Spaghetti Squidging at hannah festival
hannah has four events that are especially suitable for families and young people, and they are all spaces for play, exploration, testing, learning through doing, sharing, and fun.
On Saturday June 12 the first event is Super Monster Spotters!
This event is chance to be involved in the very early stages of a worldwide iPhone game for families before it is released as a free app.
Super Monster Spotters encourages children to explore the physical world, and to make their own creative contributions to the game.
The game is in its very early stages, and is still rough and ready, but the event will give children and grown ups the chance try it out, have fun and make suggestions for improvements. Then the best suggestions will be put into action in new stages of the game, which they can then try out in turn. This process of trial and error is one of the ways that creativity happens, and Super Monster Spotters is a unique chance to be part of that. The event is being run by Leeds Monsterology Society, which is me and my friends Richard England and Richard Garside, two Leeds-based coders both with long track records of creative projects.
The event is suitable for children of 6 years and upwards. Groups of up to six people can take part together, but due to the nature of the game, one of those people must have an iPhone. The event is free, but we will only have time for five groups on the day so it is strictly first come first served sorry. Please register here.
Icky Sticky Kids is a messy play session for very young children, run by Nichola Cortese, who has been doing the sessions in Hebden Bridge for more than a year. Here is their Facebook page. In messy play, children play with and explore a variety of art and craft activities in their own time and own way.
Nichola tells me that what looks like a mess on the surface is a learning experience for your child! And even better, you don’t have to clean it up.
Icky Sticky Kids, and Super Monster Spotters, are both happening at Wharf Chambers, the fantastic city centre venue behind the Corn Exchange. Wharf Chambers has pushchair access at the back of the building.
On Sunday, the family and young people’s activities kick off with the Secret Robot event, which is being run by Emma Bearman and Playful Leeds.
Emma is planning something HUGE next year which is top secret, except I have been authorised to tell you it will definitely be to do with robots. The Secret Robot session is chance for children (including grown up ones) to come along and start making a robot, and to tell us what they think would be the amazingest thing that could possibly happen with robots in Leeds.
The event is free and open to all, but there is a limit on places so please register here.
In the afternoon, the theme of games continues with Meet the Game Makers, which is taking place at Travelling Man comic shop from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Yorkshire has one of the most vibrant game making communities in the UK, and in this unique event they’ll be encouraging you to come along and find out what they do and how they do it.
The developers behind some of Yorkshire’s most exciting games will be at this informal event to show you their latest projects and to talk to you about games, so if there’s anything you’ve ever wanted to know about making games, this is your chance to ask an expert.
The event is organised by Andrew Crawshaw and the Game Makers Yorkshire collective.