THE ART OF THE BRICK by Nathan Sawaya. Image courtesy of Jane Hobson
Are you planning a day out in London with your kids this autumn? There are loads of things for families to do in the capital and many of them free. Here are some of the many family-friendly things to do in London right now.
The Art of the Brick
This is one for LEGO fans. Artist Nathan Sawaya used more than a million LEGO bricks to create the sculptures in this amazing exhibition. There are more than 80 sculptures on display ranging from replicas of well-known works of art, such as the Mona Lisa, to more conceptual pieces, such as a torso splitting in two. There’s also an interactive area where you can have a go at building LEGO sculptures yourself. The Art of the Brick exhibition runs until January 4th, 2015 at the Old Truman Brewery, a five minute walk from Shoreditch High Street underground station.
Cost: From £14.50 for adults, from £8.00 for children age 3-12 years.
Tower of London
To mark the centenary of the start of the First World War the Tower of London is hosting a major art installation called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red. The installation consists of 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for each British fatality during the war, which are gradually filling the Tower’s moat. The work was designed by artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Tom Piper.
Cost: Free to see the installation. You can buy one of the hand-made poppies used in the installation for £25 + P&P. The money raised will be shared between six service charities.
Play the gamelan
The gamelan is a collection of Javanese percussion instruments played by many people at the same time. The sound produced is said to be sonorous and mesmerising. You don’t need any musical experience in order to play the gamelan and the Southbank Centre is offering gamelan taster sessions for families on various dates until 21st February 2015.
Cost: £10.00
Imperial War Museum
A transformed Imperial War Museum reopened this summer and offers a major new interactive exhibition for families. Horrible Histories: Spies is based on a book from the popular series by Terry Deary and reveals the tricks and traps used by spies during World War II. In the new First World War Galleries you can learn about the history of WWI through interactive displays. More than 1,300 objects are on display and there’s a Life at the Front section where children can explore a reconstruction of a trench.
Cost: Entrance to the museum is free. Entrance to the Spies exhibition costs £6.20 for adults and £3.30 for children aged 4-15 years old. There’s a 10% discount if you book online.
London Transport Museum. Copyright Gretta Schifano
London Transport Museum
The London Transport Museum is in the heart of Covent Garden and is a great place for a family trip. The museum now has a Family Station where children between the ages of three and 12 years can choose activities to do as they explore the museum. The museum shows the development of transport in the capital including Sedan chairs, the Underground, double-decker buses and the Emirates cable car.
Cost: Free for children aged 17 and under, £15 for adults (including unlimited admission for 12 months).
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
London’s newest park covers 560 acres of parklands, play areas, gardens and sports facilities from the 2012 Olympics. To help you to make the most of your visit to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park you can pick up free trail guides, including a children’s guide, from the information points at the park or you can download the guides from the website. The UK’s tallest sculpture, the ArcelorMittal Orbit, is in the park and you can visit the viewing area at the top for a great view across London. Right next to the park is Westfield Stratford City, one of the largest shopping malls in Europe.
Cost: Free to enter the park. Entrance to the ArcelorMittal Orbit is £15 for adults, £7 for children from three to 16 years old.
National Trust
The National Trust is encouraging children and their parents to get outside and get close to nature. The charity has published a list of 50 things to do before you’re 11 3/4 to help families with ideas on how to do this. There are 50 things activities on offer at National Trust properties across the country including London. How about den-bulding at Ham House, a 17th century stately home in Richmond?
Cost: Varies – check the website for details.
Discounts
If you travel to London by train you can get two-for-one entry via the Days Out Guide website at a host of attractions including the London transport Museum, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and many more. Simply download vouchers from the website and then show them with your valid train ticket to receive the discount before you pay for entrance to the attraction.
Over to you
Do you have any to add? What are your favourite things to do in London with kids at this time of year?
We try to get down to London a couple of times a year with our two children (10 and 14). A walk along the South Bank from Tower Bridge (we arrive in London at Liverpool Street, a 10 minute walk from Tower Bridge) to Westminster Bridge is good to do on a nice day. The London skyline is always changing, so there is always have plenty to see.
One thing I’d highly recommend is getting an “Oyster Card” – even if you only travel to the capital once a year or so. Oyster Cards make travelling about on the tube much easier, and cheaper. They also allow you to travel on the Emirates Air Line at a reduced price (this cable car docks near the 02 arena – and is also worth a try). Talking of the 02, we took a “Walk Over the 02” recently – that is definitely worth while!
Thank you for these excellent tips. I haven’t tried the cable car or the Walk Over the O2 but they sound like great things to do.
I was really hoping to take Ted to see the Lego exhibition this weekend, not realising the price of it – on top of our train ticket it takes it out of my ‘days out’ price range.
The Olympic Park though we love, and HMS Belfast I enjoy, though Ted (and my 5yr old god daughter) were really unnerved by alot of the strange ‘models’ with wonky eyes!!
It is pricey, you’re right. I know what you mean about the models, things like that can be quite startling for young children!
We saw the Art of the Brick in NYC last year and my kids loved it. We will see it again in London this half term – I’m curious if they changed some of the exhibits. Some of the paintings the artist recreated in Lego are pretty famous with Americans (e.g., American Gothic) but may not resonate as much with Europeans.
That’s interesting – I wonder if they change it according to location. It looks like an amazing thing to see anyway.
I really ought to go to the Brick exhibition, Such a great list – thank you for sharing.
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You’re welcome. I never get time to go and see all of the exhibitions that I’d like to but it’s good to read about them!
Great post – I do like the sound of the gamelan. Must check it out. We’re really enjoying going to the theatre at the moment – some great shows out there.
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The gamelan intrigues me too, it sounds like a really fun thing to do. We haven’t been to the theatre for ages – I must remedy that.
We’d add Clue Quest which is brilliant for 9+ and great for all the family. Plus an autumnal walk in one of the parks. We’re keen to visit the Olympic Park too soon…
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