But first I need to make you aware of the very serious consultation undergone to evaluate the need for fire stations in London.  Read it.  The fourth sentence in the consultation states the cost savings.  I have little financial acumen, but if The City of London is unable to cover fire stations with their tax base, someone is missing a huge revenue opportunity.

As I have mentioned before, my friend and London-baby reader has lost not just her home, she lost everything, her children’s’ photographs, her account information, her financial security to a house fire in Lambeth on a Friday afternoon in November. The fire engines could not get to her home quickly enough to put out what started from a malfunctioning kitchen appliance.

Our fire fighters do more than put out house fires: they know our communities, our buildings, our schools, our hospitals, our museums, our treasures, our elderly, our weak.  The first responders are the ones who will come running when a helicopter crashes, a train station catches on fire or any number of tragedies that have or might occur where the public is in danger and needs help.   They come out when people are stuck in malfunctioning lifts, which the consultation states they would like to rid the fire department of responsibility – rest assured when you are stuck in one that a trusty lift service company will be out as soon as they can to rescue you!! We need these professionals to remain in our neighbourhoods and keep the vulnerable safe.

Please look at the list below of all the neighbourhoods facing closure and the public meetings to discuss this:

More details of all the meetings are available here: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/LSP5-public-meetings.asp here is a petition to sign if you cannot make your local meeting.

• Barking and Dagenham, Monday, 25 March, 7pm-9pm at Boothroyd Hall, Castle Green, Gale Street, RM9 4UN
• Barnet, Enfield and Haringey, Thursday, 18 April 7-9pm
  CHANGE OF VENUE – (updated: 12 April 2012) - the new venue is the Grand Palace Banqueting Suite, 242 High Road, Wood Green, N22 8JX (across the road from the original venue, Haringey Civic Centre)
• Bexley, Bromley and Croydon, Thursday, 23 May 7-9pm at Bromley Central Library, High Street, Bromley BR1 1EX
• Brent and Harrow, Tuesday, 16 April 7-9pm at Harrow Civic Centre, Station Road, Harrow HA1 2XY
• Camden, Thursday, 30 May 7-9pm at McNamara Suite, London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB
• City of London, Thursday, 9 May 7-9pm, The Main Hall at St Albans Centre, Leigh Place, Baldwins Gardens, Holborn, London EC1N 7AB
• Ealing and Hounslow, Monday, 13 May 7-9pm at The Victoria Hall, Ealing Town Hall, New Broadway, Ealing W5 2BY
• Greenwich, Wednesday 29 May 7-9pm at Lecture Theatre 315, King William Building, University of Greenwich, 30 Park Row, Greenwich, London SE10 9LS
• Hackney, Monday, 20 May 7-9pm at Hackney Assembly Hall, Stoke Newington Town Hall, Stoke Newington Church Street N16 0JR
• Hammersmith and Fulham, Thursday, 28 March, 7-9pm at Hammersmith Assembly Hall,  King Street, Hammersmith, W6 9JU
• Havering and Redbridge, Monday, 3 June, 7-9pm at Lambourne Room, Redbridge Town Hall, 128-142 High Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 1DD
• Hillingdon, Tuesday, 2 April, 7-9pm at Hillingdon Town Hall,  Middlesex Suite, Hillingdon Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW
• Islington, Tuesday, 28 May, 7-9pm at Islington Assembly Hall, Upper Street, Islington N1 2UD
• Kensington and Chelsea, Monday, 10 June, 7-9pm in the Kensington Small Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX
• Kingston-upon-Thames and Richmond-upon-Thames, Tuesday 4 June, 7-9pm at Clarendon Hall, York House, Richmond Road, Twickenham TW1 3AA
• Lambeth, Thursday, 16 May 7-9pm at Lambeth Assembly Hall, Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton Hill, London SW2 1RW
• Lewisham, Wednesday, 22 May 7-9pm at Sydenham School, Dartmouth Road, London SE26 4RD
• Merton and Sutton, Tuesday 21 May 7-9pm at the Council Chamber, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden SM4 5DX
• Newham, Wednesday, 8 May, 7-9pm at Newham Town Hall, East Ham, Barking Road, E6 2RP
• Southwark, Tuesday, 14 May 7-9pm at Committee Room 4 and 5, Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA
• Tower Hamlets, Tuesday, 7 May 7-9pm at Skeel Lecture Theatre, People’s Palace Building, Queen Mary University, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS
• Waltham Forest, Monday,15 April 7-9pm at Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow E17 4JD
• Wandsworth, Thursday, 4 April 7-9pm at The Open Door Community Centre, Keevil Drive, Beaumont Road, London, SW19 6TF
• Westminster, Tuesday, 11 June 7-9pm at the Parker Morris Hall, The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith St, London SW1P 3BU

Please email the link to this page to anyone you know in these neighbourhoods as they might be interested in learning that they are losing a fire station.

On a much lighter note, here are some great events to keep you busy during the holidays

Half-term Holiday Workshops, Performances, Events:  

London Literature Festival, Southbank: Loads of family events for big and small alike. Dogs Don’t Do Ballet: Little Angel Theatre production, ages 2-6, £4 children/£8 adult Mon 27^th and Thu 30^th. Contemplating the Honey Bee, come and learn all about bees, honey, flowers, and make a beeswax craft to take home.  Mon 27^th, 11am, £5.  Translation for Beginners, no knowledge of French required, all ages, free but booking required. Mon 27^th, 3pm.

Little Angel Theatre: Check out my review of Going on a Bear Hunt, Wed 29^th 11am & 2pm (with Fun Day); Thur 29^th, 11am & 2pm (with Museum Fun Day) and Fri 30^th, 11am & 2pm

Holland Park Ecology Centre: Half term activities and workshops.  Bring your kids ages 5+ for a morning or afternoon session of learning, exploring and making.  Each workshop has a different theme (orienteering, owl pellets, bird identification, hibernation) and you do some learning, and generally followed by some interesting, well-resourced making.  Cost is £4.10 for RBKC residents, £5.20 per child for non-residents.  Tuesday 28^th – Friday 31^st, 10am-noon and 2-4pm.  Booking essential, but you can sign up for more than one session.  0207 938 8186

Isis Education Centre, Hyde Park.  This hidden gem is a lovely little garden and study centre located just north of the Serpentine in Hyde Park. During the half-term the Isis Education Centre is offering a series of workshops and events; from free to somewhat pricey.  Bug Explorer Day, £30, Tuesday 28^th.  Day long workshop exploring the meadow and collecting bugs and other life to investigate under the microscopes.  Discovery Day Wed 29^th, 11am-3pm, free.  Make butterfly feeders and learn bees.  Discover Butterflies and Bees, Thursday 30^th, 10am-noon.  Go on a bug safari and make butterfly feeders.

