What’s On London
Daily The Queen’s Gallery Buckingham Palace 020 7766 7301 Become an explorer & discover the exhibition with activity bags for families. Using the bags find out which animals the adventurers shared the Antartic with and what early explorers wore to protect themselves from the cold. http://www.royal.gov.uk/theroyalresidences/buckinghampalace/buckinghampalace.aspx
Ongoing Royal Mews Buckingham Palace 020 7766 7302 Family groups may explore a range of self directed activities from the art trolley, 5-11yrs. http://www.royal.gov.uk/theroyalresidences/buckinghampalace/buckinghampalace.aspx
Ongoing Royal Academy of Arts 020 7300 8000 www.royalacademy.org.uk New policy all children under 12yrs of age will have FREE entry to all exhibitions.
Ongoing Churchill War Rooms Clive Steps King Charles Street 020 7930 6961 Undercover, Life in Churchill’s Bunker, learn what life & conditions were like underground & experience the authenticity & emotional resonance of walking through the corridors where Churchill made history. http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms
Throughout July Peter Harrison Planetarium 020 8858 4422 Back to the Moon for Good, 5+yrs. The Sky Tonight, From Stars to Satellites, 5+yrs. Space Safari, under 7’s. 31 July Sci-Fi Movie Night, 11+yrs. http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/planetarium-shows
Every Sun National Gallery www.nationalgallery.org.uk 020 7747 2885 Family workshops for families bringing paintings alive & listening to a themed story on the magic carpet, plus FREE family trail.
Every Sun Hildreth Street Market Balham SW12 Street Market with fresh food traders sourced from all over London. http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/200097/town_centre_management/150/street_trading/3
Every Sun Victoria & Albert Museum Cromwell Road 020 7942 2000 Drop in Design on selected days, participants can create architectural drawings with professionals or make a puppet horse inspires by the NT’s production of War Horse, 5+yrs, FREE. Daily Back Packs families can pick up an activity back pack filled with jigsaws, stories & games to explore the collection, 4-11yrs, Activity Cart hands on art fun for children to create a Samuri helmet, a silver goblet or an elephant mask to take home, FREE, drop in plus Agent Animal bag a sensory activity bag that has been developed for under 5’s containing an audio map & fabric cubes, FREE. http://www.vam.ac.uk/
Every Mon & Thurs Holy Trinity Church Brook Green 07710 023743 Singing & Songwriting sessions for 6-11 & 11-14yrs. http://www.holytrinityw6.org/
Every 2nd Sat of month National Geographic Store 83-97 Regent Street 020 7025 6960 Animal Man comes face to face with slithering snakes, slimy insects & smelly skunks. Meet a wide variety of animals to include owls, lizards, tortoises, armadillos, meerkats & lots more, hands on activities are led by AnimalMan Nick Spellman for all ages. http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/
Every Sat Venn Street Market, Clapham Common 020 7622 8259 Offering fine foods & fresh produce plus a variety of handmade crafts will be available throughout Dec with gifts & cards for all the family as well as Christmas trees & floral decorations. Christmas trees will be available. http://www.vennstreetmarket.co.uk/
Every Sat Blue Elephant Theatre Camberwell 020 7701 0100 Young People’s Theatre workshops, various age groups 7-18yrs, FREE to join. http://www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk/
Every Sat 2-4pm & after school on Tue & Thurs South London Gallery 65 Peckham Road 020 7703 6120 The Shop of Possibilities for children & families living on five neighbouring estates, Pelican, Southampton Way, Elmington, Wyndham & Comber, & Sceaux Gardens are invited to play at after school & weekend workshops in this recently renovated former retail outlet on the Sceaux Gardens housing estate. http://www.southlondongallery.org/
Every weekend Tate Modern Bankside 020 7887 8008 Open Studio play & create with ideas & materials from artworks in the collection displays for all ages. Daily Family resources with paper based activities for families all ages, FREE. Daily Children’s Multimedia Guide keeps children entertained & animates art works through music, video clips &entertaining games, 5+yrs. Daily Under 5’s Zone a new play space for families, FREE. Every weekend Start Sessions with games, map making & clue matching, 5+yrs, FREE. http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
Every weekend Temple Station 020 7222 1234 Harry Potter Locations Tour, 2 ½ hrs. http://www.the-magician.co.uk/harry-potter-tour.htm
