1. SCHOOL holidays have begun but parents needn’t worry about keeping kids amused – there’s plenty going on across the country. Search for missing dinosaur eggs along the woodland trail at RSBP Lochwinnoch or follow the Easter-themed trail around RSBP Scotland’s nature reserve at Loch Leven to find some wildlife, solve the puzzle and win a tasty treat. At Loch Lomond Nature Reserve there is a spring-time treasure hunt to help visitors pick out the signs of spring, from the first flowers to the birds singing in the trees.
2. GO quackers at the Giant Easter Duck Trail at WWT Caerlaverock in Dumfries and Galloway. Explore the wetlands to find the giant ducks hidden among trees, bushes and reeds, using the special activity cards provided. There are prizes for those who can find all the yellow ducks and as well as the trail there are other fun, duck-related activities over the Easter holidays. Visitors can also play Top Trumps with the giant Top Trumps cards dotted over the reserve.
3. THERE’S lots of family fun at Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life in Coatbridge all this week, including clay modelling and a brick engineering workshop where kids can build a motorised Lego model using special Lego kit. On Friday, the Toys Through Time event offers a chance to play a wide selection of toys from the distant and recent past, such as marbles, spinners, board games and retro computer games. Kids can try making peg dollies or bobbin tanks to take home.
4. IN Edinburgh, the science festival continues, offering stimulating talks and activities for all age groups. Today at the Pleasance the focus is on seafood with dishes to try and some surprising fishy tales. Also today, leading neuroscientist, author and popular science blogger Professor Kevin Mitchell will be exploring the genetic and neural underpinnings of disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy and examining the social and ethical implications of new technologies to predict or manipulate human traits.
5. IT’S the last chance to find out about the Scots who built the White House as the exhibition at Stirling’s Engine Shed ends on Friday. This features the seven Scottish stonemasons who left Edinburgh New Town for Washington DC in 1794 to help build the official residence of the President of the United States. The exhibition shows how the stonemasons honed their craft in Edinburgh as well as how their legacy survives in modern Scottish stonemasonry. Now in its second year, the award-winning Engine Shed showcases the country’s built heritage.
6. WHERE technology could take us is at the heart of “AI? OH AYE!” at the Lighthouse in Glasgow this week.
Recent technology has had a profound effect on our society and is still evolving. Here, Andrew Tibbles is presenting a “future museum” exhibiting artefacts and paraphernalia of what life could be like if an artificial intelligence (AI) gained a democratic majority in a country.
What would it take for humans to trust Siri above living, breathing politicians? With the Brexit bourach destroying most of the latter’s credibility, the exhibition, which runs until April 28, could hardly be more timely.
7. CULINARY inspiration by the plateful is being shared at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline tomorrow night, when the hairiest of cooks, the Hairy Bikers, take to the stage to tell stories and give cooking tips.
The authors of best-selling cook books, the pair have been cooking together for more than 20 years, creating dishes with Michelin-starred chefs and travelling the world in pursuit of good food, with many of their adventures featuring on their TV shows.
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