Wellcome Collection: Day of the Dead

We celebrated the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead, this weekend at the Wellcome Collection. Luckily we arrived as they opened, because after we went for lunch we came back to see a queue around the block to get in (maybe they knew something we didn't!).

We were greated by dancing and music, which Kit loved. He especially enjoyed sitting on my shoulders to watch it (hence the bad photo as I didn't want to risk dropping him too much!).

The Wellcome Collection is aimed at people 14+, and we went to meet up with some of my friends, not necessarily for Kit's benefit. When we arrived to the room with the Day of the Dead altar it became apparent that this day was aimed at the under-14 age group. There were lots of awesome face-painting going on, which is something I am still to scared to let Kit have done, given his sensitive, ezcema skin. On tables around the room was a load of activities to keep the small people entertained. Kit made a skeleton.

We even poked around the galleries a little, and Jess tried to get Kit to learn about the different organs, in the end though he was happiest listening to someone talking about malaria on a telephone.





I was tipped off that there is even a kids pack, although this is aimed at children's 6+. We'll definitely head back there to explore the galleries properly, when it is a bit quieter. There are lots of things to look at and buttons to press. There is a model of a very fat person too, so I told Kit that was what happens if you eat too many biscuits - hoping that will curb obesity for him later in life!

Tiny Tate

On the advice of @MumsnetBloggers, we headed to the Tate Britain on Saturday. Despite studying Visual Culture in London (which was largely a study of the museums and galleries around London), I've only ever been to the Tate Britain once. I don't know why I hadn't thought to explore it more before. This Saturday they had a special under-5s festival, Tiny Tate, which was lots of activities for the littlies and a chance for them to show off their new activities in their art trolleys.

Kit enjoyed exploring bits of the gallery with his cone, and enjoyed making a shapes collage. The best thing about the art trollies was that you could pick what you wanted to work with, which meant that Kit was fully engaged with the activity as he had chosen what paper and what he wanted to stick on it.

We explored letters in the Live Book, which Kit really enjoyed, I'm thinking I may use big letters on the floor as a way to help him with reading and spelling later on.

The only timed activity we made it to was the Sound It Out activity, which was great (although Kit wasn't so sure, as he kept trying to run away - I think it was really aimed at a little bit older kids). Basically, there were three people leading it and creating rhthyms with words.

We'll definitely head back to the Tate Britain and enjoy the art trolleys. I remember before I had Kit, on seeing kids in galleries doing art activities, saying I wanted to be the kind of parent that encouraged their child to interact with what they saw in that kind of way (I also said I wanted the type of child who ran around an art gallery with fairy wings on - so if you see a little boy running around with fairy wings that'll be me chasing them!)

Natural History Museum

Kit became an explorer on Sunday. He discovered a wide spectrum of the animal kingdom!

We met up with the lovely Jess and took on the Natural History Museum. We've been a few times before, but we'd actually been avoiding it a bit because it is the museum in that area that always has a queue outside, and toddlers and queue just don't go! I don't think we chose the best day to decide to actually join the queue (maybe the Sunday before half-term is it's busiest day?!). It didn't take long to get in though, it was the queue inside for the dinosaurs that was ridiculous.

The previous times that we had been I'd always kept the buggy with me, and Kit had flitted between buggy and walking. It's always been fairly busy, and when your son's favourite phrase has become 'I run away Mummy', trying to juggle pushing a buggy and not loosing a toddler in a crowd did not appeal. The main reason that I'd never put the buggy into the cloakroom before was because I'm tight, and I didn't want to pay - if only I'd known that it is actually free! As I was splashing out (or not as it turned out in the end) I thought I'd also pick up one of the explorer backpacks for Kit from the information desk (turns out they too are free). I thought that it would probably be too old for him, but you don't know unless you try do you?! Kit loved the hat and binoculars (and wearing the backpack!).

You could pick which topic you wanted for your backpack, and I'd picked 'Monsters' for Kit, but that was the dinosaurs and we decided not to brave the extremely long queue to see them so we didn't get the chance to try it. I think I was more disappointed to not go to see the dinosaurs than Kit was, I've never seen someone get so excited about seeing some shells as he was when we entered the marine invertibrates section!

As we moved around the museum there were lots of buttons to press and telephones to listen into, which is any toddlers dream.

In my opinion the best section is the bugs section, although it does make me itch! There is loads to play with in there, and giant bugs are always fun. There is so much to see in the museum, it's a shame everyone is so focused on the dinosaurs really. The mammals were pretty empty, and actually seeing a blue whale, elephants and a giraffe was pretty awesome. If you head there pick up your explorer pack, dump the buggy and explore the bits without the queues! 

Bloomsbury Festival

We headed into London at the weekend to check out Bloomsbury Festival. There was so much going on for it that it was difficult to choose where to go and what to do. Given that it was a nice day we stuck to the outdoor activities. In fairness most of the museum and gallery activities for kids were for much older kids than Kit, so outdoors was probably better. We can explore places like the Foundling Museum and Grant Museum of Zoology when he is a bit older and can enjoy it a bit more, without me worrying he will break everything!

