London Family Weekend Guide: Garden Museum, House of Illustration, Museum of Comedy, William Morris Collection and more ….
Learning, Making and Doing Events:
Garden Museum, Family Events: Bring the kids to The Garden Museum for a hands-on family cooking workshop in the newly opened Food Learning Studio. Learn healthy versions of takeaway favourites: beetroot burgers, cauliflower sausages and sweet potato fries. Adults £5, children £2.50, ages 5+ (younger siblings welcome). Sunday 11am-1:30pm.
House of Illustration, Family Workshop - Memory and Mark Making: Take inspiration from Jacqueline Ayer’s current exhibition, Drawing on Thailand, and create your own family memory. Be sure to bring a photograph from home to be photocopied and included in your artwork. Saturday 2pm-5pm, tickets £4.
Museum of Comedy, Children’s Magic Workshop: before heading to the magic show, or just on its own, kids age 7-13 can learn the arts magic in this special workshop. Saturday 1:30, £15.
William Morris Gallery, Family Day Tutti Frutti: Head up to Walthamstow and explore the museum. Focusing on Morris’s Fruit wallpaper, you will do some drawing and soap-making. Saturday 1pm-4pm, free, drop-in, all ages.
National Gallery, Studio Sunday: Take a guided look at Beuckelaer’s market stalls and create a miniature clay vegetable post to take home. Sunday 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm, ages 5-11, free, places allocated on arrival (arrive early to avoid disappointment).
Wallace Collection, The Little Draw: Take the kids to enchanting Marylebone Sunday for a hands-on, artist-led workshop. Sunday 1:30-4:30pm. Free, drop-in, all ages.
The Forge, Craft Central: Come to Craft Central’s free event at the stunning Forge. There will be family-friendly drop-in craft workshops along with an launch exhibition featuring 11 London Craft Club makers. Saturday and Sunday noon-6pm, free, all ages.
Westbourne Grove Church, NCT Kensington and Chelsea Nearly New Sale: Saturday 14th October 10-noon for NCT members, 10:15-noon for the general public. £2 donation on the door, first 100 people receive a complimentary goodie bag, cash sales only.
Madneville Hotel, London Blogging Workshop: Thursday 12 October, 10:30-1pm. Come to an intimate, hands-on, blogging workshop where you will learn how to grow 1,000 loyal followers into 10,000 and create a solid business. Tickets £40 to cover room, coffee, tea, pastries and a few other bits and bobs. Sorry, no children.
Family Performances This Weekend:
Southbank, Big Joik Sing: Bring the family to Royal Festival Hall and learn the art of join singing in this workshop for all ages and abilities led by Jorgen Stenberg and Ceclia Persson. Sunday, 12:45, free, all ages.
Museum of Comedy, West End Magic Presents: Head to the Museum of Comedy for a fantastic family magic show, you can read my review here. Saturday, 4pm, adults £12.50, klds £7.50, family ticket £35.00, for ages 5+.
Omnibus Theatre, Magnard Ensemble Family Concert: This concert features the performances of classical music and includes demonstrations of instruments and fun, interactive activities. Sunday 11am, £5 (children under 11 are free).
Wigmore Hall, The Chimpanzee of Happytown: Bring the entire family to an interactive family concert based on the book Giles Andrae and Guy Parker-Rees, The Chimpanzees of Happytown. £12 adults, £10 children.
Just for Babies:
Monkey Music is a great way to fit a music classes in around your nursery timetable and meet local mums. Classes are starting Monday 11th September, but there are a few afternoon opening in Belgravia and Pimlico. There are morning openings at Cineworld Cinema, Chelsea, St. Stephen’s Church Gloucester Road and The Hut in Chelsea. Right now, if you join with two other mums, the normal £18 booking fee is reduced to just £1 if you mention London Baby and Kids.
[email protected] or tel: 020 8767 9827
Le Institut Francais, Babies Corner: Bring the littlest ones to South Kensington for storytelling for babies to 3 year olds in easy French. Wednesday 4th October, 11am, £3 adults, £7 kids.
Royal Albert Hall, Storytelling and Music Sessions: bring children ages 0-4 to Royal Albert Hall on Wednesdays for a magical experience with storytellers Paul Rubinstein and Becky Dixton where singing, storytelling and musical instruments are woven into one story session. £4, 11:30am
British Museum, Little Feet: Wednesday 4th October, 10:30-noon. This session takes place in the BP exhibition Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia. Free, booking essential, for children under 5.
Welcome Wednesdays: Wednesdays 10:30-11:15. Bring children 16 months to 5 years to the National Gallery for Art Adventures with Hannah Cushion. Ages 16 months – 5 years, tickets £5 per child.
Chelsea Swim Spa – head over to the most baby-friendly pool in London … The Chelsea Swim Spa. Find out more about this luxuriously warm, innovative pool for mothers and small children. Read my review here.
Pimlico Toy Library: Bring the kids to the Toy Library for play sessions and toy lending. Fantastic resource for anyone in the area.
Electric Cinema, Electric Scream: Mondays 11am. This week’s feature: The Limehouse Golem. Bring babies under 12 months to this amazingly plush cinema, relax with some coffee and catch a flick.
Rich Mix, Parents and Babies: Monday noon, £6. This week’s screening: Daphne. Tickets £6.
Big Scream, Ritzy Brixton: Fridays, 11am. This week Goodbye Christopher Robin is showing.
Family Cinema
Regent Street Cinema, Kino Club Films : You can now bring your children to London’s beautifully restored, sumptuous cinema for screenings of better than average children’s films on Saturdays. This week’s screening: Fantasia 11:30am, just £1.75.
Barbican Framed Film Club: Saturday 11am. This week’s programme: Jamila Gavin (author Coram Boy, Grandpa Chatterji) Presents: Arrietty. The author will introduce the screening of this beautiful French film by Michel Ocelot (dubbed into English). Tickets just £3.50
Le Institut Francais, The Red Turtle: Studio Ghibli’s new production has no dialogue but is not any less enchanting. See it on Sunday at 11am for just £5 adults and children.
Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: This week’s programme: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,10am. Tickets just £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2. (best £3 you will ever spend on a rainy Saturday)
Ritzy Picturehouse, Kids Club: Sunday 10:30. This Week’s screening: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.
Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, The Magic Roundabout. Saturday 9:30am. Check out the Electric Cinema with its plush, red velvet beds, sofas and armchairs. Looks like a great way for Dad to occupy the kids on a Saturday morning.