Half Term Events and Activities at V and A: Make-it Music Icons, ages 5-12, Monday – Friday, booking essential tickets £7.50 per child.  Get the pop star look with costume, make-up and photography with photographer DJ Edward Otchere.   Imagination Station, make your own album cover.  Pick up the materials and make your design.  Free, all ages.

Wallace Collection Family Art Workshop: Good Gods: Wednesday 29^th May, 10:30-12:15 and 2:00-3:45, ages 6+, free.  Take a good look around the museum for gods, heroes, and monsters from Greek mythology and create your own puppet.  Pop-Up Fancy Furniture, Friday 31^st May, 10:30-12:30 or 2-4pm.  Design a room full of pop-up furniture with the help of artist Agnieszka Arabska, ages 7+, £7 booking essential.

Royal Albert Hall Half-term Events: Family Ignite Concert. £3.50 kids, £5.00 adults.  Discover Victoria and Albert: Learn about the world’s most famous romance and how it lead to the creation of the Royal Albert Hall. Storytelling and craft activities.  £3.50, recommended ages 5-11. Tuesday 28^th, 10am & 1pm; Thursday 30^th 10am & 1pm.  Family Victorian Experience Tours: come and tour the theatre with two Victorian guides who will explain the history of the hall and what it was like to have worked there 140 years ago when it first opened; children will get to go in the box offices and try on Victorian costumes.  £25 family tickets (two adults, two children) or £11 per adult, £5 per child.  Monday 27^th – Friday 31^st; 11am, 12:30pm & 2:30pm.  Ages 5+.

Chelsea Physic Gardens Half term Holiday Workshops: A Passion for Plants, Gardening for Beginners. Ages 5+, Wednesday 29^th 10:30-noon and 1-2:30 (£6 children, £9 adults).  Lost Art of Printing, learn about the lost art of nature printing and make your own prints to take home, age 10+, Thursday 30^th May 10:30-2:30 (£8 children, £11 adults).

British Museum: The British Museum is holding their usual round of drop-in activities in the Great Court Mon 27^th – Fri 31^st, 11am – 4pm: Villas, Vine and Volcanoes centred around the Pompeii exhibit.  In addition to this, there will be two different talk hosted by Caroline Lawrence, talking about Animals in Pompeii on Monday 27^th, 1-2pm; another on Children in Pompeii and Herculaneum, Friday 31^st 1-2pm  Both talks are for older kids (7+), free, but booking is essential.

Geffrye Museum: From Tuesday 28^th – Friday 30^th May Geffrye Museum will be hosting a series of workshops for children 5+, and another series of workshops for the under 5’s.  Events generally start at 10am and 2pm, check the website for the long and varied list of interesting, hands-on, creative projects on offer.  These workshops have limited places which are allocated on arrival, so leave in plenty of time to get there.  The workshops are fantastic, well-staffed, well-resourced and good fun.

National Portrait Gallery: Monday 27^th – Friday 30^th the Portrait Gallery will be hosting a series of drop-in workshops for ages 5+ and storytelling and craft sessions for ages 3+.  Some of the sessions for older kids are particularly interesting as there is a “sculpt your own bust” out of clay and a “relief portraiture” workshops where kids will paint, cut and stick their own relief self portrait together.  Sessions are free, drop-in with tickets allocated on arrival up to one hour prior to the start.

The puppets are true to their well-known characters, they look so much like Helen Oxenbury’s portrayal of them, including details like the baby’s sagging pink suit; the girls’ long, straggly hair; and the dad’s woolly jumper. The focus of the story is walking and the puppets are masterfully engineered to make their very footsteps part of the story.  The dog is cleverly executed, there are momentary glimpses when you think there might actually be one on the set.  My four year old theatre companions particularly enjoyed a hilarious sequence where the baby is made to swim.  We all enjoyed the duality of the bear; his part-scariness and part-confoundedness comes across just as subtlety as in the story.

Going on a Bear Hunt, Take That Mr. Gove

The sets are delightfully rendered; the main elements of the story are brought to life with beautifully simple, but imaginative use of props, music and lighting.  The swishy grass; deep, cold river; thick, oozing mud; the deep, dark forest; the swirling, whirling snowstorm, and cave are at times concretely portrayed, and other times merely suggested.

For me, what was particularly enjoyable was the suburb quality of music.  Here is where the production captures one of the most enchanting elements of children’s theatre.  Barb Jungr, London’s leading lady of song, created a score that is rich and at the same time Spartan, using just a few instruments and simple, three and four part harmonies by skilled vocalists.  This is not the usual solo sung against recorded orchestration; this is live music throughout the show.  The songs vary from folksy to bluesy to a final Mumford and Sons-esque foot stomping anthem “We’re Not Going on a Bear Hunt Anymore”.  My four year old son, his best mate and I sang it hand-in-hand, marching the entire walk down Upper Street to the underground, and are still singing it today.

I could not help thinking that Michael Gove (decimator of state education … I mean the Secretary of State for Education) is lurking in the wings of the theatre of this production.  Recently Rosen and Gove have been sparring in the press over the teaching grammar.   Rosen has rightly called Gove out on the proposed de-emphasis of language-rich, inspiring literacy lessons like “story theatre” that Going on a Bear Hunt lends itself to so superbly; in exchange for emphasised sit and learn, skill and drill, test and fail, lessons on spellings and grammar.   Surely if Michael Gove were to sit in Little Angel Theatre for Going on a Bear Hunt, he would have his cold heart warmed and rethink the value of arts in education, see how they aid the kind of reasoning and critical thinking that culminate in a society’s true mark of success: superb works of collaborative art.