We started off in Russell Square for all the activities that they had going on. We were greeted almost immediately by a lady offering us a patch to decorate to go on the den!

We then headed through the Poets' Path: Poetry Under the Arbour, and wrote a line ourselves. You could pick out words and join them together, which was probably more fun for me than Kit, but he enjoyed looking at all the lines blowing in the wind. Our contribution was 'Oh let trees spread sun' (I won't give up my day-job - although I did get a poem published when I was younger).

They had a children's activity tent where you could do various activities. We joined 1A Arts etc and Kit did some leaf printing and decorated a picture frame. The activities were free but I noticed as we were leaving that they did request a recommended minimum donation of £10, which seemed incredibly steep for the activities on offer. I am more than happy to pay a couple of £s to entertain my son, but £10 seems slightly crazy.

We went to watch some of the music in Russell Square while we ate lunch and then headed over to Corams Field to play in the sand and visit the animals. We also got to listen, and join in with some amazing storytelling in The House of Tall Tales and Small Stories, and Kit got to make his leaf crown.

We were going to plant bulbs in a community garden, but Kit crashed out from all the fun so we jumped back on the bus and headed back to have dinner at Kit's Dad (so Kit could maul his brother and sister), and then home to get some sleep before we had even more fun the following day.

Science Museum

So we survived freezing water and scaling walls at the V&A, and then when we were all rested we headed along the road to the Science Museum. I think the Science Museum is well and truely a child's idea of heaven. I've yet to meet a toddler that doesn't love cars (girls and boys), aeroplanes, or rockets.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Whenever I meet up with friends in central London I try to organise to meet them somewhere that Kit can have a play. I think it not only improves the chances of me actually being able to hold a conversation with my friends for longer than thirty seconds, but it is also fairer on him, as he gets something out of the day as well. One of my favourite places to do this is South Kensington. To those of you unfamiliar with London, this is the area that hosts, within minutes of each other, The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, and The Victoria and Albert Museum, and believe me any child would be delighted to visit any one of these three, and they are all free!

Apple Cart Festival

We're on a bit of a winning streak at the moment (my luck has obviously changed as I never win things normally). I won tickets via Dalston People for Apple Cart festival. I used to live near to Victoria Park and it's a great place for an event (and they have plenty of events on there).

Hackney

I'd arranged to go to Columbia Road flower market this weekend with my friend Maz. Having previously dipped into Columbia Road for their late night openings the Christmas I was pregnant, I hadn't made it back to go to the flower market so wanted to check it out. It was amazing, but very busy and hot! We went for yummy cakes at Lily Vanilli, and pottered in the shops wishing we had homes of our own to buy stuff for!

Conveniently, at the end of Columbia Road is Hackney City Farm. So to make up for being confined in a buggy and dragged shopping Kit got the chance to make friends with some more piggy's.

New Voices Festival

I posted earlier in the week about our chance to have tea with the tiger at the V & A Museum of Childhood, and promised that there would be more about this great museum later. So here we go..

I have a huge soft-spot for the Museum of Childhood, it is quite possibly my favourite place to take my son (and use him as an excuse to relive my childhood!). I wish that I lived nearer, I'd be there practically everyday! We went last weekend as the New Voices Festival was on, but you really don't need an event to go there, we had to work fast to fit everything in!

Spitalfields City Farm

We weren't letting rain put us off having fun outside this weekend, so despite the adverse weather conditions I fulfilled my promise that Kit could see some piggys on Sunday.

The added bonus was that he got to jump in some puddles too (and splash pooey yucky water all over my friend Jess) - sorry Jess.

Crystal Palace Park

My parents came to visit last Thursday, so I took them to Paris Crystal Palace. I'm afraid there are no pictures of the palace although we did go and sit on the steps while Kit was napping!

Nanny and Grandad played lots in the park, and Kit managed to hold his own despite a large number of bigger kids in the park on school trips (there is also an amazing sandpit with 'real' dinosaur bones and eggs sticking out of it).

Diana Memorial Playground

If you have a child and live in London (or regularly visit) and you have yet to venture to the Diana Memorial Playground go!! We were lucky enough to get in straight away, but when we left there was a queue (yes it's that great people queue to get into it!).

Pop Up Children's Literature Festival

Despite a challenging toddler day, we eventually made it to Coram's Fields for the Pop Up Children's Literature Festival

Kit was stunned at actually meeting Spot, I've never known him to be so much in awe of anything. He wasn't quite so taken by the Moomin though as he clung to my legs whining everytime it was anywhere nearby.

I was most impressed by Michael De Souza, one of the writers of Rastamouse, he definately knew how to work an audience, 'Irie Man!'. He handed out a strip of stickers to each kid at the end (and there was an opportunity to make your own t-shirt) I was mildly amused with Kit's choice of sticker, as he stuck one to himself - he had chosen 'Bagga Trouble'. It really summed up his mood today!