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Rug Rhymes Returns!

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Image Credit: 
India Roper-Evans

©
Image Credit: 
India Roper-Evans

Following our packed events at the Imagine Festival in February, we'll be running Rug Rhymes every Friday in May and June between 11.30am-12pm. It takes place in our Little Library space just outside of the National Poetry Library and we can also spread out into the foyer if required for social distancing.  

Rug Rhymes

©
Image Credit: 
Harpreet Kalsi
Puppet from Rug Rhymes

It was great to get our puppets out again. As well as animal puppets that we use to act out different poems & songs we have two special Poetry Library puppets who lead the sessions. Artist & poet Sophie Herxheimer made them for us back in 2013 when Rug Rhymes first started. We say that they’re Spanish poets who live with us in the National Poetry Library because Sophie made them while she was visiting Spain and they’ve become known as Federico (in honour of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca) & Firebird (pictured here).

Our sessions consist of traditional nursery rhymes, action songs and a rhyming picture book and poems, drawn from our children’s collection. We also mix up the theme each week. Over the years we’ve put together many different sessions, animals are a big favourite from the specific — bears, cats, dogs, owls, to more general — pets, jungle, zoos and under the sea. We have themes that appeal to young children like bodies, food, transport, seasons and festival days, and we’ve also marked Southbank Centre festivals such as WOW (Women of the World) and Poetry International. The theme of our recent Imagine sessions was Back Together with a focus on children being able to attend parties again, and on Friday 3 June Federico and Firebird will be partying hard as we mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, with rhyming on the theme of celebration and parties. 

Rug Rhymes is free and unticketed — just turn up — but please contact us if you have any questions.

The dates of the sessions can be found here on the Southbank Centre website:

https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/rug-rhymes-0