London Mums Blog

A Foodie Saturday or Sunday: Take the Kids to a London Farmer’s Market

There is no better way to teach children the enjoyment of fresh fruit and vegetables than an inspired trip to a London Farmer’s Market; all of which feature a very high standard of quality.  

All the fruit, vegetables, meet, cheese, jams, juice and are locally grown or hand made by the farmers themselves.  The markets are not solely organic, but the food is fresh and local with some farmers selling organic crops. Though the harvest season is waning, there are still plenty of fresh, root vegetables to make into a comforting feast to keep the seasonal malaise of Daylight Savings Time at bay.

What makes the London Farmer’s Markets particularly well-suited for families, aside from their wholesome appeal, is their close proximity to fun things for our little ones to do.  If you bring a rucksack to carry your bounty from the market, you and the kids can not only enjoy healthy produce, you can go on to enjoy some near-by attractions.

Walks in London?

For five years our weekends and most holidays were spent at a tiny coastguard cottage on the Solent. It was in the middle of a row of ten. We shared front gardens with our neighbours on the left and back garden with our neighbours on the right. For some reason the weekenders used the front gardens, which faced the sea, and the full time residents used the back gardens, so we never really had to share at all.  But there were long expanses in the mid winter when we simply didn’t use the cottage and felt guilty when we weren’t there, in fact felt guilty whenever we went anywhere else. When it was cold we couldn’t face the drive, the weather and the wind. We gave it up in January, as it didn’t make sense to be paying for two houses in the middle of a bleak recession.  At first it was exciting to be in London with so much to see and do. I liked tramping the dirty pavements and going to cafes, and seeing random last minute films. There were friends to invite over and museums to visit, but having exhausted trips to the country to stay with out of town friends and with a five year old and an eight year old to keep amused things became tense. Our small garden, (well more of a patio) is not enough to contain them for more than a few minutes. When we had friends over for lunch the other day they spent quite a lot of time playing on the flat roof outside Belle’s room. The adults ate lunch and pretended not to notice or to care about the potentially life threatening situation.

Free and affordable half-term and Halloween suggestions for the under fives in central London ...

If you do not have school-age children yet, you likely are not aware that this week is half-term.  Many small playgroups will be closed and the museums will be packed but there is still on lot going on for even the teeniest of the Under Five’s in Central London.

The Westminster Children’s Centres and the neighbourhood pools will be open; you should ring ahead just to confirm that the times have not changed.  Battersea 1 O’clock club will also remain open from 1 – 4 daily for the under fives. 

If you want to fight the crowds, the Museum of London has some amazing activities for the over 3’s, as does the Transport Museum (£10 per adult with no fee for children, or £30 for an annual family pass).  The V and A has a ceramic workshop where you can make beads or plates.  The Foundling Museum and the National Gallery have storytelling sessions.  The Tate has a great Halloween session.  Whole Foods Market will have some activities as listed below.

The Chelsea Physic Gardens (with kids)

Heavenly Idyll in Bustling Chelsea ... If you don’t mind keeping your children from trampling rare species of plants and herbs gathered from around the world.

From inside the walls of the Physic Gardens, one feels a surge of nostalgia taking in the views of ordered rows of trees, blossoms and plants set against the red brick walls of the gardens and the Victorian mansion blocks and houses outside.  One might even sappily confess to feeling what Chelsea may have been like during Queen Victoria’s reign.  The contrast of the grass and gravel paths, flowering shrubs, lazy willow branches to the unseen, but presence nonetheless, of chaotic traffic outside the garden makes the case for a trip to the Chelsea Physic Gardens.

Half term fun at the National Gallery

As you may know, the National Gallery does fab FREE children's events on Sundays. The good news is that they have scheduled some extras for the October half-term break. The best part is that you can book the half term events in advance.

WHAT: Magic Carpet storytelling

WHO: under-5s

WHEN: Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October 2009; 11.30am

COST: free!

