London mums what do you like doing best with your dc in London and other questions?

[MilaMae]

We've done Museums of Childhood,Nat History,Science and Kensington Gardens all lovely but could do with some new ideas.

Preferably free/cheap.

Where do you find out what's on over Easter?

When did you first take your dc to the Tate Modern,mine 3 are 5,5 and 4 are they too young?

Can you recommend anything in Covent Garden,is Pollocks still there?

Many,many thanks.

The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden (not sure on price)

And Kew gardens has loads to see and do (again not sure on price)

There is a butterfly park, can't remember its name but it begins with a b I think.

Oh and very good is the RAF museum, very popular and free.

London Aquarium (though quite expensive)
What is Pollocks?

My dd's been going to Tate Modern since she was 2. It's good and there's usually something going on there in the holidays.

Then you can walk along the South Bank, maybe do HMS Belfast, along to the London Eye where there's always buskers etc. Also there's an outdoor amphitheatre outside City Hall where they sometimes have shows on.

Check in Time Out for Easter stuff.

Or how about a trip on the DLR to Greenwich - great park and I believe the Observatory is very good now (we're going to do it sometime over Easter).

There are good playgrounds in Regents Park and Primrose Hill and a nice paddling pool on Hampstead Heath (if it's warm enough!).

We love the RAF museum in Hendon too and its free. My dc are similar age to yours and they love the place.

I haven't been to Coram Fields but supposed to be good. We went bowling the other day in Bayswater. Was a special treat but was lots of fun! Will watch this thread with interest though as I am in need of inspiration.

the zoo.Used to go all the time when we lived in london and now really miss it.Also Coram's Fields (children and their carers only allowed)a nice little park near great Ormond St with a big sandpit and animals.Used to go every day.

The other park with animals is Golders Hill (north of Hampstead).

Coram's Fields is good - can get very busy though.

Kew's great but not cheap iirc.

Many thanks,loads of ideas already

Pollocks sp???? was a shop that sold loads of toy theatres,we used to love it.

They're definitely not too young for Tate Modern- kids seem to really respond to it, ime- big cavernous building to explore and many of the temporary big installation pieces are designed to be interactive. Wandering along the south bank is one of our favourite family activities and can be combined with a trip to TM, Jubilee Gardens playground, watching the skateboarders and climbing on the parabolic curves sculptures.

The cloisters in Westminster Abbey are nice to run around.

The British museum has some very child friendly bits- mummies especially come to mind.

Horniman museum in SE London is definitely worth a trip- the Aquarium is good for that age group.

Greenwich is a fantastic day trip- go by DLR or river for maximum excitement and take in a selection of Maritime museum, Queens House,
Observatory, river trip/walk, Greenwich market, pie and mash, lovely park.

Even further East, Woolwich ferry is a nice free trip and there's a good railway museum round there

Battersea Park is wonderful- zoo isn't free but is cheapish, adventure playgrounds to suit all ages, cafe, lots of space.

And Corams Fields in Russell Square is a wonderful place to take kids of that age.

Will try and think of some more ideas and post later.

Museums: Grant Museum of Zoology (loads of good bones and specimens); Transport Museum (get an annual pass - much cheaper); Discover (in Stratford - not free); Maritime Museum in Greenwhich (fab hands on stuff for kids plus sessions on Tuesdays for preschoolers); Army Museum - hands on for kids; Wallace Collection (armoury and armour you can try on).

Parks: Coram fields is excellent; Camley Street Nature Park (free, near Kings Cross - a lovely oasis with pond dipping); Holland Park has a great adventure playground and an ecology centre that runs half term events

if you are doing dorking-waterloo walk to pier at London Eye and get Tate Waterbus to Tate Modern and back and have lunch at the Strada just along from the London Eye

Lidos are usually popular with children and not expensive. The one near Hampstead Heath is lovely with big safe shallow end and you can walk up to the brilliant playgrounds and space in the park afterwards for picnic and play.

Horniman Museum is fantastic if you're in the Dulwich/Crystal Palace area ever. Free, lovely gardens and lots of fun.

We go to Tate Modern a lot - they love running around in the Turbine Hall, and the children's activities are fun for dd who is 4.

Vauxhall City Farm has a lot of charm. The opening hours used to be a bit erratic though.

dd really really likes Peter Jones as well. Not sure why, but she often asks to go. I think it's the rooftop cafe.

Also free, and good fun - top decks of buses, Borough Market, South Bank.

My DSs love Kew Gardens, and they love the canal boat trips that you can do from Camden Lock although I think those may only run in the summer - not sure.

The Museum in Docklands is also popular with mine, as is Discover! in Stratford.

