Animal Tails: Winter Sleep

Animal Tails: Winter Sleep is at the Museum of Zoology on Friday 11 December, a family session for under-fives that takes children on a walk around the museum to see how animals cope with the cold. It's part of the museum's wider family activities programme, and the whole thing is built for the smallest visitors, so it's a good one if you've got a toddler or a preschooler who's always asking why things are the way they are.

The session starts with cosy stories that set the scene, and then you'll wander through the museum's collections, stopping to look at the animals that have found their own ways of getting through winter. It's a gentle way of introducing the idea of hibernation and how different creatures handle the drop in temperature, with the museum's displays acting as the backdrop. The craft comes at the end: every child gets to make their own hibernating bear to take home, so there's something to carry away after the stories and the walk.

It's a free event, and there are two sessions to choose from on the day: the first runs from 10:30 to 11:15, and the second from 11:30 to 12:15. All children must be accompanied by an adult, so it's a morning out for you and your little one. You'll find the Museum of Zoology on Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ.