11 Ateliers this Spring in Paris
written by Linda Mak
It’s time to book your child’s spot in the Spring Ateliers
If you’re spending some time in Paris over the upcoming Spring Break (April 1-17th), check out our list of Ateliers aka Workshops. Let your little ones explore their creative sides and give yourself a break for a couple of hours. Some ateliers can be child-solo or with a parent. They’re conducted in French and some are even free! But booking is essential, so read on and start making plans tout suite!
Musée du Louvre
Naturally, The Louvre always has loads of workshops and guided talks for kids and families. Over the holidays there are 2-hour workshops every day, except Tuesday, starting at 10h30. Most of the workshops are for ages 6 and up, either with a parent or alone. Some highlights will include ‘Carnet de Voyage…dan le temps’ for families with children over 8, where you travel back in time to observe the art during the century of Louis XIV and assemble your own travel scrapbook. Or also check out the more modern ‘Oervre animée’, a workshop conducted along with the Petit Galerie, for 8-12-year-olds where you can learn to turn a painting into an animated GIF. Reservations can be made on the phone or in person, 2 weeks prior, 15 euro full, 9 euro reduced. Check out the full calendar here.
Centre Georges Pompidou
The Pompidou has a great reputation for having fun workshops to help prune your budding Picasso. Two of the upcoming Spring holiday ateliers, ‘Couleur Animées’ (2 hours, ages 6-10) and ‘Ricochet des coleurs’ (1.5 hours, ages 2-5 with family), will be run by the folks at Hélium, the children’s book publishers. During the holidays the workshops are held every day, except Tuesdays, and cost 10 euro per child or 10 euro for child + adult.
There’s also the ongoing collaborative art session called ‘La Fabrique’, for ages 9-12, held for 3 hours every day except Tuesdays. Check out the ‘La Fabrique’ blog to see what they’re cooking up and you can book a spot here.
Palais de Tokyo
“Les atelier Tok Tok”, has always been an MLP favourite. This season there’s an extensive list of fun workshops including ‘Survival Kit for Little Explorers’, in a session focused on artist Abraham Poincheval, or creating cloud catching machines in a workshop dedicated to the exhibition of Mel O’Callaghan, or entering the everyday object world of artist Taro Izumi.
During the holidays the 2-hour workshops are held every day (except Tuesday and Sunday) for ages 5-10, 12 euro per child at 14h30. Reserve online here.
Palais de Tokyo also has 2-hour Sunday family workshops, ages 5+, with a parent at 16h on every Sunday in April.
Little Villette
Little Villette (a dedicated kids space in Paris), has workshops for children and parents or child solo on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Check out Lego Coding just for ages 8-12, on Saturdays April 1 or 22, for 11 euro per child.
Or join the Gardening Club , for ages 6-12, with a parent on Saturday, April 11th. And for the little ones, aged 3-6 there’s a bees and gingerbread workshop ‘Miel et Pain D’Épices’ on April 13 and 22nd. See Little Villette’s full offering here.
Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie
The clever people at the Science and Industry Museum have teamed up with LEGO ® Education and have new robotics workshops for ages 7-9 and 9-12. The workshops last 1h30 and will happen every day except Monday during the holidays. They cost 12 euro per child and you can find out more info and book online here.
There’s also a huge range of science classes that last the full day (10-17h30) or for two days. The topics include Astronomy, Searching for Extraterrestrials, Biology and even a perfume workshop. For ages 6-14 and the cost is 95 euro for the 1-day workshops and 145 euro for the 2-day workshops. Check out the full list and times here.
Arts Du Cirque
Second Square – Junglopolis at the Carreau du Temple 13-16 April
If the circus arts are your thing, how about a Juggling workshop? For four days at the Carreau du Temple, the multi-purpose sports and cultural complex in the 3rd arrondissement, there are short classes on how to juggle everything from balls, bags and bar utensils. Most of the workshops are free with registration and last 45 minutes.
Check out the full schedule here. Plus, beyond juggling, there’s even a hula hoop class for 7-12 year olds on April 15+16, 14h to 14h30.
Jardin des Plantes
Create art with nature, discover the plant collections, be inspired by botany or paint like Rousseau. The 2-hour ateliers (from14h-16h) for ages 5-13, “Éveil et art au jardin’ and ‘Comme le Douanier Rousseau – Créatif Autour des Plantes!‘ are free, reservations are required and the full program of events and activities is downloadable here. Both workshops run during the school holiday weekdays, and also on Wednesday outside of the holidays. For more information contact Anne-Salvia Demarchi, 01 40 79 57 81 or demarchi@mnhn.fr
Musée des Arts Décoratif
The Museum of Decorative Arts has a huge range of 2-hour workshops, for age groups 4-6, 7-10 and for the family (4+). The atelier that looks particularly inviting to this Mama is the ‘Les Enfants, À Table!’ for 4-6-year-olds, or the ‘Mon set de table’ for 7-10-year-olds which lets them discover the art of table setting through time. This class could come in handy for dinner parties! Tickets are 12 euro each and you can even book online here.
For a more intensive art class, the Les Arts Décoratif offer 4-day, 2-hour courses from April 3-6 and April 10-13. They have painting/drawing for age groups 5-7, 6-9, 9-12, and also printmaking (ages 8-11), modelling (ages 9-14), fashion design (ages 12-14) and comic drawing and animation (ages 12-15). The fees range from 140-180 euro per course. Program and registration forms can be downloaded here. To apply you need to fill out the form and send it in.
Institut du Monde Arabe
Visit the latest exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe, The Barjeel Collection, which includes 100 masterpieces of modern and contemporary Arab art and it’s on view for the first time in France. Then deepen your experience with ‘L’œil du collectionneur’ a 2-hour family workshop. On every Saturday until April 15th, at 14h30, suggested for ages 6 and over. Parent + Child 13 euro, extra child 6 euro. You can book online here.
Parc Zoologique de Paris
Some animals have escaped you it’s your job to find them! On Saturdays thru the whole month of April, there’s a team game to save the animals. It’s free with the purchase of the zoo ticket, but you must reserve here and places are limited. Also during the month of April, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Zoo is offering a full day camp experience, called ‘Journée Découverte’, for ages 8 and up for 75 euro each. The day will include a tour of the zoo, a workshop to build an insect hotel and the game mentioned above. Book here and discounts are given for multiple tickets.
Musée en Herbe – Grafitti Artist in the Making
This small all-ages museum has a few things planned during the holidays. Their ‘Maxi z’Ateliers’ are for ages 5-12, cost 10 euros and are held at 15h30 and 17h during the break. The 1-hour workshops include things like stencilling, mosaics, and mask and t-shirt making. The theme revolves around their current Space Invader exhibit and the full program can be downloaded here. For the younger kids, there’s also ‘Baby Ateliers’ for ages 2 ½ – 4 ½ with a parent.
AND THERE’S MORE COMING SOON…
There’s still more to discover during the holidays and as the holidays approach, more museums will update their calendars. One not to forget is the Musée de Poche ! And here are some others to keep in mind:
Villa Vassileiff
This unassuming yet inspiring art space was the former home of the Musée du Montparnasse and originally the studio of Marie Vassilieff. The Villa Vassileiff is now occupied and managed by Bétonsalon – the center for art and research. Despite being tucked in the shadow of Montparnasse Tower, the space is full of light and air and is a wonderful environment to shift into a creative gear. For 6-12 year olds on Saturdays and during the school breaks. As of this MLP posting their schedule was not completed for Spring, but check them out when their site is updated here.
Musée du Quai Branly
Discover the art and culture of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas at the Musée du Quai Branly. On Sunday, April 9th from 14h-18h there will be a family event. The full-program will be available here soon.
Le Jardin d’Acclimatation
Not only is the Jardin d’Acclimatation a wonderful place for a small day trip, there are also children’s workshops held daily during the holidays. Check out their website to download their calendar of activities including cooking, crafts and even organic perfume making. The full program will be updated soon and downloadable here.
For more great ideas for the Spring season in Paris check out our What to do this Spring in Paris post! Or perhaps you fancy a cooking class for the kids? Either way there are plenty of ideas on the site, stay and look around for tonnes of inspiration.
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