Ways to Play: May Half Term

This May half term families are invited to enjoy a great value day out across museums and galleries on Tyneside.  

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) and Tyne and Wear Metro are continuing their award-winning partnership to offer families low-cost fun days out.  

At a time when everyone is conscious of rising costs, Tyneside’s museums are offering a range of high quality, low-cost events at well-loved family destinations across South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Newcastle and Gateshead. All of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums’ venues are near a Metro station, so families can take advantage of free travel for children under 11, with a fare paying adult.  

The Ways to Play campaign is inspired by the range of ways a child can play, and encourages children to be active, creative and imaginative. Highlights of the Ways to Play programme include: a Family Arts Festival at Shipley Art Gallery; Heritage Train Rides at Stephenson Steam Railway and a whole host of family-friendly activities at Discovery Museum.  

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums first partnered with Tyne and Wear Metro on the Ways to Play campaign in Summer 2021. The campaign has since received recognition at the North East Culture awards in 2022 by winning Best Arts and Business Partnership, as well as the best Not for Profit Marketing Award at the North East Marketing Awards in December 2022. It was also shortlisted at the Museum + Heritage Awards in May 2023 for Partnership of the Year. 

Download accompanying imagery here.
Click to view the Ways to Play webpage.

The full list of events include: 
 
Discovery Museum: 
Family Challenge: Build A Bridge 
Prepare for the latest family challenge this May half term at Discovery Museum and get your engineering thinking caps on. Experiment with different bridge shapes to see which is the strongest, then build a bridge on a budget.  
Build a City 
Join the team and get creative and build a LEGO™ city together on a huge scale, to celebrate Newcastle upon Tyne being granted city status on 3 June 1882. 
Train Master 
It's all aboard at Discovery Museum! If you care for a child who loves trains this event is not to be missed. Train Master are toy-train party experts who will lay a giant toy train track in the Great Hall for little visitors to explore. Bring your budding conductors, Thomas and Chuggington enthusiasts to get their hands on this huge toy, try out the ride-on train and play with the train roller coaster. 
 
Discover what’s on at Discovery Museum 
 
Great North Museum: Hancock: 
Discover, Listen & Try 
Join the museum team this May half term for an enchanting exploration into the hidden realms of nature. Craft your own butterflies, move mindfully to melodic flute music, and listen to the secret sounds of underwater worlds. Meet experts along the way who will reveal the mysteries of fluttering creatures and engage in a hands-on bio blitz. Discover a world of wonder waiting just beneath the surface. Get ready for a journey of discovery and hands-on fun! 
 
Mythquest AR Adventure 
Download the Mythquest app before or during your visit and experience an interactive journey as you explore the museum and learn about myths from around the world.  
Space Investigators North East 
This immersive exhibition will take you on a multi-sensory journey into the hidden worlds of the Universe. There's so much to learn about how advances in technology are constantly unveiling new areas of the Universe for us to investigate. 

Discover what’s on at Great North Museum: Hancock 
 
Stephenson Steam Railway:  
Heritage Train Rides 
Take a four-mile return trip following the route of the coal trains from the collieries to the River Tyne behind a vintage locomotive in our 1950s passenger carriages. It’s the perfect experience for train-lovers and families.  
Teddy Bear’s Picnic 
Invite along your favourite bear to enjoy a heritage train ride! Collect a train ticket for your furry friend and create a teddy bear passport at the activity table in the museum. There will be entertainment from the Moss Troopers, with puppet shows featuring Reynard the Fox, Isengrim the Wolf and other critters. Join them for animal tales throughout the day. 
Bio Blitz 
Stephenson Steam Railway has been awarded National Heritage Lottery Funding to develop a Woodland Walk at our site. As part of this, we are working alongside the Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) and Environment Records Information Centre to hold a bio-blitz event. At this event, you will be able to get involved in finding and recording as many species of plants, animals and fungi that live on our site. We will also be offering nature-based craft activities for families to get involved in. 
 
Discover what’s on at Stephenson Steam Railway 
 
South Shields Museum & Art Gallery: 
Tremendous Tuesday: Free Family Craft Activities 
Explore the paintings in the art gallery, before heading into the Learning Room to create a moving fish using different coloured papers.   
 
Discover what’s on at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery 
 
Segedunum Roman Fort: 
Marvellous Monday: Free Family Craft Activities  
The Romans sometimes used mosaic tiles to decorate their floors and walls. Design and make your own decorative mosaic on a coaster. 
 
Discover what’s on at Segedunum Roman Fort 
 
Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort: 
Crafty Romans: Free Family Craft Activities 
Make your own wildflower seed bomb to plant at home using recycled paper.  
 
Discover what’s on at Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort 
 
Hatton Gallery: 
Summer half term Children’s Workshop: Print & Collage Fun 
Drop into the Hatton Gallery to create your own piece of artwork, whilst learning some new art techniques.  
Summer half term Children’s Workshop: Monotprinting Fun 
Come along and learn some different printmaking techniques. Add to your art knowledge and create pieces to add to your portfolio for school or art courses. 
 
Discover what’s on at Hatton Gallery 
 
Shipley Art Gallery: 
Family Arts Festival 
Underwater Ceramics  
This session is inspired by the ceramics on display. Here you'll find ceramics decorated with fish designs and learn about artists who've been inspired by aquatic nature. You can then create your own crafts inspired by underwater creatures - choose to make an octopus with wavy legs, or a paper fish that really moves. If you have time, you might even be able to make both.  
 
Create a Keepsake Box 
Use airdrying clay to shape small decorations to add to your box; and a variety of tools to make marks such as patterns or your name. At home, let you box dry for 24hr, then paint it yourself if you'd like to add colour. 
 
Discover what’s on at Shipley Art Gallery 
 
ENDS -  
Media contact: sallie.ball@twmuseums.org.uk 
 
About Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM)    
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) is a major regional museum, art gallery and archives service. We manage a collection of nine museums and galleries across Tyneside and the Archives for Tyne and Wear. These include the Great North Museum: Hancock, Laing Art Gallery, Hatton Gallery and Discovery Museum in Newcastle; South Shields Museum & Art Gallery and Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort; Segedunum Roman Fort & Museum in Wallsend; Stephenson Steam Railway in North Shields; and Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead. 
 
TWAM is supported by the four local authorities in Tyneside and Newcastle University. TWAM is also a National Portfolio Organisation funded by Arts Council England.    
TWAM holds collections of international importance in archives, art, science and technology, archaeology, military and social history, fashion and natural sciences.   
 
Tyne and Wear Metro’s take the kids for free offer:  
https://bit.ly/47wVqPH