Stroud Wassail will be back at the Museum with Morris sides, singing and music, wassailing, and general merrymaking. Wassailing is a collection of folk traditions designed to bring communities together in mid-winter and encourage a good harvest. Young wassailers are invited to come dressed as their favourite ‘beast’ and will be able to join in with the Beast Dance.

Outdoor event, weather permitting, with additional music performances in the Walled Garden Pavilion.

Everyone welcome, free community event, drinks and snacks available to buy, donations very welcome.

We’ve been inspired by the toys and sculpture made by Robert Race. Come and make a Talking Peg Head or a Climbing Buddy to try some of Robert’s creative ideas. Perhaps you’ll be inspired by his artwork Another Rubbish Year and create a memory matchbox too. 

Ideal for ages 5+, but all ages welcome. Suggested donation £1 per child.

You may wish to visit the exhibition too, but please be aware that you may have to wait - gallery visitor numbers are being limited to keep the fragile exhibits safe.

Taking inspiration from the fabulous creations of Robert Race, come and make your own flapping bird, butterfly or wiggly snake. A fun, accessible workshop for everyone run by artist Alison Cockcroft. Drop in between 11am and 3.30pm, head up to the Garden Pavilion and enjoy making!

Ideal for ages 5+, for grown ups and their children to enjoy together.

FREE but donations very welcome - suggested donation £1 per child.

Please note that gallery visitor numbers are being limited to protect the fragile exhibits - if you wish to see Robert Race’s sculptures you may have to wait to be admitted.

Taking inspiration from the fabulous creations of Robert Race, come and make your own flapping bird, butterfly or wiggly snake. A fun, accessible workshop for everyone run by artist Alison Cockcroft. Drop in between 11am and 3.30pm, head up to the Garden Pavilion and enjoy making!

Ideal for ages 5+, for grown ups and their children to enjoy together.

FREE but donations very welcome - suggested donation £1 per child.

Please note that gallery visitor numbers are being limited to protect the fragile exhibits - if you wish to see Robert Race’s sculptures you may have to wait to be admitted.

Switch off your smartphones and digital devices and come along to find out what games our great-great-grandparents played. Explore together and play with as you try out the oldest toys in the world, play traditional board games and try out some toys from the past. Hands-on, interactive fun for all ages – drop in between 11am and 3.30pm and head to the Pavilion at the top of the Walled Garden!

FREE, donations very welcome - suggested donation £1 per child.

Take a look at the old-fashioned Valentines on display upstairs in the Museum and then have fun making a card or keepsake for a loved one or friend. A drop-in workshop for all ages, but children need to be accompanied by parents or carers. Free, donations welcome.

Wassailing will be back outside the Museum in the Park on the afternoon of Saturday 22 February … expect a madcap mix of music, morris dancing, mayhem and merriment! Come along between 1.30pm and 3.30pm, everyone welcome whether you are wearing your raggy coat or finest attire. Come dressed up as your favourite Beast if you so wish!

This is an outdoor community event, weather permitting, free but donations very welcome. Hot drinks and cakes available to buy inside the Museum.

We are trialling pre-bookable sessions aimed at families with neurodivergent children who need a quieter environment to enjoy these activities.

Try painting with brushes made from foraged natural materials and use scrap paper to create a landscape.  Think about looking after our natural environments by playing our recycling game and use some cool science to create your own Earth inspired artwork. Enjoy our natural garden games and add a paper flower, tree or plant to our paper garden. Tell us what your favourite wild animal is by adding to our voting wall, before exploring the Museum with our landscape themed trail. We invite you to discover and explore together through this range of family-friendly activities designed to bring the theme of natural landscapes alive.

Designed for families with children over 5 years old who need a quieter, calmer experience. We ask other visitors to please understand that spaces during this session are reserved for families with children with this need.

The session will run between 2pm and 3pm. All activities are optional, and we will encourage and support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose.

£1 per child, booking required. Book online here or call 01453 763394.

Try painting with brushes made from foraged natural materials and use scrap paper to create a landscape.  Think about looking after our natural environments by playing our recycling game and use some cool science to create your own Earth inspired artwork. Enjoy our natural garden games and add a paper flower, tree or plant to our paper garden. Tell us what your favourite wild animal is by adding to our voting wall, before exploring the Museum with our landscape themed trail.

We invite you to discover and explore together through this range of family-friendly activities designed to bring the theme of natural landscapes alive.

Designed for families with children over 5 years old. Drop in between 11am and 1pm.

£1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Drop in and meet artist Natasha Houseago, who will be working on her new sculpture in the Museum Courtyard (weather permitting!). She’s creating a ‘Pledgehog’ for the Gloucestershire Archives Green Pledge Project and you can make a pledge to help nature and wildlife while you watch her work. You can also ask Natasha why she was so inspired by the humble hedgehog!

This half term we’ll be joined by the Green Pledge Project from Gloucestershire Archives.  We’ll be exploring how the local landscape has changed over the last few centuries and imagining how it might look in the future.  We’ll be making our own Landscape in a Box.

We’ll start by looking at maps, photos and other material from Gloucestershire Archives as well as visiting the museum’s landscape change gallery for inspiration.  We’ll talk about how and why the Stroud area has changed and share ideas for how it might look in the future. Then we’ll choose whether to create a historic or future landscape in our box.  We’ll then use scrap and recycled materials to build our landscape and include a message about the changes of the past or the hopes for the future inside the lid.

For children aged 7-11 and their parents/grandparents to enjoy together. All materials supplied, just bring your imagination!

Free but booking required – book online or call 01453 763394