Going on a Bear Hunt at The Little Angel theatre is showing now through 21^st July.  Tickets are £12 each, but Friday 5pm matinees are for £5.  The show is suitable for children over the age of 2.  11am Sunday performances are for families with children under 2 years old.

Archikids, City of London.  Come down and join in the activities at this London children’s free architecture festival.  All around the City, different hands-on events and activities bring London’s structures into fascinating lessons of detail, design and function while being fun and free.  Just to name a few of the numerous events: One New Change will be hosting tunnel making, making and 3-D city with sting, making structures with candy and sketching the skyline on the roof terrace windows (if you have not been up here … GO, it’s amazing) ; Exchange Square will have activities that investigate how architecture interacts with landscapes, building a city with cane, and a scooter trail; Leadenhall Market will have bridge-making and shelter making…. Do check out the rest of the events.  If you can’t make Saturday, head down on Sunday

Chelsea Fringe Festival: World’s End Estate Community Gardens, Green Peas Events.  Head down to Chelsea for a fantastic afternoon of nature crafts for 2-8 year olds as part of the Chelsea Fringe Festival.  Choose between making nature collages, veggie print-making, painting and tactile, messy play with lentils, beans, rice and more.  Free, but booking strongly recommended.  Please contact Anna at info@greenpeasevents.co.uk/ tel: 07949392708, www.greenpeasevents.co.uk (they do fantastic birthday parties and events)

Saatchi Gallery Family Art Workshops.  Take part in an artist-led workshop learning about the current exhibit, this week the focus is Sergei Vasiliev. 1-2:30, £7

National Portrait Gallery: Storytelling and Family Art Workshop.  Toy’s Wardrobe: all toys have special outfits.  Learn a little bit about some selected portraits and follow up with an art activity. 10:30-11:15 and 1:30-2:15 for ages 3+.   In addition to this, you can make your own Jumping Jack for children ages 5+ 11:30 – 1pm and 2:30-4pm.  All free

Don’t forget about Love Swimming Fast Track Swimming:  Book a fast track lesson with Bila and Rui at the end of May and take a “swimming staycation” read my review of my son’s marked development during his fast-track course.   Fast-track is an affordable and highly effective way for beginners (I am not exaggerating, Bila got my son to swim in two lessons) to advanced swimmers who will work on technique.

Saturday Films:

Barbincan Family Film Club:Bugsy Malone   Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie.  Great price.  11am, all ages.

Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: The Princess Bride .  That’s right, THE PRINCESS BRIDE ON THE BIG SCREEN: Remember 1987? Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, Robin Wright and so many more in this Rob Reiner classic (that will be me in the front row with two kids and a husband drinking the bloody mary … unless we are at One New Change at the Archikids) Tickets £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2.  My husband’s rainy day ace in the hole read the review, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location.  Also, head down the road to The Gold on Portobello Road and have a fabulous family-friendly meal in a pre-gentrified Notting Hill gem.  Be sure to get one of the balcony tables in the atrium area … wonderfully food, cool venue and very family-friendly for slightly older kids.

Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, Finding Nemo; 10:30am.  Check out the newly refurbished 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.  Tickets £8 per person. All ages

Family Events Sunday 12^th May

Camden Arts Centre, Make and Do Sunday.  Come and join artist Adam Walker as he leads the children through an activity designed around Dieter Roth’s new exhibit: Diaries.  2-4pm, all ages, free.

Royal Academy of Art, Family Studio, Living Art.  Explore the historic artworks in the collection of the Royal Academy and bring them to life through re-enactment.  All ages, free, 11am-2pm.

Baby Rave, The Pirate Castle.  Why not bring the baby to a rave in Camden??  Head over to The Pirate Castle (very near Camden tube)  Sunday 3:30-5pm.  Changing facilities, music at comfortable levels, older siblings welcome, food and drinks on sale.  Children £3, adults £6 (includes free drink) or £4 for no drink… non-walkers go free!!!

Mwalimu Express, Rich Mix, Bethnal Green: This is a truly London activity – come join the Saidi JJ Kanda and take the train to Zanzibar as this Sundays destination.  There will be a screening of “As Old as my Tongue” celebrating the life of Zanzibar’s famous singer Bi Kidude.  Free, all ages …

And on to the upcoming week:

For Babies and Toddlers:

Classical Babies, Knightsbridge: Come along for a jazz piano concert in the lovely hall at St. Columba’s on Pont Street.  Push chair friendly ( a few steps), good fun, near to Hyde Park and Harrods should you be looking for something to do after.  £10 per adult, children free.

British Museum, Parent’s View of Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum.  £12.50 (a bit more than my usual standard of a tenner) but bring the baby and come along to a fascinating tour and discussion of the current exhibit at The British Museum.  This promises to be a fabulous bit of brain candy!!  Tuesday, 21^st May, 10:30-1pm.

Electric Scream: Mondays, 11am.  Come and see Promised Land (Gus Van Sant’s exploration of fracking with juicy Matt Damon)  Experience the luxury of the newly refurbished Electric Cinema.  This screening is only for carers with infants under 12 months, dim lighting, changing tables, quality food, even wine!!  £15.50 for an armchair, very pricy but great fun.

Imagination Station, play music and movement for babies 4 months +: Fun and affordable interactive music and movement class for infants and toddlers.  Mondays at the Kensington Library, Wednesdays at the Forge Arts Venue in Camden, Fridays in Marylebone.  See web site for details.

Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream.  Tuesdays at 10:30.   Bring your infant under 12 months on for a screening of The Great Gatsby. Tickets are £8.50.

Pippa’s Poppets:  SW1’s favourite singer and songwriter has a new venue … GAMBADO!!!.  Bring your kids along to Pippa’s class and get one hour of play in Gambado after!!!  Wednesdays 9:45 for babies and 10:10 for toddlers.  Also, there is now an early morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Saviour, St. George’s Square (just by the Pimlico Tube) from 9:35am for 4 months- 3 years. £7.50 per class.  Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico.  Thursdays in Chelsea at Beaufort House (fabulous London family club) and Tuesdays in Knightsbridge.

