Opportunities for Children and Young People outside school

Ages 5+. 5-14 April 

Explore the wonderful world of robots at Broadway, take part in workshops, build a scribblebot, meet various robots and visit NED, the Never-Ending Dancer, in the Gallery space. NED, is a robotic contraption inspired by the circus. Created by immersive and sensory experience designers Makers of Imaginary Worlds, NED is inquisitive and excited to play and dance with anyone in its sight. Find out more or book here.

From Saturday 2 until Sunday 24 April Find the hidden facts around the historic gaol to solve the Easter Trail and earn yourself a prize! Ask at reception for your card on entry. Find out more.  

National Justice Museum and City of Caves Joint tickets 

All ages. Visit the historic National Justice Museum and explore the extraordinary underground wonders at the City of Caves. Joint tickets are available to purchase online or either venue. Find out more.

Wollaton Walled Garden, Tuesday 12 April. 1.00-2.30 pm. £15 for one child and accompanying adult. 

Try an afternoon of Stone Age survival in Wollaton’s Walled Garden. Build shelters, use a bow saw to make beads, learn about foraged food, and create your own cave art. You’ll also be able to handle Stone Age tools and learn about pre-historic life in our outdoor learning space. This session takes place outdoors in our wooded area, please wear suitable clothes and shoes. Meet at Wollaton Hall 508 Café (by the playground) at 12.45pm. Book tickets and find out more.

Ages 5-10. 9-11 April, 10am–11.30am and 1.30pm–3pm. £9.95 per person. 

Journey back to Victorian Nottingham and solve the case of the escaped prisoner! This family-friendly activity takes place in the Victorian streets of our Narrow marsh museum experience. You will become one of the different families living in the slum and help our detective search for an escaped convict before he commits another crime. Once you’ve finished gathering your evidence, you will be escorted to the Grand Courtroom to go through your findings and solve the case! Find out more.

 All ages. Wednesday 6 and 13 April, Ronald Street Playground, Radford. Free. 

Explore colour and pattern, build shapes and structures and play games. These fun workshops are part of Build Create Play - a project working with local families and young people around Ronald Street Playground, to help shape the future of the playground as it is developed by Nottingham City Council. . For more information visit the website.

Ages 7+. Garden Room, Newstead Abbey, Tuesday 5 April, 1.00-2.30 pm. £15 for one child and accompanying adult 

A practical silk painting workshop inspired by the Japanese Room created by Ethel Webb at Newstead Abbey in 1892. Explore Japanese design and objects, make a mini sketchbook to fill with your drawings and use these to design and create a beautiful silk painting to take home. Find out more and book, or book in the Newstead Abbey shop

Learning Studio at Wollaton Hall. 

Ages 6+ £10 per child, Under 3’s Free, Adults go free (maximum of two adults per family group)

Become a Palaeontologist workshop 

Wednesday 6 April, 1.00-2.00pm and 2.15-3.15pm Find out how real palaeontologists find fossils, go on a dig and see if you can find some  yourself. .

Become a Paleo-artist workshop Wednesday 13 April. 1.00-2.00pm and 2.15-3.15pm. Use Science to create your own dinosaur art work with Palaeo-artist Jed Taylor and Learning. 

Find out more and book.

Free Resources: Part of Our Silver City, 2094 Gallery visits and Artist workshops, until 18 May. Free. 

A new resource for families to get you out and about in the city, exploring positive action for change. Available to pick up at the gallery, to download, or can be posted out to you. Find out more.

Ages 13-16. Launching in November, Saturdays 10am-1pm, term-time. Free.
Members will try their hand at a variety of different art forms in our free weekly workshops and masterclasses with professional artists. With access to Nottingham Trent University’s excellent Art and Design facilities, they’ll make new friends, and have the opportunity to exhibit their artwork nationally! The club also looks great on their CV if they decide to apply to college or university later on. The club is run in partnership with Nottingham Trent University and the National Saturday Club. To find out more please email. 

Ages 15-25. Nottingham Contemporary
1525 Collective are looking for new members to join them. 1525, are a group of young creatives who gather regularly at Nottingham Contemporary. They strive to be a proactive collective sharing resources, discussing ideas, and mutually supporting each other’s creative interests. More information can be found on the website.  

All ages. Play and Learn: In Gallery, at Home, and Outside! Join the family workshops at Nottingham Contemporary or enjoy the activities on the website to keep you busy at home and outside. You can use objects from around the home and for others you might need a few art materials. Free material packs are available for collection from the reception in Nottingham Contemporary, or they can post them out to you! Please email for free material packs. 

