Family cinema, wardrobe change and small mammals: plans with children for this week

The afternoons are getting shorter and it is cold, but the weekends are full of plans to do as a family. As always, we have prepared a selection of plans for you to do with your children on November 6th, 7th and 8th, such as enjoying the first screenings of My First Film Festival; being amazed by the light installations of Lluèrnia, the Fire and Light Festival of Olot, and tracking small mammals at the Ivars and Vila-sana pond, in Urgell.

We also suggest a review of current events through the section To think about and we offer you the data and statements that have caught our attention the most.

Cultural and leisure activities

Save the first three weekends of November, because a new edition of My First Film Festival is here. As every year, you will find international premieres, auteur animation, local talent, classics, film-concerts, experimental proposals, and meetings with creators. In addition, children are part of the jury and spectators can vote for their favorite pieces in the short film competition, which is organized into four age ranges: +3, +5, +7, and +10 years old. An ideal occasion to discover cinema as a family and let children experience their first cinematic encounter.

Julián, produced by Cartoon Saloon, will inaugurate the program, with offerings for children aged 3 to 12. In the International Feature Film Competition, you will see productions such as Jungle Expedition, by Edmunds Jansons; My Life in Versailles, by Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat and Nathaniel H’Limi; Little Casbah, by Antoine Colomb, and Iron Boy, by Louis Clichy. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to rediscover family classics like The Goonies. In this edition, the festival pays tribute to Les Films du Nord, a French production company specialized in auteur animation for children. It also makes a clear commitment to accessibility with audio-described sessions for visually impaired people, which will be added to the screenings adapted for deaf people and the sessions designed for children with ASD.

If you have already noticed the change of season, it is time to take out your autumn-winter clothes from the closet. From November 4th to 7th, you have Rec.0, a pop-up stores festival of fashion, gastronomy, and culture in Igualada. There is also a proposal designed for families, Petit Rec, with a selection of children's and youth fashion brands.

Located at Horts del Pau, right in the middle of the Rec.0 circuit, Petit Rec will not just be a shopping space, but also a family meeting point with activities designed for the little ones. The program includes the magic show Voilà, by Mag Ascensio; the gardening workshop Plant your parsley; a storytelling session by Fina López, and the craft workshop Create your Rec character, by Enrichi Art. Don't miss it!

At Món Sant Benet you have a terrifyingly sweet family activity. On this occasion, young and old will play a scavenger hunt to find the recipe that will allow you to cook your panellets.

The Old Chestnut Lady of the Enchanted Sage, who lived in the monastery's woods, was not evil, but rather helped people with herbal brews, roasted chestnuts that protected against evil spirits, and baked some very delicious panellets! In her magic recipe book, she encrypted all the ingredients necessary for this sweet, so typical of All Saints' Day. Together, you will recover the formula and then be able to make some terrifying panellets. Activity recommended for children aged 3 to 10. Weekends and holidays until November 14th.

Another festival that leaves both young and old amazed is Lluèrnia, the Festival of Fire and Light in Olot. On November 6th and 7th, the capital of La Garrotxa hosts a route of light installations proposed by creators who showcase the most iconic spaces in a different way, illuminating them with light or fire. An artistic and educational commitment that reaches all audiences.

The festival highlights the city's connection with its surroundings: the fire of the volcanoes, the changing landscape, and the character of the people. This year it reaches its fifteenth edition, and the organization has decided that it will be the last due to the high level of complexity it entails. But do not worry, the City Council has already announced that it is preparing a new, very similar initiative.

This weekend at Deprop, the Local Theatre Cycle of El Morell, the Minimons company proposes getting to know the world of theatre from the inside. Through a sensory story, you will accompany Patric among his memories of the summer when he went on tour with his parents.

You will discover what life is like in different countries through various mini-worlds that recreate the streets of New York, the Paris Opera, the squares of Rome, the bookstores of Lisbon, the customs of Japan, the theaters of Prague, the Russia of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and Nepal. Free activity aimed at children aged 4 and over.