When we first moved to our beloved sleepy enclave of Westminster, several years ago, we were enticed by the comparatively (for zone 1) modest rents and the fact we could walk to truly London-y places like Buckingham Palace and Parliament.  We were not overly impressed with the convenience of Pimlico, our flat was just about a half mile from the nearest grocery store; we had to walk at least a mile to sundries like children’s birthday presents or new clothing and the restaurant scene was not as exciting or original as what was on offer in our previous neighbourhood, Paddington.  We were now parents and our entertainment budget dried up with my decision to stay home with my kids and forgo a pay check.  Over the course a few months we forgot all about our short walk to Marylebone High Street/Little Venice/Westbourne Grove and grew to love our new home and neighbours.

One of the first discoveries I made into our little neighbourhood was the typical, unremarkable but fabulously practical and affordable Tachbrook Market with its fruit and veg stand, a dry goods vendor selling odd biscuits and cleaning supplies, inexpensive clothing stall and the fishmonger.  Pat O’Shaughnessy had been in the Pimlico market for over 50 years; he and his daughter had a massive cart that they wheeled out into the market and placed their boxes of iced fish on top.  They were kind and friendly, not overly chatty with me (being a native Midwesterner I did not buy too many things from the fishmonger), but had a loyal group of customers.  Everyone in Pimlico took pride in O’Shaughnessy, either because the novelty or the practicality of having a fishmonger in our market.

Not long after we moved in, things started to change a little bit around our newly-claimed neighbourhood.  Independent boutiques opened, organic coffee shops came in, two Tesco locals opened, a craft beer pub and a new fishmonger came to the market. “ Jon The Fishmonger” opened up his own fish stand on the opposite side of the market to O’Shaughnessy.  Jon and would smile, chat and offer recipe suggestions.  He would decorate his fish stand with parsley and spray water on the fish so that it all looked and smelled better.  Soon a debate rose between area residents: O’Shaughnessy vs Jon.  Old-school Pimlicon’s stayed with O’Shaughnessy, newbies went with Jon.  We were new, he patiently explained to me how to cook the stuff, so we began to eat fish we bought from Jon.

Sometimes I would watch from the near-by playground as O’Shaughnessy would track a mother with her pushchair when she walked by his stall over to Jon.  I could feel his betrayal all the way from the swings.  There were times his scornful stare burned into my shoulder blades as my children and I went about buying our mackerel supper.  When Jon was not around, I bought fish from O’Shaughnessy.  One day he had a particularly long queue and apologised so profusely and kindly that we had to wait and went on to serve us some fabulous sardines that we enjoyed very much. But we were loyal to Jon and he always got our business first.

Right about the time we served those delicious O’Shaughnessy sardines, we were notified by our landlord that we should find another place to live.  Said “landlord” was my husband’s cousin and the flat was rented to us very much at a “mate’s rate”.  When we tried to find somewhere else to live, we had discovered that rents had nearly doubled in the time we lived in Pimlico.  We could no longer afford anything close to a 3 bedroom, even a two bedroom was going to be a real stretch for our rental budget.

As we began to fully accept that we would be leaving Pimlico for good I then began thinking about at the changes that had taken place in my neighbourhood.  Suddenly the roads seemed populated with an inordinate amount of Bentley’s and Rolls Royce’s which I would eye with the scorn of O’Shaughnessy.  My local playgroup that I helped run had fewer and fewer mums arriving each week; there were more nannies and fewer children.  Properties around my flat and my friend’s flats were going vacant for increasingly long periods of time.  When families moved out of the neighbourhood, their flats and homes would be filled by single working professional or an exotically foreign family who lived there part time.

It slowly dawned on me that we were being displaced by a different crowd.  Out with the volunteering, community building family types who shop with likes of O’Shaughnessy and in with the international jet-set.  We were being run out of Pimlico by people who privately educate their children, seek private medical care, use few council services and don’t vote and might not even spend much time in London just as O’Shaughnessy had been run out by the likes of me.

My husband and I both willingly sought the expat life; with that comes, I suppose, a natural desire to embrace change and not fear moving.  We eventually found another sleepy under-recognised London neighbourhood that has little cache, but is affordable and convenient.  It’s nowhere close to zone 1, London has changed too much for our comparatively meagre income, but there are families, social groups, volunteer opportunities, community councils, and a market with an old school fishmonger.

Love Swimming Fast Track Swimming:  Book a fast track lesson with Bila and Rui at the end of May and take a “swimming staycation” read my review of my son’s marked development during his fast-track course.   Fast-track is an affordable and highly effective way for beginners (I am not exaggerating, Bila got my son to swim in two lessons) to advanced swimmers who will work on technique.

London-baby.com has been nominated for a Brilliance in Blogging award with Britmums (a fabulously informative, supportive group for bloggers).  Would you please take a few minutes to click on this page for the Bib Awards, find “The London Baby” in the travel section and vote for me.  I will be honest, it’s a little bit arduous as there are several categories and scores of bloggers, but takes only a few minutes and I would very much appreciate the help.

If I win, I will post a picture of me cradling my trophy, wiping tears of joy off my mascara-stained face and include it in the end of June email and post.  Promise.

Family Events Saturday 11^th May

Cadogan Hall, Crash, Bang Wallop!: Little Red Riding Hood.  Bring the family to Sloane Square’s Cadogan Hall for this whimsical classical music concert where you can introduce the little ones to Fuare, Saint-Sans and Glienne.  Tickets are £8 per adult, £6 per child, family ticket £24 (2 adults & 2 children)

Southbank Centre, Peter and the Wolf.  Bring the kids over to Southbank to delight in Prokoviev’s classic tale.  There will be “have a go” sessions with the instruments at 10:30 and again at 2:30.  Tickets £10 – £18.  Noon, all ages.

Little Angle Theatre, Going on a Bear Hunt.  Micheal Rosin’s classic lovingly brought to the puppet theatre, directed by Peter Glanville with original music by Barb Jungr.  Tickets are half-price Saturday and Sunday, children over 2 years permitted (this is strictly enforced).  11am, 1:30 and 3pm, tickets £6 each (normally £12)

Saturday Films:

Barbincan Family Film Club:Wreck-it Ralph   Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie.  Great price.  11am, all ages.

Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs  Tickets £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2.  My husband’s rainy day ace in the hole read the review, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location.  Also, head down the road to The Gold on Portobello Road and have a fabulous family-friendly meal in a pre-gentrified Notting Hill gem.  Be sure to get one of the balcony tables in the atrium area … wonderfully food, cool venue and very family-friendly for slightly older kids.

Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, The Croods; 10:30am.  Check out the newly refurbished 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.  Tickets £8 per person. All ages

Family Events Sunday 12^th May

Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival.  Join in St. Paul’s church on Sunday at 10:30 to begin celebrating Punch and Judy’s birthday.  11am there will be the grand procession, a special service at noon, performances until 5:30.   Free, all ages

Geffrye Museum Family Workshop.  Create your own pampering products using flowers and herbs from the museum garden.  Learn about the healing and soothing properties while making your own concoction to take home.  10:30-12:30 and 2-4pm.  These workshops are well worth the effort as they are amply staffed and resourced.

Battersea Park, Pumphouse Gallery: Become a Guardian.  Take part in a workshop where children learn to be guardians of their local green space and why they need to teach others to respect and cherish it.  Take a micro hike in Battersea Park and meet a tree.  Sunday noon-1:30 and 2-3:30 aimed at ages 7+, but younger siblings welcome.

Forge Arts Venue, Keys and Coffee. Piano concert with Daria van den Bercken.  Great way to begin a Sunday with little ones.  Tickets £10 adults, £4 children.

And on to the upcoming week:

For Babies and Toddlers:

Pippa’s Poppets:  SW1’s favourite singer and songwriter has a new venue … GAMBADO!!!.  Bring your kids along to Pippa’s class and get one hour of play in Gambado after!!!  Wednesdays 9:45 for babies and 10:10 for toddlers.  Also, there is now an early morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Saviour, St. George’s Square (just by the Pimlico Tube) from 9:35am for 4 months- 3 years. £7.50 per class.  Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico.  Thursdays in Chelsea at Beaufort House (fabulous London family club) and Tuesdays in Knightsbridge.

Bach to Baby, Notting Hill Community Church.  Concert, “Around Europe in 60 Minutes” featuring Dominika Rosiek on violin and Miaomiao Yu on piano.  £10 per adult, children free. Coffee from 10:30, concert starts at 11am.

Electric Scream: Mondays, 11am.  Come and see Star Trek Into Darkness (directed by JJ Abrams) Experience the luxury of the newly refurbished Electric Cinema.  This screening is only for carers with infants under 12 months, dim lighting, changing tables, quality food, even wine!!  £15.50 for an armchair, very pricy but great fun.

Imagination Station, play music and movement for babies 4 months +: Fun and affordable interactive music and movement class for infants and toddlers.  Mondays at the Kensington Library, Wednesdays at the Forge Arts Venue in Camden, Fridays in Marylebone.  See web site for details.

Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream.  Tuesdays at 10:30.   Bring your infant under 12 months on for a screening of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima’s pivotal work featuring David Bowie as a WWII POW). Tickets are £8.50.

Begging again, London-baby.com has been nominated for a Brilliance in Blogging award with Britmums (a fabulously informative, supportive group for bloggers).  Would you please take a few minutes to click on this page for the Bib Awards, find “The London Baby” in the travel section and vote for me.  I will be honest, it’s a little bit arduous as there are several categories and scores of bloggers, but takes only a few minutes and I would very much appreciate the help.

Family Events Saturday 4^th May

V and A, Pop up Theatre: “Who’s Been Sleeping in my Bed”, 11am, 1 & 3pm.  This production is excellent for very young children, a perfect bit of theatre for little ones.

Love Swimming Fast Track Swimming: Staying in town over the school holidays?  Book a fast track lesson with Bila and Rui and take a “swimming staycation” read my review of my son’s marked development during his fast-track course.   Fast-track is an affordable and highly effective way for beginners (I am not exaggerating, Bila got my son to swim in two lessons) to advanced swimmers who will work on technique.

Saturday Films:

Barbincan Family Film Club: Sammy’s Great Escape.   Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie.  Great price.  11am, all ages.

Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: Jasper, Finding Nemo  Tickets £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2.  My husband’s rainy day ace in the hole read the review, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location.  Also, head down the road to The Gold on Portobello Road and have a fabulous family-friendly meal in a pre-gentrified Notting Hill gem.  Be sure to get one of the balcony tables in the atrium area … wonderfully food, cool venue and very family-friendly for slightly older kids.

Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, Kung Fu Panda 2; 10:30am.  Check out the newly refurbished 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.  Tickets £8 per person. All ages

And just to remind you, Carrier has extended London-baby families an additional 5% off their already exceptionally valued highest-end luxury holidays (read my review).  Carrier offers an amazing selection of luxury resorts and hotels where the kids stay free, even during the school holidays.  These discounts are good through the end of April, so get looking and booking.  Carrier’s skilled travel team will help you create a completely bespoke holiday where the kids are booked into marine biology school in the morning while the adults get some down time.

Family Events Sunday 5^th May

Wigmore Hall, Family Concert: “When Yesterday We Met” join pianist Dominic Harlan, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Sharp and baritone Phillip Smith for an afternoon of Brahms, Schubert, Ives, Rachmaninov working around the theme of Greek myths put into a wonderful interactive workshop.  £7 adults, £5 children (ages 8+).

Ragged School Museum, Victorian Classroom: from 2-5pm on the first Sunday of the month, The Ragged School Museum runs a Victorian Classroom – just what our privileged, mollycoddled children need to see!!

V and A, Digital Art Sundays.  Bring the kids along to the V and A’s Sackler Education Centre’s computer lab where an artist will show the kids how to make a piece of digital art.  10:30-5pm ages 5+, free.

Wallace Collection, Little Draw.  Come join artist Zoe Scammell and get inspired by the beats and monsters in the art at the Wallace Collection and the create your own work of art to take home.  1:30-4:30, free and all ages.

