London Baby and Kids Weekend Guide November 25th-26th
Chelsea Physic Garden Christmas Fair: Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 10am-4pm. Bring the kids for a fantastic morning or afternoon of exploring the gardens, enjoying the fabulous food and searching for special and unique holiday gifts. Carols at 4pm on Saturday. Tickets are £6 per adult, children and members are free.
Kings Place, Aurora Orchestra - Far, Far Away, Tchaikovsky and the Marvellous Kingdom: Saturday 10:30 and Sunday 10am. The entire family can join the musicians to dance with dewdrops, spy on fairies and tussle with the Mouse King. Tickets £6.50 children, £8.50 adults, £21.50 family of 4.
V&A Museum of Childhood, Christmas Designer Market: Sunday 26th 10am-5pm. Head out to Bethnal Green and let the kids have a great time enjoying the museum, taking part in the crafting workshop, you can enjoy mulled wine, mince pies and shop independent designers and makers listening to a brass band.
V&A Pop-up Performance: Saturday 25th 11am-3:30pm. Bring the family to the V&A for Tales from the Qissa Khwani, The Street of Storytellers with Sef Townsend. Free, drop-in, all ages.
Learning, Making and Doing Events:
National Theatre, Devising - Cunning Champions and Dastardly Dragons: Saturday 11am-1pm and 2-4pm. Get ready for armoured heroics, monstrous reptiles and one epic fun-filled family workshop inspired by St. George and the Dragon. Ages 6-12, tickets just £5 adults, £3 children.
Wellcome Collection, Provocation Campaign Workshop: Saturday 2:30-4:30. Bring the kids to explore creative visual campaign tools with artist Hannah Hull against the current exhibit Our Provocation. Make protest confetti, chalk provocation, campaign badges, and a mini-placard.
Museum of Comedy, Nick Cope’s Family Concert: Sunday 11am. Bring the kids to hear indie-surrealist tunes like “The Baby’s Done a Poo” … looks like a great time for all. Tickets are just £8.00 for a great show right in Holborn.
British Museum Build Roman Britain in Minecraft: Saturday 11am. Bring your Minecrafting wunderkind to the British Museum and put that program to use! Free, drop-in, ages 5+.
London Design Museum Create and Make: Sunday 11am-4pm. Head to the Design Museum for a drop-in activity inspired by the current exhibit. Free with admission, ages 5-11.
Royal Academy, Family Studio - Free People: Sunday 11am-3pm. Make your own flags based on the current Jasper Johns exhibit. The workshop is free, drop-in and all ages.
Institut Francais, Game Lab: Saturday 2:30pm. Head to South Kensington and learn Faces Imake and Wuwu and company. Ages 6-12, booking essential, bilingual in easy french, free.
Upcoming:
St. Katherine Docks Floating Film Festival, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, The Holiday and Love Actually. Completely kid-friendly. The Shop Up, Babyccino at Chelsea Town Hall, 3-4 December. Beautiful gifts from independent vendors and children’s activities. (Wilford Social is rumoured to be performing). Harry Potter a History of Magic, British Library. There are still some mid-week tickets available, review coming soon, but GO. Saatchi Gallery, Crafty Christmas Cards. Saturday 9th, just £5 and Build a Festive Firtree Workshop Saturday 16th.
Babies and Toddlers:
Are you and your baby looking to meet local mums, in a clean, pleasant space and take part in an enjoyable activity? Are you near Maida Vale, Marylebone, Notting Hill, High Street Kensington or Hampstead? Could I suggest you try out one of London’s premier baby and mum activity - Monkey Music. For a limited time, Monkey Music Maida Vale, Marylebone, Notting Hill and Hampstead have special offer on their fantastic venues for new London Baby and Kids readers. If you and 2 other families join Monkey Music and mention London Baby and Kids, the £17 joining fee will be waived. Ring 0208 438 0189 or email [email protected]
Monkey Music at The National Army Museum: Starting Thursday 16th, Monkey Music will be holding afternoon classes in the beautifully refurbished National Army Museum. You can book into the amazing Playbase before or after your lessons and make a full day of it. Classes are filling up quickly, so do get in touch with Monkey Music to register your interest.
British Museum, Little Feet: Friday 10:30-noon. Bring the baby or little one and make a colourful creation to take home. Free, drop-in, under 5s.
Baby Broadway: Baby Broadway are brilliantly fun monthly concerts where babies, toddlers, kids and grown ups can dance and sing favourite pop songs. Its great fun, great value and worth the effort to go!! Upcoming concerts in Putney, Sydenham, Balham, Stoke Newington, Highgate, Barnes, Wimbledon and West Hampstead.
Institute Francais, Babies Corner: Wednesday 11am. Bring the kids for reading, playing, singing and drawing in French! Booking essential, ages 0-3, tickets £3 babies, £7 adults.
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.
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, Becky Dixton and Samantha Sutherland where singing, storytelling and musical instruments are woven into one story session. £4, 11:30am
National Gallery, Welcome Wednesdays: Wednesdays 10:30-11:15. Bring children 16 months to 5 years to the National Gallery for Dance Adventures with Olivia Armstrong. Age 16 months – 5 years, tickets £5 per child.
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 Party. Bring babies under 12 months to this amazingly plush cinema, relax with some coffee and catch a flick.
Big Scream, Ritzy Brixton: Fridays, 11am. This week Battle of the Sexes and Suburbicon are 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: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 11:30am, just £1.75.
Institut Francais, Paddington 2. Sunday 26th, 11am. Best children’s film in years, tickets just £5 in English.
BFI Southbank, Family Film Sundays: Sunday 26th, 12:30. Great value and great family cinema. £4 per child, £11.75 adults, 1 child 1 adult £10. This week’s screening, The Singing Ringing Tree.
Barbican Framed Film Club: Saturday 11am. This week’s programme: Framed Film Club, Despicable Me 3. Tickets just £3.50
Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: This week’s programme: Frozen and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,10:30 am. 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: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, My Little Pony: The Pony. 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.
