London Mums Blog

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.

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.

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.