in the Summer holidays£3, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm

Dress up, and discover what life was like in this ‘big house’ and try a variety of activities as you help different characters.

29 July: Listen to the butlers stories as you help him with his chores 5 Aug: Play with Victorian toys and make your own with the Governess12 Aug: Get hands-on helping Cook make butter for the household19 Aug: Create stunning masquerade masks for the Lady and Gentleman of the house26 Aug: Dress-up and learn how to take photographs with the visiting Victorian photographer

Summer holidaysexciting good value for all ages fun creative

Free

Colchester bookings: 01206 282940 www.cimuseums.org.uk

Ipswich bookings: 01473 433691 www.cimuseums.org.uk

Colchester CastleMeet some real ‘Castle Characters’! Wednesdays in the Summer holidays Free after Castle entry

Meet a variety of characters and find out more about their lives when you visit the Castle. 30 July: See the potter at work. £2 charge to make your own clay oil lamp 6 Aug: Learn lessons from the Roman Tutor and play some Roman games13 Aug: Hear tales of life and death from the Gladiator trainer20 Aug: Explore Roman fashion as you look inside the Roman lady’s treasure box27 Aug: Hear tales of life in the Iron Age and warfare from this mighty warrior

In IpswichIpswich MuseumDiscovery room, Tuesdays in the Summer holidays, £2 (except Astrodome)

Drop-in and have some hands-on fun in the discovery room! Use microscopes, video cameras andother technology to uncover the secrets of some of the museum objects and work with experts tocrack some unsolved mysteries.29 July: CSI My Mummy bookable: 10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm5 Aug: Stars and planets in the Astrodome – £3 per person, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm12 Aug: Treasure and coins – cleaning, rubbing, creating - drop-in 10.30 - 12.30pm + 1.30pm - 3.30pm19 Aug: Bones and Teeth – drop-in 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 - 3.30pm26 Aug: Bugs and butterflies – drop-in 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 - 3.30pm

Ipswich Art SchoolFamily art room, Wednesdays in the Summer holidays, 30 July, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug

£3, drop-in 10.30 – 12.30pm + 1.30 – 3.30pm

The Family Art Room is open for children of all ages and their adults to get creative! Explore anddevelop a different skill or technique each week, working with our friendly artists to help turn yourideas into a work of art. All materials provided.

Christchurch MansionHistory house, Thursdays in the Summer holidays£3, bookable:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm, 3pm

Meet a different character each week, handle objects, hear stories, make things and discoversecrets about the lives of people who lived and worked in the Mansion. 31 July: Join Lord Fonnereau as he shows you his new magic lantern and helps you make your own pictureslide to try out. 7 Aug: Create foam bonnets and top hats and learn about Victorian fashions14Aug: Get stuck in helping Cook in the kitchen21 Aug: Play with old toys and hear stories with the Nursery Maid28 Aug: Time to get your hands dirty as you explore the estate with the Victorian gardener!

Activity times and booking information:All Drop-in activities:10.30 – 12.30pm and 1.30 – 3.30pm, unlessspecific times stated. No booking required.

Bookable activities:10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 2pm and 3pm. Sessions approx: 50mins

There maybe spaces on the day but to ensure a place please ringand book:For Colchester events 01206 282940For Ipswich events: 01473 433691

Booking line open 10am – 4.45pm

Regular Under 5s sessionsThese fun, hands-on sessions are forchildren aged 2 – 5 years. Each month weexplore a different theme using museumobjects, stories, trails and craft activities.

Mini Mammoths – Ipswich Museum1st Tuesday of every month10.15 – 11.15am, £2

Busy Beetles – Natural History Museum,Colchester 3rd Tuesday of every month10.15 – 11.50am, £2

Children’s UniversityCollect stamps in your Children’sUniversity passport when you takepart in our events or visit

Colchester Castle.

You don't have a passport? – talk to yourschool or to find out more information see:www.childrensuniversity.co.uk

www.cimuseums.org.uk