Who has visited the Science Museum in London recently? Come tell me about it please....

[Earlybird]

What are the 'must do' parts of the museum?

Is the downstairs sectrion now renovated and open....think it used to be called the Launchpad. Can you tell me about it please?

Thinking of visiting soon with 3 girls - ages 4 - 7, and wonder if it would be a fab day out.

Last, and most important question - is the cafe any good?

All tips and advice appreciated.

I went at the end of last year and the Lanuchpad was still shut, but was going to be opening a few weeks after our visit. So must be open by now.

Didn't try the cafe. We loved the IMAX cinema and dd's (7) favourite bit was the aeroplanes which suprised me.

deep blue cafe is nice, pricey though.

I also haven't been since the launchpad was redone. I think it's now on the 3rd floor (4th?).

Pattern pod on the ground floor also worth checking out.

Always a great day out I think

For some reason, dd always seems scared/overwhelmed by IMAX, and ends up watching without the 3d glasses.

The launchpad is, to my mind, the only really good bit and it is very good. The rest of the museum is vast and impressive but a bit staid. There are cases of inventions and so on. An older child who was very keen on science might like it. But I think, for little children, it's the launchpad they go for.

The Natural History Museum is much overlooked - more to it than dinosaurs. The human body bit - next the dinosaurs is fabulous and very interactive. It has a scary Giant Foetus in it!

I would recommend the Natural History Museum too. I took DS (4.4) last month, particularly for the dinosaurs which he loved, but he was also very interested in the stuff about volcanoes and earthquakes, and the human body bit. We were there for two hours during which time he was completely enthralled! There are several cafes, we had coffee/milk and cake on the ground floor, very expensive but nice. I would probably take a picnic next time though - there's a nice garden bit with picnic benches, with stalls to get drinks and icecreams.

Yes - we much preferred the Natural History Museum.

We went to the Natural History Museum recently and thoroughly enjoyed the Butterfly maze/house, and the dinosaurs too.

I agree about the Science Museum being a bit staid, but wondered if the renovated Launch Pad made it a not-to-be-missed destination for children.

Oh yes, the butterfly exhibition is a lovely experience (real live butterflies, not dead ones btw!)
The Human Body bit is fascinating even for old people like me. I was recently there with a three year old four year old, two adults, seven year old and a teenager - and we all loved it.

Oh I love the NHM but I don't think the ScM is in the least bit staid - it's one of my dc's fave London visits.

The new Launch Pad is up on the 3rd floor and it is fab fab FAB. The Science Shows they do up there are wonderful too. In the basement there's still the water tank experiment area for under-6's (my dc's used to go there till long after 6th birhtday ), the new-ish Energy gallery on 2nd floor is brill for over-8's, all interactive, there's the space rockets and the gruesome medical stuff, and at weekends there are drama characters too. Take a picnic as caff is pricey. We love the IMAX but a bit too pricey every time we visit

(And I can lose dh in the geeky stuff )

DS1 came back from school trip enthusing about the pattern pod. Launch bad is v good.
And go up the escalator through planet earth from the entrance.

the launchpad is brill. Mine loved it, could hardly drag them away from it. The rest was a bit dull. I'd do the launchpad and the airplanes part and then go to the history musuem to see the dinosaurs if you really want it to be fun for the children.

I couldn't remember if that escalator was in the history or the science musuem! That is good too, and mine liked the earthquake bit at the top.

now you come to mention it chops, i'm not 100% certain. we usually end up visiting both

In the basement there is an exhibit of domestic machines (washers, toasters etc) with a working model of a toilet, complete with plastic poo.

Loads of buttons to press in human body bit in Natural History Museum. Some of the exhibits haven't changed since I went there as a child, which must be getting on for 30 years ago now, but there new bits too.

Cafes good but expensive, Loads of places to eat pack lunches

I thought the Deepblue cafe was crap,we didn't have lunch but coffee( well dp and I ended up sharing as soooooooo expensive). Nothing for kids to have as a snack unless you count danish pastries/cake at nearly £4 a miserly piece!!!!!! In a supposed kid friendly cafe where are the cake/danish etc at kids prices????? Our local zoo sells fab cookies at a very reasonable price so it is possible. Rip off joint alert!!!!!

The service was awful, very snooty Italians who actually sighed when we asked for the 2nd time where our coffee was.

As for the wierd blue glowing tables in the dark,what is that all about????? Glad we didn't order food, would have been sick having to constantly look down into the glare of said tables just to see what I was eating.

No take your own biscuits and get a take away coffee in the picnic area in basement. Get there very early basement very busy!!!!!!

I can't help suspecting that the cafes are expensive because it makes money for the museum. Its the kind of place where coffee, drinks for the children and a snack wouldn't leave a family of 4 much change out of £20.

Escalater and earthquake is NHM.