LITTLE MONKEYS: Children will be able to make monkey puppets as part of a series of art and craft workshops inspired by The Bowes Museum’s collections at half term. Left, the museum’s painting, A School of Monkeys
LITTLE MONKEYS: Children will be able to make monkey puppets as part of a series of art and craft workshops inspired by The Bowes Museum’s collections at half term. Left, the museum’s painting, A School of Monkeys

THE Bowes Museum has unveiled its online programme for half-term.
There will be a week of family entertainment starting on Saturday, February 13, when families can join Julia Dunn, from the education team, in an online tutorial on the museum’s YouTube channel, showing how to make a Valentine’s card. On Monday, February 15, she’ll be creating a surprise spring craft on YouTube.
On Wednesday, February 17, some of the young curators from the recent Bouts Project will be posting a quiz for those aged 13 to 25 on the young people’s section of the museum’s website.
The winner will receive a contemporary version of the Bouts painting commissioned from the artist Rachel McGivern. The closing date for entries is 11.59pm on Sunday, February 28. On Thursday, February 18, children can learn how to produce money as Ms Dunn makes a Roman coin out of foil on the museum’s YouTube channel.
And they can discover more about your hidden talents in a mystery art challenge on Friday, February 19, on the same online platform.
The next day, budding crafters can find out how to make items inspired by items in the collection when the museum hosts a live virtual session.
Register at thebowesmuseum.org.uk by Friday, February 12, and you’ll be sent a free craft kit containing everything needed on the day, with the exception of scissors and colouring pens or pencils.
Ms Dunn will tour around the museum explaining the items that have inspired the crafts and then will take families step by step through the process of recreating them.
At 10am children will be able to have a go at making an origami house.
At 11am, they’ll find out how to make a handprint Silver Swan as they discover more about the museum’s most iconic object.
Then at 1pm, Ms Dunn will be in the ceramics galleries as she shows people how to create stained-glass patterns using tissue paper and finally at 2pm families can make a monkey puppet out of the envelope that the craft kits were packed in as Ms Dunn explains the story behind a painting called A School of Monkeys, featuring the cheeky animals.
All sessions will last about 20 minutes and those taking part will be able to access them via a unique link included in a confirmation email when registering.