Hands on Art Family Session: Mini Wooden Winter Cottages

Perth Art Gallery is hosting another one of its 'Hands on Art' family sessions on Sunday 6 December, and this one is all about the winter season. The session is called Mini Wooden Winter Cottages, and it's aimed at children aged 4 to 8. The idea is simple: kids get to build their own winter cottage, town, or village using reclaimed wood, so it's as much about making something from scratch as it is about the festive theme. All the materials are provided, so you just need to turn up with the little ones.

What makes this one a bit different from a standard craft morning is where the inspiration comes from. The gallery's own sculptures and paintings are right there on the walls and in the rooms, and the session encourages the kids to look at them while they work. It's a nice way to get them thinking about art and shape in a space they might otherwise just walk through, and the reclaimed wood gives the whole thing a tactile, hands-on feel that's hard to beat when you're working with younger children.

It's a family session, so the accompanying adult stays with the child throughout. If you've got a few kids, you can build a whole little winter village together rather than just a single cottage, which is a fun way to stretch the activity into something bigger. It's part of the wider 'Hands on Art' programme the gallery runs, so it's one of several family-focused workshops they put on across the year.

The session runs from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at Perth Art Gallery, 78 George Street, PH1 5LB. Tickets are £4, which excludes the booking fee, and the accompanying adult ticket is free, though it has to be booked at the same time. Booking is essential through Culture Perth & Kinross, and they do warn that spots fill up fast, so it's worth getting yours in early if you're planning to go.