Children & Family Events

Your favourite characters are returning to The Hive in celebration of Roald Dahl Story Day with a range of phizz-whizzingly fun activities for youngsters to get involved with!

Free Activities
11am-3pm
Take part in our themed Lego Club, create a Willy Wonka themed headband for £1.50 or try your hand at our James & the Giant Peach treasure hunt. The Matilda Reading Room will also be set up to help children finish the Summer Reading Challenge, which ends on Sunday 15 September. The event will start and finish with special Roald Dahl themed story times. 

Aimed at ages 4-11, FREE, no need to book.

George's Marvellous Medicine-inspired demonstration
11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm
Join us for a fantastic interactive session and help our potion makers combine Golden Gloss Hair Shampoo with Superfoam Shaving Soap, and watch out for some colourful results. Old clothes are advised as children will be invited to get hands-on with the experiment. Suitable for ages 5-11, parental supervision required.

Tickets are £1 per child, book your place here.

Saturday 17 November, 11am-12pm and 1:30pm-2:30pm

The real story... of a girl who is brave, strong, clever, and determined to prove herself. 

The real story... of a lonely prince, a new family, and sisters who might not be as bad as you think.

The real story... where things change with a touch of magic and a clock that at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

This is the real story... of Cinderella and the glass slippers!

Tutti Frutti Productions re-imagines this classic story, with some new twists and turns to make you chuckle and inspire your real self to shine through. For children aged 3+ and their families to enjoy. 

Tickets are £3 each, book your tickets here. 

Every Friday, 1pm-1:30pm

For ages 0-12 months

A gentle, social music making session aimed at new parents/carers and their babies.

Every Wednesday, 1:30pm-3pm

For ages 0-5 years

A fun interactive stay and play session for children aged between 0 - 5 years. The session ends with story time at 2:45pm.

Every Tuesday, 10am-10:30am and 2pm-2:30pm
Every Friday, 11am-11:30am

For ages 1-4 years

Fun and friendly Bounce and Rhyme session aimed at pre-school children and their parents and carers. 

Pre-school groups/Nurseries please note, these sessions can get very busy. We would be happy to do a separate session for your group.

Every Saturday & Sunday, 11am and 3pm

For ages 4-8

Listen out for the rat-a-tat in the Children's library and get involved in interactive stories for your young family.  Storytime is about to begin...

Every Saturday, 10am-11:30am

For ages 4+, fun for all the family

If you and your child love Lego as much as we do, why not come along to our Family Lego and Construction Club?

The club is designed for parents to have fun and engage with their children by building characters and structures from well-known tales. Most construction materials will be suitable for ages 4+.  Places are FREE of charge and you don't need to book, just come along and join in the fun! 

Last Sunday of each month, 1:30pm-2:30pm

For ages 4-8 years

An introductory gardening and nature club for families with children aged 4-8. 
Places cost £1 per child and can be booked in advance. Drop-ins on the day are welcome, subject to availability.
Parental supervision is required.

Book your child's place here.

Take part in our popular weekly themed treasure hunts across the children’s library. Just ask a library assistant for details!

The Hive is full of sustainable design features and we have developed a self-guided Sustainability Trail so that you can discover them. 

Borrow a trail map and supporting notes from the pod in the children's library and find out more about The Hive's sustainable features.  There are stickers on the windows/walls at each numbered point around the building. The trail starts in the café on Level 1.

Download trail notes
Download trail maps