TAILS are set to be wagging when Rugby Art Gallery and Museum (RAGM) hosts a programme of canine-inspired creative fun for kids during the Easter school holidays.
Inspired by an exhibition currently on display at the venue, doggy delights will include arts and crafts workshops, family theatre shows and a special dog show where pet pooches can compete in a range of categories.
The programme starts on Saturday (April 1) with ‘stay and play’ sessions tailored for toddlers. The sessions run from 10-11am and 11.15am-12.15pm, costing £2.50 per child.
On Monday (April 3), the whole family can do the downward dog and other poses at Animal Antics Family Yoga Play, with a session suitable for two-and-a-half to six-year-olds running from 10-10.45am, followed by a session for seven to 12-year-olds running from 11-11.45am. Places cost £3 per child, accompanying adults free.
The Art Gallery and Museum also hosts one of its regular relaxed sessions on Monday from 2.30-3.30pm, where visitors with sensory needs can explore the venue in a peaceful environment while enjoying creative activities.
Dog origami workshops takes place on Tuesday (April 4) from 10-11am and 11.15am-12.15pm, where children can create a paper pooch (£2.50 per child), while on Wednesday (April 5) Rene the guide dog and owner Louise pay a visit to the venue at 11am to give a free talk on the vital work of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
On Thursday (April 6), children can play with clay at Clay Creations workshops running from 10-11am and 11.15am-12.15pm (£2.50 per child).
On Saturday April 8 from 10-10.45am, a double bill of family theatre performances begins with Teddy’s Birthday, a show for six-year-olds and under which combines theatre, mime, puppetry and songs.
It is followed at 11.30am by Dr Dolittle, a show suitable for five to ten-year-olds which follows the famous physician on an animal rescue mission to Africa. Tickets for each show cost £5.50 per child (accompanying adults free).
The following week, Pom-Pom Pets workshops take place on Wednesday April 12 from 10-11am and 11.15am-12.15pm, where children can make pom-pom Easter bunnies and chicks (£2.50 per child).
And on Friday April 14, youngsters can enter the third dimension at 3D Pen Drawing Workshops. Suitable for seven-year-olds and over, the workshops run from 10-11am and 11.15am-2.15pm (£2.50 per child).
The Easter programme reaches its canine culmination on Saturday April 15, when pet pooches can take part in a fun dog show at the Percival Guildhouse Gardens, with prizes on offer in a range of categories, including best trick, waggiest tail and the owner who looks most like their dog.
The event, which runs from 10am-1pm, also includes a host of creative activities for all the family, and the chance for dogs and owners to be sketched by illustrator Katy Dynes.
Entry for the dog show costs £2 per category, with entrants encouraged to read the show’s ‘golden rules’ at www.ragm.co.uk/dog-show to ensure high animal welfare standards can be maintained.
RAGM senior learning and engagement officer Phoebe Hilton said the inspiration for the dog-themed programme came from the Little Elborow Street venue’s current exhibition, David Remfry’s We Think The World of You – People and Dogs Drawn Together, which celebrates the unique relationship between a dog and its owner.
She added: “We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors throughout the Easter holidays, with a wide range of creative activities suitable for children of all ages.
“From family yoga to dog origami, theatre performances to the Art Gallery and Museum’s first ever dog show, we’re in for a busy fortnight of canine-inspired fun.”
Places at workshops, performances and play sessions must be booked in advance online at www.ragm.co.uk/easterfun or by calling Rugby Visitor Centre on (01788) 533217. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all activities.
Visit www.ragm.co.uk for more information about events and exhibitions at RAGM.
