Kids at Nine Worlds

We've put together a panoply of sessions and activities suitable for children and their adults at this year's Nine Worlds. If you'd like to run anything on top of this, we're open to further suggestions and happy to help bring your suggestion to life!

Kids space

Our kids coordinator Helena will be based in the kids space in Cognac from 10am 'til 5pm each day, near refreshments, outdoor space and the gaming area. She'll stock the space with activities for children of all ages; including games, lego and crafts, and these will remain available out of hours as well.

Kid-friendly sessions

There will be a mini programme printed with 15+ hours of kid-friendly sessions which the fantastic content organisers have put together; including items on cosplay, horror, writing workshops and even biscuits, but don't forget to look at the full programme too. There may well be items that are not specifically marked kid-friendly but are right up your own child's street. Any items with adult content are clearly marked. You can collect this from the info desks.

Friday

• 8.30am-9.45am - Friday morning TV time - Join other parents and children to relax and enjoy a spot of geeky children's cartoonage while you build your energy levels and make plans for the day.
• 1.30pm-4.15pm - The Great Arcade - For a brief, glorious few hours on Friday afternoon, Cremant (our Great Hall of Nine Worlds) will become a vast space hosting games of all kinds, for all kinds. From parlour and paper games to multiplayer button mashing, we'll have all sorts to bring out your playful side! Join our crowdsourced Hearthstone run, take part in our Click Clack Lumberjack tournament, play plenty of solo and group games, or do your own thing in our comfy handheld hangout zone - game on! The Arcade has games and activities for a mix of ages, including kids only, adults only and all ages.
• 5pm-6pm - Powerless Fathers and Other Mothers: Examining family-friendly horror - A talk on how horror films and television suitable for younger viewers can be genuinely frightening for all ages. By examining fundamental fears many of us share and questioning what makes horror truly horrifying, this talk aims to show that a PG-rating doesn't always limit a film's ability to tap into our deepest fears and stay with us long after watching it. With a brief introduction to the idea of what makes a horror, the talk's focus will be on films such as Coraline, Return to Oz and The Witches, as well as various fairy tales and some not-so-successful family horror films
• 5pm-6pm - Costume Design in Star Wars: A Visual Journey - Pop culture writer Gavia Baker-Whitelaw delves into the hidden subtext of Star Wars costumes, from Poe Dameron's jacket to the real-world origins of Queen Amidala's impressive wardrobe. A visual presentation exploring all seven Star Wars movies to date, plus some thoughts on the upcoming spinoff Rogue One.
• 5pm-6pm - Colouring for Geeks: Fandom Colouring, Colouring Books and All Things Colourful - Come and colour with us! We've got geeky colouring books and supplies for a relaxed session with a geeky theme.

Saturday

• 8.30am-9.45am - Saturday morning TV time - Join other parents and children to relax and enjoy a spot of geeky children's cartoonage while you build your energy levels and make plans for the day.
• 10am-11am - Strong in the Real Way - Welcome, younglings! If you like to write, draw, and create, "Strong In The Real Way" is the session for you. We'll be creating our own flash fiction and illustrations, and thinking about what makes our favourite heroine or hero strong - whether that's their cool powers, their kindness towards others, their bravery, or something else!
• 3.15pm-4.15pm - Kaiju Kavalcade - Tokyo trashin' titans and kolossal kaiju abound in this panel discussion and fun activity workshop. Hosts Travis and Luca will be your guides through Japanese monster movie history, followed by a discussion on who rules the roost: Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra? Finally, a design-your-own kaiju kontest!
• 6.45pm-7.45pm - EWOKS! - Ewoks, a shameless commercial creation or the creatures that crushed an empire?

Sunday

• 9am-9.45am - I am I am I am - a young people's session - Younglings and guardians (of the galaxy), welcome to 'I Am, I Am, I Am.' In this writing workshop, we're going to be reflecting on who we are; the traits, dreams, identities, and unique qualities that make us into us! Under-18s only, with guardians of younger children welcome as observers.
• 9am-9.45am - The Fandom Awakens - A general squee session for Star Wars: the Force Awakens fans to enthuse about the latest film, and to share excitement for the next one.
• 10am-11am - Weird Science: a science-themed craft session for kids - Science themed craft activities for children aged 3-11.
• 11.45am-12.45pm - Harry Potter Fancrafting - Sew a wizard's hat head decoration or a Hedwig brooch/finger puppet. There will also be printed puzzles available. For all ages.
• 1.30pm-2.30pm - Geeky Biscuit Decorating - Fun, chilled session for people to put icing and various sugary things on biscuits to create some geeky designs themed around Pokemon, My Little Pony, Harry Potter and X-Men, or make your own design.

Support and behaviour

Parents are welcome to breastfeed anywhere at the convention. If you’re harassed while breastfeeding, please do let a volunteer know, and we’ll deal with it. We've also marked changing spaces on the venue map.

If you need hot water for warming bottles, or need baby food warmed, please go to the hotel restaurant on the first floor. Staff there are always happy to help. There is 24/7 room service so the kitchen is always open, even outside restaurant service hours. In the unlikely event that nobody can be found, the staff on hotel reception can call someone for you. Either convention info desk or the restaurant staff can also help find somewhere quiet for feeding children.

Families (and everyone else) are welcome to come in and out of sessions as required: we just ask that they be as quiet and respectful as they can whilst doing so. All sessions welcome kids and teenagers: a minority are marked as 18+ or [Adult Content] in the guide.

We’re also not enforcing rules on mobile phones, as we know lots of our attendees are parents who may need to be called away: we just ask that attendees are respectful of this by only using phones if necessary, and answering them outside the room where possible.

Our kid-friendly sessions and facilities are not childcare - they exist for children and their carers to take part in together, but you are responsible for your children at all times. There's private child minding available from Event Childcare who will provide parents with an ad hoc child minding service. Advance bookings are recommended to ensure availability. Call Aimee Wiggins at Events Childcare on 07557 043736 to discuss rates and availability.