Half Term Fun at The Atkinson

Half Term Fun at The Atkinson

Seeking an extraordinary way to spend your half term? Look no further than The Atkinson! Our bustling arts centre offers a diverse range of activities to captivate the whole family.

Immerse yourself in thought-provoking art exhibitions that will ignite your imagination and inspire creativity. From contemporary masterpieces to historical treasures, there’s something to intrigue everyone’s interests.

On Saturday 26 October, Ruth Moilliet will be delivering free tours of her new exhibition: FOFO Fear of Finding Out.

FOFO looks at species decline and the devastating impact of mass consumerism on the natural world. Ruth will give short introductions to her work, offering insight into her creative process, inspirations and research.

Having celebrated the botanical world in her work for many years, Ruth Moilliet’s bold and engaging sculptures now look at the decline of plant species, their pollinators and the natural world as a whole. Her initial studies highlighted the impact the fossil fuel industry has on our planet where she began to use found, recycled plastic materials to produce her work. The new additions shown in this exhibition encourage discussion around the responsibilities we have as individuals to prevent further decline through our daily activities and the items in our lives.

  • Exhibition tours begin at: 11am / 12pm / 1pm. Free.

Unleash your inner artist with our engaging workshops designed to be both fun and interactive. Learn new skills, create beautiful crafts, and have a blast with like-minded families.

On Tuesday 29 October, Molly will be delivering the following two sessions:

  • Craft Activity: Egyptian Shabtis
    📍Location: Museum, 2nd Floor.
    Drop-in any time between 11am – 12:30 and get creative.
    Children under 12 must be supervised by an adult. First come first served. You may be expected to wait until a space at a craft table becomes available.

Join us in the Museum for an arts and crafts workshop suitable for all the family. There’s something for all ages, with all materials supplied and all for free!

Join Egyptologist, Molly, to learn all about ancient Egyptian Shabtis! Discover the way they were used, the materials, and what the word Shabti means, as well as making one yourself!

This activity will include a 5-10 minute talk on Shabtis, and over an hour of crafts.

  • Craft Activity: Egyptian Magic Spells
    📍 Location: Museum, 2nd Floor.
    Drop-in any time between 1pm – 3pm and get creative.
    Children under 12 must be supervised by an adult. First come first served. You may be expected to wait until a space at a craft table becomes available.

It’s spooky season! Learn all about magic in ancient Egypt, with Egyptologist, Molly. Learn all about spells, those who cast them, and even write your own spell on papyrus paper!

This activity will include a 5-10 minute talk on Egyptian Magic Spells, and over an hour of poetry.

Meanwhile on Thursday 31 October, The Art Box will be buzzing with arts and crafts suitable for all the family as part of our Make It! Halloween Craft Session. There’s something for all ages, with all materials supplied and all for free!

Artist Ruth Moilliet demonstrates how to use recycled paper to create beautiful flowers and creepy crawlies. Add your artwork to Ruth’s ‘FoFo‘ exhibition or take it home.

Drop-in any time between 11am – 3pm and get creative.


You can learn more about Egyptian Shabtis on our Discover Ancient Egypt museum. Or see if you can spot any naughty Nu-Shabtis across the building as part of a brand new installation. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of our Egyptology Museum, we have invited contemporary artist Zahed Taj-Eddin to weave his Nu-Shabtis into the timeless narrative of artefacts permanently on display from the Goodison Collection. This new installation forges a poignant dialogue between the craftsmanship of the ancient and modern world.

These Nu-Shabtis have crossed over from the afterlife and are picking up some of our modern habits. This installation is fun for all the family.


Experience the magic of live theatre and music at The Atkinson. We look forward to welcoming There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly into our theatre.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. I don’t know why she swallowed a fly… but The People’s Theatre Company do!
And now you can too as they bring the world’s best loved nursery rhyme to life just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pam Adams’ best selling book!

With a captivating combination of live action, animation and puppetry, this magical re-telling of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is guaranteed to surprise and delight children and nostalgic adults in equal measure.

As a special Halloween treat you get to meet the spider at the end of the show! Spooky fancy dress encouraged.


We have plenty of activities tailored specifically for families. Come along and enjoy everything The Atkinson has to offer this October Half Term. Families are at the heart of what we do. See the full range of what we offer here.

Posted on 23 October 2024 under General news

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