Visiting Kingston

Kids Visiting Kingston Say “Thumbs Up It’s Thursday”

 The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is serving up a summer of fun with six weeks of free activities for children aged three to 11 years. Every Thursday from 26 July to 30 August is “Thumbs Up It’s Thursday”, and children are encouraged to visit the nine venues across the town hosting workshops, sporting events, storytelling sessions and crafting classes.  

 With activities taking place from 10am to 5pm, families can visit the nine venues and take part in the free events, getting their special map stamped along the way. Once they have completed the trail they will be awarded a certificate.

 Participating venues across Kingston include the Bentall Centre, Bentalls, Eden Walk Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Kingston Children’s Library,KingstonMuseum, theMemorialGardens and The Rotunda. Turk Launches is also offering free boat trips for children from Turks Pier toHamptonCourtPalace and back.

 Each venue has designed a day of fun and activity, with the theme changing each week from “Get Active” to “Countries of the World”, “Ocean Discovery”, “Let’s Recycle”, “Kings & Queens” and “Animal Kingdom”. 

 All the activities are free and most don’t require advance booking, so children from the local area,Londonand beyond, can turn up with their parents and enjoy a day of educational and playful summer fun.

 The activities include:

·         The Bentall Centre – Create and decorate sports shirts, caps, sports bags, sun catchers and a gold medal, plus other games

·         Bentalls (third floor) – Fitness fun, clay modelling, Octonauts themed day, interactive fairy-tale story time and a mobile ark comes to visit

·         Eden Walk Shopping Centre – Get arty with crafting workshops themed to animals, masks, sports and even build a fort! Plus interactive storytelling fromHampton Court

·         John Lewis (third floor) – Design and drawing fun, making crowns, masks, bookmarks and a sea life mural. Plus there’s finger knitting for the over eights

·         Kingston Children’s Library – Rock and rhyme with active songs, make something to wear to Kingston Carnival, get reading for the summer, plus storytelling fromPersia, Africa andNorth America

·         Kingston Museum – make a moving athlete from photos, become a Viking or a Tudor, discover sea monsters, play with toys from the 1940s and dress up like  Saxon royalty

·         Memorial Gardens – Train at a Chelsea FC workshop, create flags and dolls from around the world, learn sand art, train as a Royal Marine Cadet, make a robot from recycled materials and see a magic show

·         The Rotunda – Follow the challenge clues to collect prizes, be inspired to create colourful art, and join the jungle party at Jelly bugs. Tenpin Bowl for just £1 (restrictions apply)

·         Turk Launches – Free boat trips for children at 10.30am, 11.15am or 12pm. Adult fares are payable

  more information about the activities and events happening during “Thumbs Up It’s Thursday”, go to: www.kingstonfirst.co.uk/visitkingston/whatson/tuit