Mini Makers: Messy Play

Thursdays | 8 January, 5 February, 5 March, 16 April 2026 | 10.30am-12pm & 1.30pm-3pm Show all dates and times

Creative fun for little hands and feet in these informal art sessions.

Drop in | £2.50 per child, including babies | Adults go FREE* | Pay on the door

Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis

Herbert Entry fee applies for adults | Designed for ages 0 - 4

There is tons of creative fun for little hands and feet in this relaxed and engaging art session. Babies and toddlers will have the opportunity to explore various materials across the sessions including paint, glitter, paste, sand, clay, slimy spaghetti, chalk and much more.

Messy play is an important element of early childhood development, appealing to children’s curiosity and helping them to understand the world through their senses. These sessions will also expose them to early mark making, enabling them to develop good concentration, muscle control and encourage their imaginations.
Be prepared to get messy for both children and adults!

 

Upcoming themes:   

8 January – Ice Age Messy Play 
Get ready for a frosty fun adventure! Join us to create magical painted streams of colour and explore tuft trays full of icy wonders and incredible ice sculptures. Splash water, splash with paint dabbers, and use pipettes to make your mark! Discover the world of ice with soft cotton balls and stomp through colourful paint puddles like mighty Ice Age giants!

5 February – Magic & Mischief
Step into a world of enchantment and mythical creatures! Play in sensory trays as you mix magical potions, make a shimmering tin-foil moon and print fairy creatures with your hands. Fly through paint, then create dragon and unicorn footprints and watch as volcanoes erupt! Craft your own fiery volcano, and dive into mud, clay, and all kinds of wonderful mess!

5 March – World Book Day Special, The Tiger Who Came to Tea
You are invited to the most terrific tiger tea party this spring! Pounce through paint, leaving tiger-shaped footprints around the studio. Pour colourful petals into mint tea, ice and decorate rich tea biscuits, then create and take home your own stripey tiger mask. Join us for our annual World Book Day celebration with a retelling of The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr in our unique Sensory Stories and Rhymes sessions.

16 April – April Showers
It's raining, it's pouring, but Mini Makers is never boring!  Discover the fun of rain-based activities as we explore the colour blue with trays full of dyed rice, shredded paper, and hundreds of cotton wool balls, letting your little ones pretend they're floating in a rain cloud. Plus, get creative and experiment with mark-making using our water spray bottles, paint dabbers, pipettes, and puddle paint jumping.

 

It is advisable that you and your child wear items of clothing that you are happy to risk getting paint on. Whilst the paint is water based it may stain if not washed out quickly. Many of our regular visitors have a dedicated 'messy' outfit for the purposes of enjoying this session to its fullest extent, with a spare outfit to change into afterwards.