Archives: September, 2008

Source: Dimitry B @ flickr

You don’t have to spend money on sightseeing buses. Instead you can choose to take the regular number 15 bus from Tower Hill. The bus will take you all the way from The Tower of London through the City, past St Pauls, past Trafalgar Square and on to Regent St (where Hamleys Toy Shop is) and Oxford St. It’s a double decker and so make sure to get a seat upstairs

If you are coming to London with the kids then you are probably looking for somewhere to stay that is family friendly. You might be looking for somewhere with adjoining rooms or high chairs, or somewhere cheap as chips etc Obviously there are loads of places to choose from, but I thought I would share with you some of the hotels that appear on Little Legends:

The Carlton Tower - Perfect for shopaholics as this luxury hotel is situated within walking distance of both Harrods and Harvey Nichols!

The Big Draw is taking place from 1st to 31st October this year. For those of you who don’t know, it is the national campaign for drawing.

It is inspired by the visionary Victorian artist and writer, John Ruskin. His mission was not to teach people how to draw, but how to see.

To accompany the Big Draw, the National Portrait Gallery is setting up a special event for kids and teens from 1pm to 4pm. Best of all it is FREE! Family visitors and young people will have the opportunity to work with professional artists on an exciting drawing project in the Gallery.

This restaurant is set in the basement of the shop and is located very centrally, just off Piccadilly. The whole place is decorated as if it is a rainforest and there are model electronic animals dotted around the place that move at various intervals.

Be warned that there is a soundtrack that is on a loop, not only with various animal noises but also with a deafening thunderstorm. If your child is sensitive to noise then this is not the place to come!

Source: ThisParticularGreg@Flickr

I am particularly fond of London Zoo because it brings back lots of childhood memories, so it is interesting to visit it as a parent.

Part of the reason that London Zoo is so popular is that it houses a fair few big animals. This is something that you just don’t expect in the hectic urban London environment. The giraffes are particularly impressive and are as tall as you would imagine, if not bigger!

Katie in London by James Mayhew tells the story of a little girl who visits London with her Grandmother. Her Grandmother sits down for a quick rest and falls asleep and that is when the fun begins. Katie has all sorts of adventures. In this particular book, Katie and her younger brother, Jack, are taken on a tour of all the London landmarks with the help of a Lion from Trafalgar Square. They visit the Tower and Crown Jewels, the London Eye, and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. The illustrations are wonderful and fairly accurate depictions of these famous attractions.

Source: Bordas@flickr

Holland Park used to be my local park. It amazed me that there was such a great local park for kids so close to the centre of London.

Holland Park has a wide variety of facilities. The best place for young children is the play area for under 5s. This is basically a large sandpit with swings, slide and climbing frame. The play area is handily situated right next to the WCs and not far from the cafe. There is also a One O’clock club, but this has fairly limited facilities.

Source: Oliver@flickr

The Natural History Museum is one of the top attractions for kids in London. The entrance hall with the huge dinosaur skeleton is well known and never ceases to amaze.

It is a huge place, so it is advisable to visit only a couple of different zones to really enjoy the place. You will find the helpers in red fleeces very knowledgeable and able to point you in the right direction (which is necessary because the maps are not very detailed).

Source:Bestfor@flickr

I spent a wonderful afternoon at Kew Gardens yesterday and have even become a member because I think it is such a great family place. So, I thought I would share a few tips to help those of you planning a trip to Kew with the kids:

* Take a picnic with you - there are some reasonable cafes but if you take a picnic you can find a spot amongst the plants and trees and settle down for a while. The kids can then charge around to their hearts’ content.

On Saturday 27th September, there is a special family event taking place at the Cadogan Hall (Sloane Terrace, SW1X 9DQ).

Doors open at 10.15am when children will be able to as well as meet the inspring young musicians of Southbank Sinfonia take part in fun creative activities.

Children will recognise the main characters - the wolf, grandma and the little girl in a red cape - but not everything is as it seems in this mysterious and magical retelling by Roald Dahl