Natural history/science museum.

DS4215

tinkerbell28 wrote: »

That's the thing see I've got to balance it between older kids and young ones too :eek:

One of my younger ones wants to go and see the Queen's "house" and Hamleys....so I have to do that, it's the sole reasons for going! But it won't fill a day.

If its a nice day then its a good walk from the museums down to Hyde Park - past the Diana Fountain and Serpentine - and towards Buck Palace. You can veer off from here to Hamley's. We've done it several times with a child as young as 6, but it is quite a long way if they are not used to walking...

thatlemming

I don't think you'll be able to just 'pop in' to the natural history museum. Took us nearly 45 minutes to get in on saturday.

Dark_Star

You can book FREE timed tickets for the dinosaur bit here:

http://www.nhmshop.co.uk/tickets/dinosaur-gallery/events-listing.html

Choose a day then your time.

You probably can't avoid the general queue to get in the museum but at least you can skip to the front of the dinosaur queue

Most 3.5/4 year olds seem to want dinosaurs over science...older kids probably like interactive stuff....

tinkerbell28

Ahh I'm not going to stress to much, I'll probably end up just rocking up later in the day see what is around, endless walking is out!

tinkerbell28

Well! We did both...kinda. We whizzed around the landmarks....went to the museums later on...4 ish. We literally did just pop in to both!

The natural history. Well it was lovely, but kids only cared about dinosaurs. We did the exhibit in the hour. The ones interested in that found it really scary! So glad we did not allocate a day.

The science museum was fab, thanks to advice here, because we were short of time we went straight to the top. We could've spent hours there and because it was quieter, the kids got a full on science lesson from a museum helper and could use all of the stuff. We didn't see the whole thing, just the launch pad. I think the kids would've spent the whole day there tbh. So I'd go there next time without hesitation, to see the whole thing.

Couldn't have squeezed it all in though without all the advice here! So I'll thank you all when I get through the thread

[Deleted User]

I have a dinosaur mad 7 year old so its the Natural History Museum for us. He loves the other animals too, but it can be a bit overwhelming (even for me).

I did on one occasion take them to the Science Museum as well, but it was a lot to take in. Next time as has been suggested I'd take them straight to the 3rd floor. Much more fun there. Had my younger son building a bridge with clear explanations as to how they worked.

bylromarha

Love both places - but science museum has the edge for us as a family.

Love the talks you can access in launch pad, but love the explorer packs you can hire in NHM too.

mokba43

For under 5's id suggest the Science museum, theres an area downstairs called The Garden which is great for toddlers and small children. The planes and cars will be a hit and all those buttons to push!!!
The Natural History Museum is really good for over 5's id say as it has a bit less to do but a lot more to see.
Massive tip tho, in the summer, the queues to the NHM can be massive, so go via the side entrance, instead of heading to the main door keep walking towards the science museum where there is a smaller entrance with an equally smaller queue.

You can take picnics to both museums, they have picnic areas in the basement.

The V&A Museum of Childhood is great! But a trek to Bethnal Green.
Theres also the Discovery Museum in Greenwich and the Museum of London in Barbican, the Barbican area is great as there is so much to do and see.

Southbank is another all-day winner, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Southbank Centre have a lot of activities going on during the summer, as well as the National Theatre.

neverdespairgirl

mokba43 wrote: »

Theres also the Discovery Museum in Greenwich and the Museum of London in Barbican, the Barbican area is great as there is so much to do and see.

There is indeed - that's where we live, and there's always lots to do.

The Museum of London also has an extra museum near West India Quay, and my 8 year old loves it. You get to it via the DLR, which is always a bonus for him.