Free Activities Galore at Reading Library Fun Palaces 2018

Free Fun Palace Event in Reading

READING Library Service will be hosting a day of fun, free events at libraries across the town on Saturday 6th October to celebrate the popular ‘Fun Palaces’ weekend.

Following on from the first Reading Fun Palace Day in 2017, this year families can look forward to a fun filled day of free activities for all ages and help make their local library a Fun Palace - with activities as wide ranging from treasure hunts and origami crafts, to Lego robot construction and slime making! The duck race is back by popular demand at Reading Central Library at 1.15pm in the Holybrook that flows under the library. Battle Library has a jam-packed day of science themed activities, including bottle rocket craft and a space quiz. At Caversham Library people can meet a local bee keeper and at Palmer Library there will be lots of board games. Tilhurst Library has a WWI themed poppy making session and at Whitley Library there will be a pottery making workshops. Fun Palaces is an ongoing national campaign promoting culture at the heart of every community, and each year offers a weekend of free events and activities – spanning arts, science, craft, tech, digital, heritage and sports – run by and for local communities.

Cllr Sarah Hacker, Reading’s Lead Member for Culture, Heritage and Recreation, said:

“I’m delighted we are taking part in Fun Palaces again this year across all Reading libraries. This great event brings the whole community together to share skills and offers free activities for all the family to enjoy. “We have an extensive programme of free events across the town’s libraries from duck races to arts and crafts, so Fun Palaces really is something that everybody can enjoy.”

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To find out more about Fun Palaces visit http://funpalaces.co.uk/about/what-is-a-fun-palace/ Follow Reading Libraries @ReadingLibrary on Twitter and @ReadingLibraries on Facebook or visit: www.reading.gov.uk/libraryevents A full timetable of events being held on the day is as follows:

Reading Central Library

10am-3pm Bugs and Butterflies craft – As part of our Fun Palace last year we created a garden with a difference but it’s missing some insects! Come and help us make some bugs and butterflies for our Library Garden. We will have all sorts of craft materials on hand from Origami paper to pipe cleaners. 10.30am – 11.30am Make a Beeswax Candlestick 12.15am – 1pm Make Your Own Snail Slime 1.15pm Duck Race – Join us for a rubber duck race in the Holybrook that flows under the library. Will you choose the winning duck? 2-3pm Robot Vehicle Introduction – Come along and build Lego vehicles and robots and make your creations move.

Battle Library

10.30am – 11.30am Bottle Rockets Craft 1pm-2pm Planetarium Craft Planets Treasure Hunt (all day) Space Quiz (all day with prize)

Caversham Library

10am – 12.15pm - Make Paper Plate birds. Suitable for 3 – 7 year olds approx 10am – 12.15pm - Meet members of Reading Bee Keepers Association 10am – 12.15pm - Make a Decorated Notebook - Suitable for 5 – 11 years approx 12pm – 2.30pm Try your hand at Letterpress printing 1pm – 2.30pm - Science Fun with Dr Phil the Water Wizard 12.45pm to 2.30pm - Learn how to make Origami Animals – for ages 7 to 70 12.45pm – 2.30pm - Board Game bonanza – Suitable for children and adults

Palmer Park Library

10am -1pm Fun and Games – Come along and try your hand at chess or challenge someone to a game of snakes and ladders. 10am-1pm Decorate a Door Hanger

Tilehurst Library

Come and make poppies for our window display celebrating the centenary of the end of World War One. Part of the Turn Tilehurst Red Campaign.

Whitley Library

11am-12pm Play with Clay – Come and a clay pot with New Directions. Pots will be taken away to be fired at the end of the session and can be collected the following week.