Doodle Den: Playful Protests Online

Sarah Gaffney-Lang, Families Editor

Visit now

Doodle Den: Playful Protests at People's History Museum

31 January-31 December 2021

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

doodle den at people's history museum, young girl using thick marker pen to drawer on a glass panel
Book now

People’s History Museum invite you to pick up a pen and explore your creativity in your very own Doodle Den.

Throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic – with lockdowns and other restrictions, many of us have been getting creative at home. Interest in many art forms has boomed, encouraging new immersive hobbies galore. It’s fair to say that getting creative has provided solace for many during such trying times and programmes like Grayson’s Art Club and the Great British Sewing Bee have been excellent company.

The People’s History Museum has created a range of online resources (which are available on their website) to get you scribbling, sketching, and joining in the arty silliness.

There are three simple steps: create a den – anywhere in the house, using whatever you have to hand, think bedsheets, cushions, or behind pieces furniture. Arm yourself with materials to draw, paint or stick with – felt tips, crayons, paint – even flour (if they are reused or recycled then you get extra points!) and then choose one (or more) of the six themes to explore using various mark-making techniques. Topics include climate change, equal pay, votes for all, migrant rights, and LGBT+ Pride.

Art and drawing are a peaceful, but highly effective way to protest from the comfort of a cosy Doodle Den.

Once your creations are complete, do share them on social media (just use the following handles: Facebook, Twitter (@PHMMcr) or Instagram (@phmmcr) and they may even make it onto PHM’s website highlight reel).

This is an online activity, suitable for kids aged 5 and up.

Recurring dates

Where to go near Doodle Den: Playful Protests Online

Open Kitchen Cafe and Bar
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Open Kitchen Cafe and Bar

Enjoy a sustainable, ethical, and delicious food experience at Open Kitchen Cafe & Bar, the in-house restaurant and bar at People’s History Museum.

Manchester
Restaurant
Albatross & Arnold

Albatross and Arnold is a smart and modern bar-restaurant in the Left Bank area of Spinningfields, with an impressive selection of high-quality cocktails.

Manchester
Restaurant
Menagerie

Based in Salford, Menagerie is a bar and restaurant with a focus on luxury and theatrical thrills.

Spinningfields
Restaurant
Australasia

The recent revamp builds on Australasia’s well-deserved reputation as one of Manchester’s most stylish venues

Manchester
Restaurant
BLVD Manchester

Taking over the space formerly occupied by Neighbourhood, BLVD promises ‘exceptional food and drink’.

City Centre
Bar or Pub
The Oast House

A rustic Kentish Oast House (that’s a traditional hop-drying shed, of course) plunked down amidst the glass and steel corridors of Spinningfields.

Tattu Chinese restaurant Manchester
City Centre
Restaurant
Tattu

Tattu is pulling out all the stops for Halloween, with five days of special cocktails and dishes, plus a Sunday sunset dinner and more.

Club Vino
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Club Vino

Wine-tasting company ran by Italian sommelier and ex-wine merchant Marco Castelanelli. Offering at-home tasting experiences, along with special events in various high-end locations around Manchester.

Manchester
Restaurant
Honest Burgers

This burger joint focuses on high-quality burgers and sides, homemade using local produce. After a series of pop-ups they’ve found a permanent home on Bridge Street in the centre of Manchester.

What's on: Families

A Christmas Carol at Bolton Octagon
Until
FamiliesBolton
A Christmas Carol

Bringing music, laughter and a welcome dose of festive cheer, a brand-new adaptation of the Dickensian classic is the perfect festive treat for families this Christmas.

From £15.00

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Manchester’s starting the new year with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

Textured portrait image of Jarman
Theatre in the North

Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.

A doll with makeup peeks out of a hanging wall of butter yellow fabric. Red and black threads descend and cascade around the doll.
Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.