Arts & Culture Round-up: Summer is a-coming

The days are warming up. Summertime adventures are on their way. Like holidays abroad and staycations. Rambles through the woods, and excursions to the park. Afternoons spent with the children, splashing around in the paddling pool, squirting icy water at each other from a hose.

Hurray for everything these sunny days brings to childhood (and hurray for that much-needed boost of vitamin D, for us harried parents).

So that’s the end of our cultural exploits, right? Till September hits, and the nights start drawing in?

Wrong.

This month, I was struck by two beautifully written pieces, on theatre, the arts, and the way they interlace with childhood and day-to-day life. The first was called ‘Theatre, leave those kids alone‘, by Sue Buckmaster, Artistic Director of arts company Theatre-Rites. The second is a moving post by Dutch Courage, on how a performance starring an old friend provoked a night of nostalgia, regret, and renewed dreams.

Buckmaster, in her piece in the Guardian, said theatre can “help children to come to a gradual understanding of what they could be and what they might think about the world around them. ….it is through creating this truly imaginative, inquisitive and magical work that children really engage with the ideas laid before them.”

What I took from both of these posts, is that theatre works because people bring their own experiences into the auditorium, when they engage with the characters and worlds that are created before their eyes. And, even though theatre trips might be less frequent in the summer months, if characters, words and ideas are explored outdoors, then playing in a garden or a park can be just as rich a cultural experience as watching actors perform.

Take the challenge set up by Hattie from Free Our Kids, for instance. She’s asking bloggers to try and bring a children’s book to life, and started off by taking her own children outdoors, to follow the Snail Trail. This is something we definitely want to try….

As is the Art Playground in Cheltenham, which only runs for one more day but sounds tantalising, according to the Crazy Kids Cheltenham blog. Sonya Cisco, Annie Spratt and a few other bloggers have also been whetting our appetites for Summer festivals and all the fun to be had at them (especially the child-friendly festivals, like Camp Bestival). Mum Friendly was even able to get in on the warm-up act: a Camp Bestival-themed party by Big Fish Little Fish, who hold dance-music parties for children (and their parents) in different locations across London.

Then, of course, there’s those rainy afternoons. Several bloggers have written about ways to keep the children entertained if the sun doesn’t shine quite as brightly as we’d have liked. The Go To Mum reviews Maleficent, one of the latest films from Disney. Ninja Killer Cat writes about the British Museum, always a good bet for keeping the youngsters happy through bad weather. And, if it’s science/museum-type stuff you’re after, then Charlie Moos makes the Energy Show Live sound perfect.

Of course, even though it’s summer, there’s still plenty of artsy entertainment to be had. Here are a few of my favourite posts, including suggestions of things to do during the next couple of months:

In the Playroom: GaGa Theatre’s Up and Down, celebrating the work of Oliver Jeffers, playing across London and SW England

Not Another Mummy Blog: 50 Things to do in London Before You’re 5, a staggeringly comprehensive list; enough to fill a whole summer and more

Pigeon Pair and Me: Monski Mouse Baby Disco Dance Hall, on London’s South Bank all Summer; and Tove100, a celebration of the centenery of the Moomins creator, including MoominSummerMadness at the Polka Theatre, London

Raisie Bay: Hetty Feather, currently on tour

Max & Mummy: Pirate Gran, currently on tour

A Mum In London: how you can spend a London Summer in Style, in a Mayfair square

And finally: it’s over for this year, but how can we forget the Hay Festival of Literature? It’s already in my diary for 2015. Here’s a post by Small Bum Big Adventure on how she spent an enjoyable day surrounded by all that literary talent.

Have a great summer, everyone.

About Nell Heshram

Nell Heshram is a writer who blogs at the Pigeon Pair and Me. On her blog she shares tips on arts and culture for kids; family travel; and what's new in her home town of London.