And on to the upcoming week:

For Babies and Toddlers:

Beaufort House Chelsea, Charity Sale: Tuesday 7^th May, 10am-4pm.  Fantastically child-friendly family club Beaufort House Chelsea is hosting a charity event.  Tea, coffee and food served all day long, 2 course lunch for £9.90 and a massive list of vendors: Milly Grace, My Vitabella Skincare, Susan Rose China, Samantha Sage Swimwear and loads more.  10% of all proceeds go to support Great Ormond Street Hospital and Friends of Royal Marsden.

Pimlico French School Pimlico toddler French classes: Friday morning classes in The Pimlico Rooms at St Saviours, 9.30-10.15 2.5-4yrs, 10.15-11 2-2.5 yrs and 11-11.45 for 1-2yrs. Started by a local NCT mummy and great for community and twinning with NCT prams in the park at St Georges Sq gardens.  Email Juliette at pimlicofrenchclasses-info@yahoo.co.uk for more. (£8 per class). All welcome.  There may still be a place left in each class, ring and Juliette will get back with you.

Pippa’s Poppets:  SW1’s favourite singer and songwriter has a new venue … GAMBADO!!!.  Bring your kids along to Pippa’s class and get one hour of play in Gambado after!!!  Wednesdays 9:45 for babies and 10:10 for toddlers.  Also, there is now an early morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Saviour, St. George’s Square (just by the Pimlico Tube) from 9:35am for 4 months- 3 years. £7.50 per class.  Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico.  Thursdays in Chelsea at Beaufort House (fabulous London family club) and Tuesdays in Knightsbridge.

Electric Scream: Mondays, 11am.  Come and see Iron Man 3 Experience the luxury of the newly refurbished Electric Cinema.  This screening is only for carers with infants under 12 months, dim lighting, changing tables, quality food, even wine!!  £15.50 for an armchair, very pricy but great fun.

Imagination Station, play music and movement for babies 4 months +: Fun and affordable interactive music and movement class for infants and toddlers.  Mondays at the Kensington Library, Wednesdays at the Forge Arts Venue in Camden, Fridays in Marylebone.  See web site for details.

Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream.  Tuesdays at 10:30.   Bring your infant under 12 months on for a screening of I am so Excited. Tickets are £8.50.

Are you not sure about committing to make the weekly swimming lessons?  Are you not confident your child will respond to the lessons?  Try out the Fast-Track swimming lessons over the May half-term and see if Love Swimming proves its weight in gold, as it did with my family.

My family swims at least once a week together; everyone loves swimming except my 4 year old.  He would not put goggles on, would not go under the water, hated being thrown, hated holding on to me and basically spent 20 minutes holding on to the edge of the pool or a floating apparatus while the rest of the family swam.

In February, we tried the Fast-Track swimming.  I sort of pushed him, his cap, his goggles (which he would not let me put on) over to Bila, muttered “sorry” and skulked off to watch what happened.  Bila got his goggles on and his face in the water in ten minutes which was more than I had been able to do in 4 years of weekly coaxing and begging.

Not having to wait a week to build on what Bila had started, when we came back the next day she got him streaming (putting his hands in and propelling himself by kicking) along the top of the waters of the Dolphin Square pool!!  When Bila handed him back to me at the end of the lesson, she was laughing saying “now he can swim underwater he is going to want to do it all the time”.  We stayed in the pool an extra 30 minutes so he could dive, chase his sister when she took his toy,  jump off the edge and swim to me.

For the remaining two lessons, Bila continued to work with him to improve his skills to swim more confidently in the water.  He finished his four lessons swimming independently.

From what I have discovered through this experience and talking with other parents who have done both weekly lessons and Fast-Track, Fast-Track is an effective (and affordable) alternative to weekly lessons.  Because they are going every day, the children retain the information from the previous lesson and are able to quickly apply more instruction.

If you can’t get out of London for the half-term, stay and have a “swimcation”.  Take the kids over to South Kensington on the mornings to do the museums, grab some lunch and then head over to Pimlico to try Love Swimming Fast-Track and turn your kids into a stronger swimmer over the holidays.

Family Events Saturday 20^th April

V and A Museum of Childhood (Bethnal Green), Mexican Children’s Day: spend the day playing boleros, making piñatas, listening to Mexican folk tales, listening to music and much more.  It free, all ages from 11:15am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday.  Further, it is supported by Wahaca so there may be my favourite Mexican food in London for sale.

Barbican, Dada Puppet Theatre: in conjunction with the family film, Kooky (see below in the film listings) come and create photo collage hand puppets with puppeteer Isobel Smith.  Noon – 3:30 for ages 5+ (younger sibs welcome), free, drop-in, in The Fountain Room.

My new client, Carrier, specialises in bespoke, luxury holidays; they have extended London-baby readers an additional 5% off their already exceptionally valued family holidays (read my review).  Carrier offers an amazing selection of luxury resorts and hotels where the kids stay free, even during the school holidays.  These discounts are good through the end of April, so get looking and booking.  Carrier’s skilled travel team will help you create a completely bespoke holiday where the kids are booked into marine biology school in the morning while the adults get some pool time.

Le Institute Francias, Kid’s Tales: Come and hear Le Contes du Chat Perche in easy French, £7 per child includes a book and glass of juice.  (£5 for members).  11am, ages 3-5

Love Swimming Lessons Available: If you are looking for results-driven, individualised swimming instruction where the main goal is to make swimming fun, Bila and Rui have openings.  If you are thinking about swimming lessons, do give Love Swimming a try.  It might be worth considering taking your child out of nursery a little early to get them enrolled in the swimming school so they might get first dibs on the after-school places when they are in big school.

Times available: Monday – Friday, 11:30am -1:30pm. There are a few places on Sunday still available.

Saturday Films:

Barbincan Family Film Club: Kooky.   Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie.  Great price.  11am, all ages.  Stick around after and take part in the Dada Puppet Theatre workshop.

Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: Jasper, Penguin Explorer  Tickets £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2.  My husband’s rainy day ace in the hole, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location.  Also, head down the road to The Gold on Portobello Road and have a fabulous family-friendly meal in a pre-gentrified Notting Hill gem.  Be sure to get one of the balcony tables in the atrium area … wonderfully food, cool venue and very family-friendly for slightly older kids.

Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, A Monster in Paris; 10:30am.  Check out the newly refurbished 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.  Tickets £8 per person. All ages

Rich Mix, Bethnal Green: Wreck it Ralph.  Tickets £1.50, Saturday and Sunday at noon.  All ages

Family Events Sunday 21^st  April

Camden Arts Centre, Make and Do Sundays.  Artist Jason Baker is helping children create their own puppets and then using the puppets to create a cumulative rolling animation parade of puppets, not something you get to do every day.  Free, all ages, 2-4pm.

V and A Museum of Childhood (Bethnal Green), Mexican Children’s Day: spend the day playing boleros, making piñatas, listening to Mexican folk tales, listening to music and much more.  It free, all ages from 11:15am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday.  Further, it is supported by Wahaca so there may be my favourite Mexican food in London for sale.

Forge Arts Venue, Keys and Coffee. Piano concert with Nina Leo.  Great way to begin a Sunday with little ones.  Tickets £10 adults, £4 children.

And on to the upcoming week:

For Babies and Toddlers:

Pimlico French School Pimlico toddler French classes: Friday morning classes in The Pimlico Rooms at St Saviours, 9.30-10.15 2.5-4yrs, 10.15-11 2-2.5 yrs and 11-11.45 for 1-2yrs. Started by a local NCT mummy and great for community and twinning with NCT prams in the park at St Georges Sq gardens.  Email Juliette at pimlicofrenchclasses-info@yahoo.co.uk for more. (£8 per class). All welcome.  Spoke with Juliette on Tuesday and there are ONLY TWO PLACES LEFT!!!

Electric Scream: Mondays, 11am.  Come and see Iron Man 3 Experience the luxury of the newly refurbished Electric Cinema.  This screening is only for carers with infants under 12 months, dim lighting, changing tables, quality food, even wine!!  £15.50 for an armchair, very pricy but great fun.

Imagination Station, play music and movement for babies 4 months +: Fun and affordable interactive music and movement class for infants and toddlers.  Mondays at the Kensington Library, Wednesdays at the Forge Arts Venue in Camden, Fridays in Marylebone.  See web site for details.

Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream.  Tuesdays at 10:30.   Bring your infant under 12 months on for a screening of  The Look of Love. Tickets are £8.50.

Family Events Saturday 20^th April

Saatchi Gallery, Family Art Workshop. Come and explore Russian contemporary art in a artist-led workshop designed for children ages 3-12 years old.  This week focus on the work of Dasha Fursey.  £7 per child, 1-2:30, booking essential workshops@saatchigallery.com

St. Martin-in-the-Field, Mini Maestro.  Introduce your children to Mozart’s Requiem with this fabulously entertaining and interactive concert series for children.  4:30pm, £8.50 per person, ages 4-12.

Whitechapel Gallery, Family Day.  Booking recommended to join Ella Phillips and Alexander Edward to discover the potential of creative play.  In this interactive workshop, families will watch films hand-picked by the artist and then explore the gallery with a family trail.  Noon – 4pm, all ages.

National Portrait Gallery Family Storytelling.  Learn about artist Eduardo Paolozzi, who grew up surrounded by sweets, cakes and sherbet and decided to make art from discarded sweet wrappers.  10:30-11:15 and 11:30-1pm all ages, free, drop in.

National Portrait Gallery Family Art Workshop.  Take inspiration from Eduardo Paolozzi and create a Tudor medallion out of sweet wrappers.  Ages 5+, 1:30-2:15 and 2:30-4pm, free, spaces allocated on arrival.

Royal College of Music: Choir in a Day.  Saturday 21^st April, 10am.  Day-long workshop focusing on children working to compose a song as a group and then preform it on stage of The Royal Albert Hall.   Ages 6-12.  Tickets £20

Love Swimming Lessons Available: If you are looking for results-driven, individualised swimming instruction where the main goal is to make swimming fun, Bila and Rui have openings.  If you are thinking about swimming lessons, do give Love Swimming a try.  It might be worth considering taking your child out of nursery a little early to get them enrolled in the swimming school so they might get first dibs on the after-school places when they are in big school.  Times available: Monday – Friday, 11:30am -1:30pm. There are a few places on Sunday still available.

Saturday Films:

Barbincan Family Film Club: James and the Giant Peach.  I never saw this, but I think its from back in our day.  Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie.  Great price.  11am, all ages

Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: Wreck-it Ralph.  Tickets £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2.  My husband’s rainy day ace in the hole, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location.  Also, head down the road to The Gold on Portobello Road and have a fabulous family-friendly meal in a pre-gentrified Notting Hill gem.  Be sure to get one of the balcony tables in the atrium area … wonderfully food, cool venue and very family-friendly for slightly older kids.

Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, Rio; 10:30am.  Check out the newly refurbished 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.  Tickets £8 per person. All ages

Rich Mix, Bethnal Green: A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures.  Tickets £1.50, Saturday and Sunday at noon.  All ages

Family Events Sunday 21^st  April

Family Barn Dance, Cecil Sharp House.  Bring the kids to a fabulous London institution: The English Folk Dance and Song Society for a barn dance.  Come and sing and dance with your kids for the last fleeting moments they might enjoy doing so on Sunday, from 3-5pm.  Tickets £3 for kids, £5 for adults.

Camden Arts Centre, Make and Do Sundays.  Artist Jason Baker is helping children create their own puppets and then using the puppets to create a cumulative rolling animation parade of puppets, not something you get to do every day.  Free, all ages, 2-4pm.

Shakespeare’s  Globe Theatre: Birthday Whirligig.  Come for an afternoon of family activities celebrating the birthday of the Baird.  There will be bubbling cauldrons, Prosporo will be there and Kevin McMahon from the Edinburgh International Magic Festival.  Noon-5pm

The Design Museum, Design and Make Workshops.  Make a model of your own imagination inspired by Design of the Year.  £5 per person, ages 5-11, booking essential tickets@designmuseum.org

And on to the upcoming week:

For Babies and Toddlers:

Wigmore Hall, For Crying Out Loud.  Wednesday, 24^th April.  Concerts for carers of children under 1 year of age.  Tom Green performs, £8 per adult, baby free.  11am.

