Not all kids have fun in London. Hanging onto their parent's hand, being dragged to all the cultural hot-spots, is not much fun. From their point of view Buckingham Palace is just a big building and the Impressionist paintings at the National Gallery aren't very impressive. But London is full of exciting and interesting things children can do, so make sure your own kids have lots of happy memories to take home with them. They'll have a great time, and so will you.
Kids may groan if you mention going to a museum, and it's true that after a while one Greek vase begins to look much like another. But there are around 100 museums in London - many of them full of surprises for children.All public museums and galleries in London are free, apart from special exhibitions.
London for Kids - the Science Museum
The Science Museum is one of London's most hands-on interactive museums and one of the most popular. A special area of the museum called the Launch Pad provides all kinds of hands-on experiments for all ages. The emphasis is on participation, discovery, and having fun. For instance, kids can operate a mechanical robot or 'paint' pictures on a television simply by touching the screen. They can play with computers, fibre optics, and a mechanical crane.
London for Kids - the Natural History Museum
At the Natural History Museum there is a permanent exhibition, 'Creepy Crawlies' which has working models of spiders, insects and beetles and don't miss the dinosaurs. The latest treat is Dinosaurs Alive! 3D.
London for Kids - Pollocks Toy Museum
Pollocks Toy Museum at No.1 Scala Street is fascinating for both kids and adults. The museum is in two tiny houses joined together by narrow winding staircases and contains generations of toys, from ancient teddies and magic lanterns to playthings from other countries around the world. Toys that will transport you back to your own childhood are for sale in the museum's Toy Store.
London for Kids - The Brass Rubbing Centre
The London Brass Rubbing Centre is a good place to while away a couple of hours and have something nice to take home afterwards. Situated in the Crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Field Church at Trafalgar Square, it has replicas of more than 60 historic brass images. Admission is free, but you pay for the rubbings according to size. All materials are provided.
London for Kids - HMS Belfast
HMS Belfast is the largest cruiser ever built for the Royal Navy. She is moored at Symons Wharf and can be reached by riverboat from Tower Pier or by gangway from the wharf itself. It takes about two hours to make the rounds of the bridge, engine rooms, gun turrets, galley etc.
London for Kids - the Butterlfy House
Children love the Butterfly House at Syon park. They can walk through a huge tropical conservatory with glorious butterflies flitting all around. An amusing game is to hunt the caterpillars and eggs that are on the exotic shrubs and flowers. The Butterfly House is set in an acre of parkland bordered by a lake and is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.
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