Sorry for the gap in festival updates this week – been busy with little one’s first day at school etc, so not had too much of a chance to get out and about !

I thought I’d do a bit of a run through of some of my highlights so far in shows and activities as the last week of the fringe festival is fast approaching !

• Dinosaur Zoo – we saw this right in the first week and we loved it – it works for younger children obviously as they mostly love dinosaurs and the puppets are incrediably realistic but also for older kids as it’s very informative and interactive which I really enjoyed – there’s also a chance to meet and greet some of the dinosaurs after the show which was fab ! – on until 25th August

• Pirate Gran – we saw this last week and again it was great – I loved previous Scamp Theatre productions and this one had the same entertaining songs, cleaverly thought out set design (the set changes were infact one of the best bits of the show as mundane lounge furniture got trasformed into a pirate ship !) and fast paced storyline to keep everyone engaged. – on until 25th August

• Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and his singing tiger –  I managed to catch this show last week too – I absolutely loved the first Dr Brown kids show and this time Dr Brown is packing for an adventure and its a whole new delightful, funny, interactive show with the fantastic singing tiger melodically guiding us through! I love this show as it totally involves the audience and this is great for kids and also pretty brave for the performers as anything can and will happen !  They have just added two extra dates for the show – TOMORROW the 15th August and Saturday 16th August, both 11.30 in the Bosco Tent George Square Gradens – I highly recommend catching it while you can.

• A Simple Space – Although this is not strictly advertised as a kids show – it’s playful physical theatre that young people will both enjoy and be totally inspired by.  Seven Australian acrobats (who all happen to be gorgeous) playfully compete against each other and push themselves to their physical limits. My children sat entralled throughout the entire thing and it is awe inspiring – I didn’t manage to see this show last year and I am SO happy I saw it this time, its the best show I’ve seen so far this year and you leave feeling very very happy ! – On until the 25th August (not 18th)

• Celeste’s Circus – I personally haven’t seen this show, but a few friends have, and it comes highly recommended – I know its one of the few shows out there suitable for very young children and apparently they are loving it ! Hurry though, as it finishes this weekend on the 17th August.

You are not short of good places to hang out and for the kids to be entertained this August – I have had some great days out and about exploring activities on offer :

• Pleasance Kidzone – This is always a great place to hang out between shows or even just to go and absorb some of the festival atmosphere. They have some good arts and crafts activities on offer again this year, from shrinkie necklaces and keyrings, to painting your own mug, designing t-shirts or smaller things like decorating tiaras. I was pretty impressed that prices started at £1 and we spent a great morning making things and exploring the toys in the area. Theres also a little cafe with food and hot drinks which is always much needed !
• BBC area – By now you’ll know that I love this space and its a total gem of a place to go with the kids. They have free childrens events going on most days, have a fantastic kid friendly area with deckchairs, fake grass, a ping pong table and Ipads to play on ! The CBeebies weekends offer even more chilrens actvities including facepainting and you can even get your photo taken and then superimposed onto scenes so you can be a weatherperson, be hanging out in Albert Square or with the tardis or with Mr Bloom or the ZingZillas and best of all – its all for free. Do, do check it out !
• Edinburgh Book Festival – I was hanging out at the Book festival today and like previous years the childrens bookshop is a great place to spend some time with the kids exploring all the fantastic books and there’s a lovely area with cushions and shelves to spend some time getting lost between the pages. Then there is the always amazing storybox which offers arts and crafts activities everyday with a new theme daily and offer a range of activities around this as well as providing a cosy space with books and toys.

I’m just hoping I find some more time to get out and about and enjoy it all for a bit longer !