WHAT: Light On The Water: Make an exciting panorama with boats floating on clear blue water under a dazzling sky. Join artist Harriet Mena Hill for layers of fun in this collage workshop.

The West End draws families by day; theatre goers by night

With some inside guidance, the West End is an extremely pleasant and child friendly destination for families, especially those with under 5’s in tow.  Museums, playgrounds and outdoor areas and some great family-friendly places to eat that are somewhat well suited for pushchairs and noisy children make The West End a great place to take little ones for the day.  Here is just a few of the temptations that call...
 
The National Gallery: While there are no exhibits in this museum particularly pitched to little ones, there is The Magic Carpet Ride for the Under 5’s.  Every Sunday, at 10:30 and 11:30, in the education wing (which is the opposite side of the entrance on Trafalgar Square) a docent gathers families for a prompt start to the activity.  After in introduction and discussion of the rules, the group walks through the galleries and sits in front of a work of art to listen to a story about the picture and sing a song.  It is priceless and FREE!!   

Best museum day for the under 5’s in central London ...

Hands down, the Science Museum is one of the best museums to take your toddler to in South Kensington. 

What makes the Science Museum such a favourite with parents and children alike, there are two areas that are specifically toddler focused as well as other parts of the museum that are fun for toddlers if they are tagging along with older children.

The toddler focused area include the Pattern Pod and The Garden.

The Pattern Pod is located at the very rear of the museum, on the ground floor and offers a wonderful experience for small children.  The exhibit is officially designated as being for 5 – 8 year olds, but there are many interesting, hands-on things for any young child to investigate.  There are dress up clothes for children to try on, tiles you insert into a special display that projects different patterns on the ceiling, giant foam pattern blocks and a pattern making art program plus much more.

I have a cunning idea...

It is the school holidays. We're standing in a queue. Children fidget. Watches are checked. It is like a visit to the Post Office. People tut under their breath. Eyes flash suspiciously at would-be queue-jumpers. Someone close by – possibly the dandruff-flecked bloke standing just in front, or perhaps the 5-year-old inquisitor inside my own head – utters the immortal words 'are we nearly there yet?'

As is predictably the case, we are not. We wait. We shuffle. We wait some more. And then at last, bingo, the clock strikes ten. Oh goody, I think as 'Cashier Number 4!' cavorts loudly through my thoughts. I wonder if perhaps the sunshine is going to my head, or maybe I really am now losing my marbles… but I have no time to ponder further as B grasps my hand and drags me forth. The doors to the Science Museum are ceremonially opened. We make our way gratefully in.

Staying in the UK this half term? Try these kids activities...

I used to measure the success of school breaks based on the number of trips made to A&E. One year I had to deal with a 2-year-old who lost her fingernail in a slammed door AND a 3-year-old who broke her arm whilst climbing out of her cot.

We've moved on since then, and so has the economy. The credit crunch means that many people may opt to stay local this half term, rather than the usual trip to France and Euro Disney.

Here are some ideas in preparation for when you wake up on Monday morning and the children ask "what are we doing today mummy?"

And if none of these ideas appeal ... you can always hire a babysitter and get a massage!

A little boy's dream: The London Transport Museum

Where do you take a train, plane, bus and car mad three-year-old for his birthday in London?  Why, The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, of course! This was Boy #2's treat of choice last week.  Admittedly, they don't have airplanes there, but as a place where you can spot practically every other mode of transport in London, it ticked all his boxes.
 
The Transport Museum is tucked away in the South East corner of the Covent Garden Piazza, and is easily reachable by tube.  As a family-friendly destination, they don't come much better than the Piazza, with it's host of shops and stalls on the galleries in the restored old Covent Garden vegetable market, the street entertainment on offer in and around it, the (admittedly pricey) restaurants and bars when you need refuelling, and the simple pleasure of being outdoors in what I personally find an exciting, buzzy and vibrant part of town.  Add the Opera House, the local theatre, and the Transport Museum to the mix and this are becomes one of the top tourist attractions in London.  