The Imperial War Museum is also very popular with mine although I think yours may be a little bit too young for it as yet.

Another good one for when they are a bit older is going right up to the top of St Pauls.

I love the 40s house at IWM, sixspot. I always make my boys go and see it and admire the sewing machine and mangle even though they want to head straight for the trenches.

God! Can't believe I didn't mention Camley Street when I lived next door to it and was on the steering group!That's sleep deprivation for you.Yes Camley St Natural Park is lovely,and only five minutes walk from King's Cross station.Pond Dip away.If you go mid April you will see coot and moorhen chicks and lots of ducklings,mid May you will see Goslings and maybe cygnets.

pretending to drive the DLR?

exciting (cheap) food experiences - vietnamese food at song que?

geffrye museum?

that princess diana playground with the wooden pirate ship?

Many thanks all for taking the time out to post all your lovely ideas. Will be printing out the thread to keep,it's been a great help. Any time you need Devon ideas just shout

Museum of London at Docklands is great as well, it's £5 to get in which gives you entry for a year to the Docklands one and the one in the city. The museum itself is quite adult-orientated (or is that oriented - blimey that English BA was a long time ago ) but there's an awesome play area called Mudlarks and a great cafe.

I can also second all those recommending Greenwich, it's great. Surrey Docks Farm is also brilliant, and has a great cafe too.

HTH

Lu

Stomping on Hampstead Heath - this is one of our big ones, being north Londoners. So much to see for little ones and so lovely to have that access to semi-wild nature when you are a city kid. I also love Kenwood (although awkward to get to if you aren't driving), especially in summer, when they have a programme of concerts and outdoor events.

The South Bank is fab, too, if it's not pissing down with rain. I took my son to the (seriously over priced and imo crappy) London Aquarium over half term, but we ha so much more fun just wandering up and down the river - there is an old fashioned merry go round down there, the little playground near the London Eye, the Eye itself, plus there are a few little inlets where they have brought in some artificial sand, so it's like a little beach. And the Royal festival Hall is a nice, open, relaxed space always full of kids rampaging

The Imperial War Museum is good but maybe not for very little 'uns.

I love going to the Tate Modern and just moseying along the South Bank as there are plenty of street artists - probably not for children but it's nice to walk from there to the National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square over the Millenium bridge. Or take the Tate to Tate boat to Tate Britain. Covent Garden also have lots of street theatre during the day. Also a lot of London theatres have children's workshops to entice them into the arts later on - most of them are free.

The Bank of England museum is free and they often have an activity or two in there to do. If your dcs were older you could take them to the Monument to climb it. Museum of childhood in Bethnal Green is also free.

Museum of London has some quite interesting exhibits on Roman/Saxon London and they'll have things going on as well.

I've listed rather a lot of museums it seems!

I forgot to add that it's worth checking out what might be on at the O2 (in Docklands) as they often have a children/family attraction in the middle. It's been an artificial beach and an indoor park before now!

If you google O2 venue it should come up with the right page.

St James's Park fab and free - pelicans in the lake, soldiers up outside the palace, ducks to feed, small playground near the palance end too with big sand pit.

Ds1 (2.10) loves walking along the river, and going across bridges, particularly the Millenium Bridge (if that's the right name - the one by the Tate). Takes us an hour or so to cross it because we have to watch every boat that goes under, and all the nearby trains and buses. LOves the Tate too (we were there last weekend).

London Aquarium is really crap, imo. Don't bother with it. Very tatty inside, horribly overcrowded, and near impossible for toddlers to see anything through the crowds of teens and adults photographing everything on their phones.

Time Out - as squeaver was the first to recommend - does "kids' interest" in London so well there's not really any need to look elsewhere. Online (free) as well as the magazine. I like its non-periodical handbook thing, too - called "Time Out for Children" I think, and organised by area, so you can focus on wherever's nearest to you - nice & logical.

RE Pollocks - something weird happened, as I recall - lost its lease? original founders got pushed out? - something, anyway. Do some googling & you will probably find the saga. (So - in sum - I'm not sure if it's still where it was & as it was.)

There is just endless stuff, which keeps developing as they grow. Our current favourites are the various ice-rinks ("Where in the countryside," said ds, "could you walk five minutes to an ice-rink underground?") and the more specialist museums - the Wellcome Foundation does some fascinating things - though they'll still spend a whole day in the Science Museum if allowed. (Mine are 9 and 8 now.)

Has no one mentioned the Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green? Always lots of stuff on there. Also Barbican often has all sorts on - this coming weekend is Do Something Different weekend. Tate Modern a staple since very tiny, lots of room to settle down with a packed lunch too. Hackney City Farm?