A couple of days out we had with the kids, I thought I would share:
Firstly the Away day - We drove out to Penshurst Place in Kent, an Elizabethan house with beautiful gardens and a very big adventure playground. There's a sand pit, swings, scramble nets, high walk, slides etc. The gardens have sculptures and fountains and are divided into different areas with high yew hedges, so it's fun exploring. As it was the bank holiday Monday there were several other things arranged for kids including wildlife spotting, craft activities, and best of all short plays outdoors from The Wind in the Willows with actors in costume and make up, songs to sing and a little audience participation. My 3 year old boy watched it twice. There's a good quality self service café and lots of places to picnic. I'm afraid I can't remember the ticket prices. We drove and it's a short way (sign-posted) from the A21 near Sevenoaks. There is a Penshurst Station nearby too.
And closer to Home - a short while ago my boy could see the 02 in the distance and asked what it was. When explained a little about what it is and was he said he wanted to go there. So when we had a free day we did just that, taking the East London Line one way and the DLR the other. For him the train rides were part of the fun. We had a walk around the building and ended up going to the British Museum Experience. It was £10 for me and free for under 5s. Slightly aukward that I had to get them to turn the lift on, and when you go up that way you end up in the exit. But once you're in there are themed rooms from the 50s to the present day with big media presentations, interactives, instruments, costumes, record sleeves, posters etc. The best bit, though, was a room full of guitars, basses, drum kits, and pianos which you can play with the sound coming out of headphones. It's really clever how the drums have been dampened so as not to make any noise. After the BME visit we had lunch at one of the many eateries. There's all kinds to choose from, and there's the cinema of course. I have to saw that I was put off the Dinosaurs Unleashed exhibition because it's just a big tent in a car park, presumably with some animatronic dinosaurs inside, but it would have cost £25 for me and my son! And there are big signs warning you kids could be frightened and there's no refunds.
Firstly the Away day - We drove out to Penshurst Place in Kent, an Elizabethan house with beautiful gardens and a very big adventure playground. There's a sand pit, swings, scramble nets, high walk, slides etc. The gardens have sculptures and fountains and are divided into different areas with high yew hedges, so it's fun exploring. As it was the bank holiday Monday there were several other things arranged for kids including wildlife spotting, craft activities, and best of all short plays outdoors from The Wind in the Willows with actors in costume and make up, songs to sing and a little audience participation. My 3 year old boy watched it twice. There's a good quality self service café and lots of places to picnic. I'm afraid I can't remember the ticket prices. We drove and it's a short way (sign-posted) from the A21 near Sevenoaks. There is a Penshurst Station nearby too.
And closer to Home - a short while ago my boy could see the 02 in the distance and asked what it was. When explained a little about what it is and was he said he wanted to go there. So when we had a free day we did just that, taking the East London Line one way and the DLR the other. For him the train rides were part of the fun. We had a walk around the building and ended up going to the British Museum Experience. It was £10 for me and free for under 5s. Slightly aukward that I had to get them to turn the lift on, and when you go up that way you end up in the exit. But once you're in there are themed rooms from the 50s to the present day with big media presentations, interactives, instruments, costumes, record sleeves, posters etc. The best bit, though, was a room full of guitars, basses, drum kits, and pianos which you can play with the sound coming out of headphones. It's really clever how the drums have been dampened so as not to make any noise. After the BME visit we had lunch at one of the many eateries. There's all kinds to choose from, and there's the cinema of course. I have to saw that I was put off the Dinosaurs Unleashed exhibition because it's just a big tent in a car park, presumably with some animatronic dinosaurs inside, but it would have cost £25 for me and my son! And there are big signs warning you kids could be frightened and there's no refunds.