Electric Scream: Mondays, 11am.  Come and see Compliance Experience the luxury of the newly refurbished Electric Cinema.  This screening is only for carers with infants under 12 months, dim lighting, changing tables, quality food, even wine!!  £15.50 for an armchair, very pricy but great fun.

Pippa’s Poppets:  SW1’s favourite singer and songwriter has a new venue … GAMBADO!!!.  Bring your kids along to Pippa’s class and get one hour of play in Gambado after!!!  Wednesdays 9:45 for babies and 10:10 for toddlers.  Also, there is now an early morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Saviour, St. George’s Square (just by the Pimlico Tube) from 9:35am for 4 months- 3 years. £7.50 per class.  Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico.  Thursdays in Chelsea at Beaufort House (fabulous London family club) and Tuesdays in Knightsbridge.

Bach to Baby, Pimlico.  Thursday, 25^th April.  Come and enjoy classical guitarist Morgan Szymanski, £10 for adults, children free.  Coffee from 10:30, concert begins at 11am at St. Gabriel’s Church.

Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream.  Tuesdays at 10:30.   Bring your infant under 12 months on for a screening of  Love is All You Need. Tickets are £8.50.

Family Events Saturday 13^th April

Somerset House: Free Drop-in Workshops.  Saturday noon-3pm, in conjunction with the Landmark: The Fields of Photography exhibit, come and join this drop-in workshop and make your own custom made collage landscape.

Forge Arts Venue: Children’s Interactive Music Workshop. Music workshops for children ages 1-4 years, fabulous way to lay a good foundation for music appreciation.  £6 online, £7 at the door.

V and A: Tudor Tales – learn the stories of kings, queens and overseas adventures; Saturday and Sunday 11am, 1pm & 3pm.  Imagination Station – design your own coat of arms on a shield or a flag.  All day Saturday and Sunday.

Southbank: Bollywood Dance and Singing Workshops: Saturday 13^th April, 11am.  Bring your voice and your moves and learn how to sing and dance like a Bollywood star.  Free fun for all ages in the foyer spaces.

UPCOMMING – Royal College of Music: Choir in a Day.  Saturday 21^st April, 10am.  Day-long workshop focusing on children working to compose a song as a group and then preform it on stage of The Royal Albert Hall.   Ages 6-12.  Tickets £20

Love Swimming Lessons Available: If you are looking for results-driven, individualised swimming instruction where the main goal is to make swimming fun, Bila and Rui have openings from 10am-2pm.  If you are thinking about swimming lessons, do give Love Swimming a try.  It might be worth considering taking your child out of nursery a little early to get them enrolled in the swimming school so they might get first dibs on the after-school places when they are in big school.  Times available: Monday – Friday, 10am-2pm. There are a few places on Sunday still available.

Saturday Films:

Barbincan Family Film Club: The Never Ending Story.  I never saw this, but I think its from back in our day.  Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie.  Great price.  11am, all ages

Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian.  Brilliant story and an excellent way to augment or enter the Narnia books.  Tickets £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2.  My husband’s rainy day ace in the hole, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location.  Also, head down the road to The Gold on Portobello Road and have a fabulous family-friendly meal in a pre-gentrified Notting Hill gem.  Be sure to get one of the balcony tables in the atrium area … wonderfully food, cool venue and very family-friendly for slightly older kids.

Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, Wreck-It Ralph; 10:30am.  Check out the newly refurbished 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.  Tickets £8 per person. All ages

Rich Mix, Bethnal Green: A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures.  Tickets £1.50, Saturday and Sunday at noon.  All ages

Family Events Sunday 14^th April

Southbank: Fabindia Master Dyer print workshops.  Come and learn how to dye fabric in the foyer spaces of Royal Festival Hall.  Free, all ages, 3pm.

Royal Academy of Art, Family Art Workshop.  Bookmaking workshop!!  Create your own narrative and then make your own handcrafted book to record it in.  Free, all ages, 11am-2pm.

Southbank, Moon and Genie.  Hilarious sounding plot: a boy, Jamal and his street dancing monkey conjure up the genie of the saucepan to cook Jamal’s grandmother some food.  Show is 40 minutes long, but allow an additional 20 minutes for after show events.  Fabulous reviews, all ages, Royal Festival Hall, £8.  Noon and 3pm.

Forge Arts Venue, Keys and Coffee. Cello and piano duo with Tatiana Chernyshova and Elena Kiseleva.  Great way to begin a Sunday with little ones.  Tickets £10 adults, £4 children.

And on to the upcoming week:

For Babies and Toddlers:

Classical Babies, Monday 15^th April, 11am.  Come and enjoy a fantastic concert at St. Columba’s, Pont Street (just around the corner from Harrods).  £10 per adult, children free.

Electric Scream: Mondays, 11am.  Come and see The Place Beyond the Pines Experience the luxury of the newly refurbished Electric Cinema.  This screening is only for carers with infants under 12 months, dim lighting, changing tables, quality food, even wine!!  £15.50 for an armchair, very pricy but great fun.

Pippa’s Poppets:  SW1’s favourite singer and songwriter has a new venue … GAMBADO!!!.  Bring your kids along to Pippa’s class and get one hour of play in Gambado after!!!  Wednesdays 9:45 for babies and 10:10 for toddlers.

There is an early morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Saviour, St. George’s Square (just by the Pimlico Tube) from 9:35am for 4 months- 3 years. £7.50 per class.  Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico.  Thursdays in Chelsea at Beaufort House (fabulous London family club) and Tuesdays in Knightsbridge.

Bach to Baby, Notting Hill.  Wednesday, 17^th April.  From Bach to Broadway, come enjoy Belinda Evans fabulous soprano accompanied by Miaomiao Yu on piano.  Notthing Hill Community Church, £10 for adults, children free.  Coffee from 10:30, concert begins at 11am.

Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream.  Tuesdays at 10:30.   Bring your infant under 12 months on for a screening of  The Place Beyond the Pines. Tickets are £8.50.