Half-term and Halloween activities for kids across Sunderland

They are at National Glass Centre (NGC), Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens and Arts Centre Washington (ACW).

There are Halloween Family Fun Days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday October 23 and 25 at 1pm. Activities include creepy crafts, gruesome glass painting, a scavenger hunt and food.

The recommended age is four to seven. Sessions last last three hours and are £20 per child. Booking is essential.

On Tuesday and Saturday, October 24 and 28 NGC hosts Fantasy Glass Fusing workshops throughout the day. These are for children aged six+ and cost £12 per child. Youngsters will be given the chance to use coloured glass tiles and grains to make a sold glass artwork. Again, booking is essential.

At Museum & Winter Gardens families can visit the free, spectacularly popular Elmer and Friends: the Colourful World of David McKee exhibition, 10am-4pm. No booking needed. This features a celebration of more than 30 years of Elmer the Patchwork Elephant.

The Museum also hosts an Elmer and Friends Shadow Puppet Play on Wednesday, October 25, 1pm and 2pm, where youngsters can make their own puppets of David McKee’s characters, including Two Can Toucan and King Rollo. Tickets cost £2 and pre-booking is recommended.

Half-term begins with a bang at the Museum. Spooky Science Party on Monday, October 23 including amazing science demonstrations and spooky experiments with the Big Science UK organisation. The party is at 2.30pm, costs £4 per child (adults free) and is aimed at children aged four+.

ACW has a family play, I Spy With My Little Eye, on Saturday, October 28 at 2pm and 4.30pm. A family ticket admits four and costs £25. The play is suitable for anyone aged two to 102.

Another session, on the same day and at the same time will give young people aged 11 or over the chance to learn about the Japanese practice of haiku poetry.

The free two-hour workshop includes a ginko, which is a traditional Japanese haiku walk that helps develop observational skills.

This is only a taste of what is going on during half-term. There are many other activities, some of which are free. For more information and to book, visit www.sunderlandculture.org.uk.