Every weekend Greenwich Clocktower Market Greenwich High Road Quirky weekend market has 50 stalls specialising in vintage, retro & antiques with a few contemporary craft stalls, FREE entry, www.clocktowermarket.co.uk
Every weekend Tate Britain Millbank 020 7887 8888 Liminal invites visitors into a physical, material & social experience of sculpture through touch, interaction & collaboration, all ages, FREE. Every weekend Art Trolley sessions encourages children to imagine & create collages & lots more, FREE. Every Weekend Children’s Multimedia Guide fun & interactive a sensory experience for all the family to enjoy, 5+yrs. Daily Family Resources provides questions & activities which encourage children & families to explore art works, FREE. Daily Family Trails, under 5’s, FREE. http://www.tate.org.uk/
Until 6 Sept New London Theatre Drury Lane 0844 412 4600 The Elephantom about a little girl who is unexpectedly visited by a giant blue ghost elephant, 3+yrs daytime performances at 10,11.30a.m & 2.30p.m. http://drurylane.londontheatres.co.uk www.elephantomonstage.co.uk
Until 31 Aug Watch This Space Festival 020 7452 3231 The National’s FREE summer festival & the hub will be at St John’s Church on Waterloo Roundabout, with outdoor entertainment in & around the churchyards, they will also pop up with unexpected shows across Lambeth & Southwark from Brockwell Park & Brixton Market to Camberwell Green & the Aylesbury Estate. There will be the best of UK circus, theatre, dance & music, international visitors & some newly commissioned surprises. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/welcome-to-the-national-theatre/watch-this-space-festival
Until 14 Sept Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London 020 7942 5000 Sensational Butterflies family friendly exhibition allows you to wonder through a tropical enclosure, discovering the science behind these delicate creatures & their amazing life cycles as they evolve from crawling caterpillars into beautiful butterflies. Daily Who Do You Think You Really Are state of the art interactive film, FREE. Daily Family Explorer backpacks filled with explorer’s tools, drawing materials & fun activities to help children make exciting discoveries in the galleries, under 7’s FREE. Daily Investigate Centre explore hundreds of real natural history specimens, from a shark’s jaw to a meteorite as old as Earth in their hands-on science centre, families 7+yrs, FREE. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/
HMS Belfast Tooley Street 020 7940 6320 Throughout school hols July-Sept drop in family activities for all ages, FREE included in admission price. Until 31 Dec D-Day Family Trail. Ongoing HMS Belfast Private Tours with exclusive behind the barrier access, discover some of the quirky sailors’ stories of living & working on board including the time a reindeer joined the crew! http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast
30 July-27 Aug Horniman Museum London Road Forest Hill 020 8699 1872 series of Big Wednesdays with art & craft, storytelling, pond-dipping & minibeast safaris & lots more. http://www.horniman.ac.uk/
19 July-31 Aug Leicester Square Theatre 08448 733433 Aliens Love Underpants live on stage.
Museum of Childhood Bethnal Green 020 8983 5200 Summer Festival day of family friendly activities, including live music, dance, art & crafts, face painting, rickshaw rides, food & games, for families, drop in, FREE. 28 July-1 Aug Artbash Camp, Dreamers, a week of art workshops offering children the opportunity to experiment with different materials, 5-11yrs, book before 18 July www.artbash.co.uk Until 2 Nov Daydreams & Diaries, the story of Jacqueline Wilson one of Britain’s best loved children’s authors exhibition.
28 July-10 Aug, 18-24 Aug Imperial War Museum Lambeth Road 020 7416 5439 Forget Me Not, postcards from the front, drop in activity will give you the chance to sew your own personal postcard to take away, families, all ages, FREE. Every Sun from 20 July Object Conservations family object handling sessions & Creative Response make a creative response to themes held within the new atrium & Terraced Galleries. Ongoing A Family in Wartime exhibition explores the lives of William & Alice Allpress & their ten children & what life in London was like during the war. A Family in Wartime is brought to life through interactive exhibits, photographs, recorded interviews with the family, archive film footage & more, FREE.
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