If you are in the mood for nature, the Ivars and Vila-sana pond in Urgell is scheduling family activities. This Saturday, you will find a Semice - Small Mammal Monitoring proposal there. Throughout the day, you will be able to learn more about how these species are studied and the importance they hold for our ecosystem.

In addition, you can take the opportunity to visit this unique space, featuring an information booth, interpretation panels, and a nature trail with various hides, viewpoints, and rest areas, where you will learn new things. Prior registration is required, and the meeting point is the Vila-sana parking lot.

Nowadays we live surrounded by images, noises, and haste. For this reason, the Museu Tàpies proposes that families take a break for a while to reflect. If this idea catches your attention, on Sunday you will be able to enter the Reflection Room, a new proposal in collaboration with Pompeu Fabra University.

Before entering the room and as an introduction, you will perform a very special little ritual. And once inside, you will experiment with the works of Antoni Tàpies that inhabit it. You will discover the relationship established between the space and the artist's pieces to establish new ones, while exploring the possibilities offered by our actions and gestures. Family activity recommended for ages 5 and up. The price is 4 euros and you must purchase the ticket online.

If you are fans of illustrated albums at home, don't miss this essential event by the Association of Independent Publishers of Children's and Youth Literature. The Album Week is the only literary festival in the country dedicated to the picture book and promotes activities for all audiences in bookstores, schools, and libraries in Barcelona, Madrid, and Almeria.

For an entire week, they have scheduled meetings, workshops, storytelling sessions, presentations, and training for different ages. Furthermore, in parallel, the forum The album in the classroom is organized, a space for dialogue among professionals in the sector that offers the opportunity to discover everything that the album can contribute to the education of artistic and literary sensitivity, and also in the promotion of reading.

Coming soon!

DAU Barcelona turns 15 and from November 12th to 15th, it celebrates it with a new edition at the Fabra i Coats in Barcelona. This festival is the meeting point for fans, publishers, and board game professionals in Spain. With more than 60 scheduled activities and 400 games, for four days you will be able to participate in a host of proposals for families, such as workshops, demonstrations, shows, and participatory activities. The little ones have their own space, the Dauet, and the DAU Tranquil offers a calmer environment for people with high sensitivity. In addition, they have a special activity for children and the educational community, Schools at DAU. On Friday, November 13th, around 1,000 students and 90 teachers from more than 30 educational centers in the Barcelona area and throughout Catalonia will participate in a playful experience designed to experience and demonstrate the advantages of board games as a tool for learning, communication, and integration.

If you enjoy board games at home, take advantage of this opportunity to play and discover all the latest developments in the sector. More than 10,500 square meters with 11 themed gaming spaces, specialized shops, and dining areas for all audiences. As always, entry to all areas and festival activities will be free and open to the public, with limited capacity.

From November 6 to 15, free activities have been scheduled throughout Catalonia to promote science popularization for all audiences, including open days, virtual activities, exhibitions, scientific workshops, and much more. A great initiative to bring science and technology closer to the public and encourage scientific vocations among the youngest.

The Science Week, which this year reaches its 31st edition, is organized by the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), with the support of the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia. And it counts on the collaboration of numerous institutions and entities in the field of knowledge, research, and the dissemination of science and technology. This year, on the occasion of the commemoration of the Year of Gaudí, the proposal will have as its thematic axis the figure and work of Antoni Gaudí, and for this reason, some activities will be dedicated to his architectural legacy, his creativity, and the way he integrated nature, art, and innovation into his constructions.

If you have children between 0 and 5 years old, do not miss the elPetit Festival. From November 14th to 29th, 2026, the festival celebrates its 22nd edition, unfolding across various municipalities in the territory with a national and international program of performing arts aimed at early childhood. The motto of this edition, "Small steps, big horizons," is a vindication of the value of small gestures, own rhythms, and everything built without haste. Because often it is in the smallest experiences where the biggest horizons open up.