All Aboard! Try the IMAX with Children

We took the Boys to the Imax on Southbank yesterday, to see the wonderful movie, 'The Polar Express'. 
 
This is not a review of the film, however; it's been out for long enough (five years) that there's a pretty good chance you'll already have seen it, and if you haven't, I suggest you rush down to Sainsbury's where the dvd is usually on special offer at Christmas for around £5.  Then settle down for an afternoon of escapism with your children - I defy you not to be swept up in the story...

How long is a Piece of String?

I had an 'interesting' morning today.  The Boys and I went along to the Unicorn Theatre in Tooley Street to see one of the latest Oily Cart productions; 'How Long is a Piece of String?'
 
Here's what the website blurb said: "An interactive, multi-sensory production with astonishing visuals and original, live music, exploring and celebrating the wonders of string.  Follow a trail of string into the theatre where performers lead you around a woven wonderland of different chambers full of strings, ropes and pulleys."

London theatre for a preschooler? Oh yes! Go see William's Monster

Poor William.  He's misunderstood as being a little monster, when in fact all he wants to do is have some fun and use his imagination.  And to cap it all, his parents plan a weekend away without him, and he has to go and stay with his scary grandfather, who makes him sleep in the attic where there are all sorts of funny noises and goings on...
 
I took Boy #2 to the theatre this week.  He's not even three yet, but theatre is a treat he and his brother have been getting since they were tiny; I think the youngest that I took either of them was when they were about nine months.  I know, I know.  I can here you saying from here.  A preschooler?  To the theatre?  What kind of a mug are you?

Try ice skating with the kids, it's fun, really...

The Ice Rink and the Christmas Fair at the Natural History Museum are billed as 'London's most spectacular winter attraction'.
 
Well, what could be better for a cold November afternoon when the nights are drawing in and the park is out of the question?  We took our two boys (five and three years old) and a couple of visiting family members to see if it lived up to the hype.
 
To a certain extent, it does.  It's in a fabulous location right in front of the beautiful Victorian façade of the museum, and is prettily lit by twinkling white lights in the surrounding trees, so it certainly looked festive enough.

Credit Crunch Sundays -- Try a FREE family art workshop at the National Gallery

I’m going to share a secret. The National Gallery in London does FREE art workshops every Sunday aimed at the entire family to enjoy and learn about art together.

The workshops, run by professional artists, focus on an area in the gallery. After a short discussion, you are given insider tips and high quality art supplies and then set loose to create your own masterpiece.

It’s FABULOUS.

Did I mention it was FREE?

If you live near London, or are visiting with kids, you have to check it out.

Is there an elephant in that zoo?

When my 4 1/2 year old daughter asked me if she had ever seen an elephant in real life, I flashed back zoo visits over the past four years.

None. 

We've taken the older three to the zoo, but not the youngest. As a matter of fact, we have probably not come within 50 miles of an elephant in quite a long time.  

Now I was on a mission.  Luckily, we were already planning a trip into London and it presented a great opportunity to show my daughter a "real life" elephant at the London Zoo.

Or so I thought. 

Cycle Show

Cycle 2008 is back in London on 10 - 12 October at Earls Court.

I always imagined I would be that cycle riding mum with flowing hair and a child on the back, and maybe one on the front as well.  I soon realised I am not Dutch and it doesn’t work like that here.

I went to the Cycle Show last year in hopes of getting a little bit closer to my dream.  What I didn’t expect was that it would be me and a bunch of 50-year-old men at the show.  It was foolish of me not to, considering the amount of titanium and carbon located in one place with expensive price tags.

Still, there were a few exhibitors with family-aimed products such as various child seats and tag alongs as well as some cool three-wheeled bikes with clever ways to transport children.

I will try to go again this year to see what’s on offer for the mother with children. Less titanium, more seats, I hope.

This was written by Charlene, a London Mums Blog founding contributor.

Photo Credit:  bvandrew