Following the success of last year’s The Imaginarium, we’re very excited to announce our brand new play space for 2026 – The Colour Lab. To find out more, we caught up with LEARN Coordinator (and the brains behind the operation!), Dion Saunders.
If you’re already mentally scrolling through the six weeks of summer wondering how to keep curious little people busy, I’ve got something for your diary to kick off the break.
The Colour Lab opens in the Taunton Brewhouse Gallery on Friday 24 July. It’s a drop-in play space I’ve created for children and their grown-ups, built entirely around the joy of colour. It runs until 14 August and is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10.30am to 2pm. You just turn up, pay £2.50 per child on the door (adults go free), and the space is yours for as long as you like.
There’s no timetable, no register, no pressure. Just a gallery full of hands-on activity stations waiting to be explored. Each area is designed to be genuinely open-ended, so children can follow their curiosity wherever it leads. There’s something quietly wonderful about watching a child discover something for themselves, and that’s exactly the spirit The Colour Lab is built on. There will be worksheets to guide you, but it’s for you to explore.
The gallery also features PocKit Robot: Nature Adventures created by the Somerset-based Hyper-Mouse Films. The episodes star two tiny (but infinite!) aliens, disguised as a toy robot, who chance upon Earth and decide to stay – truly blown away by all the life and wonders they find here.
The space is suitable for all ages – whether you’re bringing a toddler, a seven-year-old, or a grandchild who’s hard to impress. All children must be accompanied by an adult, and all adults must be accompanied by a child. A friendly facilitator will welcome you in, give you a tour and hand you an information sheet explaining what’s on offer, including a little bit about colour theory in art. Think of it as a jumping-off point for a creative summer.
Alongside The Colour Lab, we have a full programme of colour-themed workshops for children and families; from ukulele and smartphone filmmaking to polymer clay, street dance, yoga, and more. Many are free (funded by Somerset Skills and Learning, eligibility criteria applies) and all can be booked in advance on the website or at our Box Office.
So, call a friend, pack a snack, and come and make something colourful with us this summer!