For several days you will be able to enjoy contemporary artistic experiences that invite you to discover, explore, feel and relate from the first years of life. Beyond the artistic programming, the 11th International Meeting of Arts for (Early) Childhood will bring together artists and professionals from culture, education, social action and health from around the world to continue collectively imagining new ways to guarantee the cultural rights of childhood. A unique experience in our country that builds community among children, artists, families and professionals from the same territory.

This month, families have a very special appointment: on November 22nd, theaters and cultural spaces across Catalonia join together to celebrate Take Me to the Theater, a great day dedicated to family theater and performing arts for all audiences. The initiative counts on the participation of 51 theaters and other cultural facilities across the country, where 62 shows by 52 different companies have been scheduled. The time has come for us to put children at the center of the cultural experience, and for them to ask adults to accompany them to the theater. Because going to the theater is much more than watching a show, it is also about sharing, imagining, getting excited, asking questions, and discovering other perspectives that help them grow.

The project advocates for the cultural, educational, and social value of family theater and aims to establish itself as a reference annual event within the Catalan cultural calendar. A proposal promoted by Adetca's family commission with the collaboration of the Association of Theater for All Audiences (TTP), the La Xarxa Foundation for children's and youth theater of Catalonia, and 3Cat, with the support of the Government of Catalonia within the framework of the 1st Promotion Plan for Theater in Catalonia 2023-2026.

Things that happen (to me)

The recommendation for little ones

These days at school and at home we are rediscovering music and stories from this time of the year. For this reason, we recommend the autumn song compilation by País de Xauxa, a family music and theater company that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Their shows have always contributed to spreading and preserving the most traditional Catalan songbook, and now they offer an anthology of their most iconic compositions grouped into the four seasons of the year: autumn, winter, spring, and summer.

The 16 chosen songs revolve around typical autumn celebrations, such as the Castanyada, All Saints' Day, and also one dedicated to Universal Children's Day (November 20th). Together you will be able to sing Torrem castanyes, El bolet, El ball dels esquelets, La bruixa desafina and many more.

The recommendation for adults

You now have available on the 3Cat platform In vitro, the new Catalan television miniseries dedicated to the world of assisted reproduction. The story is set in Ginestia, a fertility clinic in Barcelona. The protagonist is Blanca (Bruna Cusí), a biologist who starts working there as an embryologist while trying to resolve her own life dilemmas. There she will run into Hèctor (David Verdaguer), a brilliant but quite distant colleague, with whom she will clash when it comes to understanding the profession.

The fiction, based on the experience lived by its creators, Marc Crehuet and Alejandra Guimerà, speaks of the emotional journey experienced by those who resort to assisted reproduction techniques and also the role played by the professionals involved. Thus, through the different patients, each episode deals with topics such as motherhood at an advanced age, single mothers by choice, LGTBIQ+ families and the ethical debates of genetic selection. Always from an intimate, ironic and human perspective.

We found it funny

This autumn, a well-known illustrator and a brand of precooked homemade meals have teamed up to encourage families to eat trinxat. The campaign is quite fun; Pilarín Bayés is very worried because she has lost Patufet. This mythical character from Catalan children's literature, being curious by nature, has hidden, but this time it is not behind a cabbage but inside one of Casa Mas's trinxats. Pilarín will not be able to find him on her own, so, families, if you like vegetables and are fans of Patufet, you have a mission.

Food for thought

In the frantic rhythm of the routine, between screens that capture the attention of both adults and children and conversations that go no further than organizing the day, the quality time spent as a family often goes unnoticed. And it is perhaps in these moments that displays of affection such as a hug that sustains us in the weekly whirlwind are also missed. They are not just an affective formality, but also a biological and emotional necessity. According to several studies, a hug that lasts around 20 seconds immediately activates the production of oxytocin –popularly known as the love hormone– and drastically reduces the levels of cortisol, responsible for stress.

This week, in which the International Family Hug Day is commemorated, we believe it is a good time to reclaim this gesture beyond major celebrations, farewells, or moments of comfort. Let's hug more! There is nothing simpler to smooth over small misunderstandings.

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