Elf Academy: Adventure at the Museum

Elf Academy: Adventure at the Museum is on at The Box on Saturday 5 December, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. It's a festive family session where children work their way through a round of Christmas-themed activities to earn the title of 'Expert Elf'.

The evening is built around a few different stations. There's The Elf Bakery, where they'll decorate a cookie; The Toy Workshop, where they'll make a Christmas gift; a spot to practise the art of expert wrapping; and a station for mixing reindeer food to fuel Santa's helpers. Every child gets a certificate at the end to mark their graduation. It's designed for children accompanied by a responsible adult, so it's one of those things you do with them rather than drop them off for.

If you haven't spent much time there, The Box is Plymouth's award-winning museum, art gallery and archive, just a short walk from the city centre. It was nominated for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026 and houses thousands of natural history specimens, a full-size replica woolly mammoth, works of art, and archive film and photography. There are research facilities for tracing local or family history, and entry to the museum itself is free with no booking needed. Throughout the year they run a programme of family activities, free storytelling, talks and live music, and there's a kitchen and bar serving local produce on site. This session is part of their festive offering, so it's one of several Christmas things they've got on.

Tickets are £10 for adults and £10 for children, and the whole thing runs from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on Saturday 5 December at The Box, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, PL4 8AX.