Ages 4–11 every Saturday, 10.30am – 12.30pm. Free.
Get creative as a family! A chance for the whole family to learn new skills, use their knowledge and learn about Black culture.

Book your place at the NAE Reception in Hyson Green, by email, online or call 0115 924 8630. 

Tuesdays 4.00-6.00pm. Free.

Are you aged 8 to 11 years? Do you love art and design? Would you like to take part in painting, photography, model making and many other creative activities, every week? You will be virtually visiting the exhibitions at New Art Exchange, finding out about artists and making your own art, with the option to work towards your Explore Arts Award. To book your place please email.

Wednesdays, 5.00-7.00pm. Free.

Calling all 12-16 year olds! This art club is for your OWN art, your OWN style, your OWN ideas! Led by artist Shamila Chady you will be learning art and design skills and taking inspiration from the amazing exhibitions at New Art Exchange. You will also have the chance to work towards your Bronze Arts Award which includes the opportunity to display your OWN artwork. Email to book your place.

Ages 5-11
When puzzling postcards start arriving through your letterbox asking for help, only you can crack the code and figure out who the mystery writer is. Following a successful postcard drama format, New Perspectives' latest series, Fair Play, is a six-part postcard adventure for families with children aged 5-11 to enjoy together. Plus there's a QR code on each postcard to download with an activity sheet to explore a variety of creative challenges. For more details and book please email. 

All Ages
The Rainbow Library is a pioneering initiative to make more books for young readers that include LGBTQ+ identities and experiences. In summer 2023, they’ll publish eight LGBTQ+ inclusive titles for young readers of all ages, including picture books, fiction and nonfiction, poetry and comics. These books will be developed through consultations with LGBTQ+ young people in Nottingham.  The aim is to get these books into every school and library in the UK and Ireland. If you’re interested in supporting the project get in touch by email. 

All ages.

Nottingham City Libraries have a wealth of resources and activities for children and their families. The brand new website makes it easy to find information about libraries, resources, book recommendations, events and more. Whether you are looking for stories and rhymes for little ones, code clubs, after school home work sessions or holiday activities, it’s all covered. You can find out more by signing up to our e-newsletter on the webpage. 

All ages. Thursday 24 February, 5.30pm–9pm. Free, booking essential. 

For one night only, physicists from Nottingham Trent University are taking over Nottingham Castle. Academics and students will demonstrate a wide range of experiments that show the wonders of physics. Everyone with a curious mind is invited to come and take part, to learn, to think differently, and to have lots of fun. Find out more and book.

Broadway: BFI Film Academy activity for 16-25's Illustrated talks for 16-25s exploring the world of film, followed by a film screening.  Find out more about the Midday Movie Masterclass + Screening season.

Broadway: Monthly Ticket Tombola Broadway invites film lovers aged 16-25 to enter the monthly Ticket Tombola to see a film and Q&A for free. Enter at Ticket Tombola.

 The Change Makers Initiative in partnership with The Burns Price Foundation supports young people under the age of 19 from across the UK, with grants of £100 each to work on grass roots level ideas with art and science at the core of the social action project. Find out more on the website. 

Ages 14 years+ first Thursday of each month 5pm-6.30pm. Free.
An exciting arts and activism programme organised by, and for, young people. Be part of a small and dedicated team and learn all aspects of event production. You will produce events and opportunities you want to see for young people in your city. All specialist skills and training are provided. To get involved or find out more please email. 

Ages 12-17 Fridays, 5-7pm. Ages 8-11 Wednesdays, 5-7pm.

Join in with Football, Table Tennis, Basketball, Pool, Music and Board Games. Find out more on the CRS website.

From Tuesday 1 June. 10.30-12noon and 1pm-2.30pm £4 per child. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Meet some of Wollaton’s magnificent trees, learn to identify them and take a closer look at their leaves, flowers, bark and seeds as well as the animal life that lives on and around them. Contact Wollaton Hall to find out more. 

The Next Gen Platform is an online hub for young people to access a range of workshops and seminars, covering various subjects such as mental health, business and social media marketing. Regular workshops include:
Nottingham Inspired  - Mondays 6pm-7pm
Social Media   Marketing - Tuesdays 6pm-7pm
CV and Cover Letter   Writing - Wednesdays 5.30pm-6.30pm
DJ Classes  – Every Thursday 5pm–6pm
Next Gen Monthly Focus Group