Feltwell
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Top tip on the side door - Ta Mr Wiggs!
- Thread starter Feltwell
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Get them addicted to Monopoly when they're a bit older, then put them in the back of the car (with their Monopoly board) one Sunday, and drive them round the London they've got to know through playing the game.
I did just that with our son and two chums just before we moved from Harpenden to Norfolk. They absolutely loved it.
I did just that with our son and two chums just before we moved from Harpenden to Norfolk. They absolutely loved it.
stuart45
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I used to take the family to London for days out quite a lot when the kids were young and we lived closer on the South coast. Probably some of the best but most expensive ones we had. I made the mistake of trying to pack in too much in the day at first, but soon learned to pace it out better.
I always found that wherever I took them, for example the London Dungeons, what the kids seemed to enjoy the most was the gift shop at the end. It's a pity I couldn't have paid half price to just go in the shop.
Their favorite places seemed to be Covent Garden street acts, the old Trocadero with the Guinness world of records and Trafalgar Square when it was full of flying rats.
Whatever you decide on I'm sure you will have a great day out.
I always found that wherever I took them, for example the London Dungeons, what the kids seemed to enjoy the most was the gift shop at the end. It's a pity I couldn't have paid half price to just go in the shop.
Their favorite places seemed to be Covent Garden street acts, the old Trocadero with the Guinness world of records and Trafalgar Square when it was full of flying rats.
Whatever you decide on I'm sure you will have a great day out.
Feltwell
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Well, tickets are booked, hotel is booked, Marks & Sparks has been raided for nice snacks to have on the train, Waterstones has provided 2 "I-Spy on a train journey" books and a couple of new kid's books and we're set for the off. Well I am anyway - I haven't told the kids yet, they'll find out in the morning, otherwise we'd have the devil's own job getting them off to sleep tonight!
Wish me luck, I must be mad!
Wish me luck, I must be mad!
FamilyWiggs
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Have a fab time... what lucky kids!
FamilyWiggs
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Well, clearly Feltwell either didn't take his pocket Interweb with him, or has fallen victim to the relentless crimewave that infests the Big Smoke.
I had expected an update overnight on their progress... :roll:
I had expected an update overnight on their progress... :roll:
LadyArowana
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FamilyWiggs said:
Oh he will have been fleeced of any valuables within a few nanoseconds of stepping from the train. People think Londoners don't like visitors, but it's simply not true, nothing says business opportunity like someone carrying a map or guidebook. That's why the good people of Stratford are so excited about the Olympics, and everybody thought it was the prospect of having their own velodrome....
Zebra
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Actually, now you mention it, when I was about 7, my parents took me into London for the day, and the one thing I can remember really wanting to do, was sitting on the top deck of a double decker bus. So my Dad and my sister and I got onto a bus. My Mum must have followed in the car, because we got in the car again to come home.Moo said:
Feltwell
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:lol:
Well, we're back, poor but happy!
We had a lovely trip, kids were pestering on the way home last night on the train as to when we will do it again, which is always a good sign.
Result of the trip - turning up at the National History Museum at 9:30 in the morning, when it's published opening time is 10:00, and finding the doors open. Head inside, to be greeted by "Good Morning - we decided to to open the dinosaur hall a bit early this morning, go straight in if you like". As a result we had the dinosaur hall pretty much to ourselves 8)
When we left the museum at about midday, the queue to get into the dinosaur hall had reached the "1 hour to wait" marker and there was another big queue outside just to get in the building! And what a building - absolutely gorgeous (well, apart from the modern extension bit).
I was wrong about the London Eye, the kids loved it. They thorughly enjoyed just travelling around, as you'd expect - by the end of what was only a very brief two day trip we'd managed the local train, a Pendilino inter-city train, numberous tube trains, an open-top bus, a river boat, a black cab...
What a difference having small kids with you makes - I have never felt London to be so friendly. We even got into conversations on the tube! :shock:
Quote of the trip - from Zoë, age 7. Some of the dinosaur skeletons in the NHM are in mid-air, supported on wires from the ceiling and stood on a suspended shaped perspex board. "Cool! - a surfing dinosaur!"
Well, we're back, poor but happy!
We had a lovely trip, kids were pestering on the way home last night on the train as to when we will do it again, which is always a good sign.
Result of the trip - turning up at the National History Museum at 9:30 in the morning, when it's published opening time is 10:00, and finding the doors open. Head inside, to be greeted by "Good Morning - we decided to to open the dinosaur hall a bit early this morning, go straight in if you like". As a result we had the dinosaur hall pretty much to ourselves 8)
When we left the museum at about midday, the queue to get into the dinosaur hall had reached the "1 hour to wait" marker and there was another big queue outside just to get in the building! And what a building - absolutely gorgeous (well, apart from the modern extension bit).
I was wrong about the London Eye, the kids loved it. They thorughly enjoyed just travelling around, as you'd expect - by the end of what was only a very brief two day trip we'd managed the local train, a Pendilino inter-city train, numberous tube trains, an open-top bus, a river boat, a black cab...
What a difference having small kids with you makes - I have never felt London to be so friendly. We even got into conversations on the tube! :shock:
Quote of the trip - from Zoë, age 7. Some of the dinosaur skeletons in the NHM are in mid-air, supported on wires from the ceiling and stood on a suspended shaped perspex board. "Cool! - a surfing dinosaur!"
JoceAndChris
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That's very sweet. Well done on the NHM, what a great experience that must have been. Sounds like a lovely trip. It would never have occurred to me that they'd just enjoy travelling round, how mellow of them!
( I always found London to be very friendly, but then I'm the kind of person who gets into conversations everywhere, though it doesn't compare to Grantham, which is constant swapping of entire life stories, etc :roll: )
I think you've inspired me to propose this as a summer trip with my friend Jane and her children, who I'm fond of.
( I always found London to be very friendly, but then I'm the kind of person who gets into conversations everywhere, though it doesn't compare to Grantham, which is constant swapping of entire life stories, etc :roll: )
I think you've inspired me to propose this as a summer trip with my friend Jane and her children, who I'm fond of.
LadyArowana
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I'm very happy to hear you had such a lovely time. Good memories for the kids I'm sure.
FamilyWiggs
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Excellent Feltwell - glad the mini-Feltwells had a good time. What a result at the NHM. 
Feltwell
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I reckon they'd love the DLR Moo - they could sit at the front and pretend to be the drivers!
How old are they Joce? I took my recently-turned 6 year old and he was just old enough I'd say - I wouldn't have wanted to take him when he was any younger, the amount of walking involved would have been too tiring, plus I think you need the museum visits to be much shorter than you'd do with an older child. My daughter (7, soon to be 8 ) was fine. One nice thing about the major museums being free is you don't mind going in for a short while - we didn't enter the Science Museum until 4pm, but it was much less crowded than earlier in the day and although we only saw probably 25% of it the kids enjoyed that and didn't get bored.
Ohh yes - tiring, but great fun. Not sure I'll repeat it on my own with 3 in tow in future, when my youngest (Bill, aged 2) is old enough then it will be a trip for everyone - this time round Mrs F stayed behind to look after him.
JoceAndChris said:
How old are they Joce? I took my recently-turned 6 year old and he was just old enough I'd say - I wouldn't have wanted to take him when he was any younger, the amount of walking involved would have been too tiring, plus I think you need the museum visits to be much shorter than you'd do with an older child. My daughter (7, soon to be 8 ) was fine. One nice thing about the major museums being free is you don't mind going in for a short while - we didn't enter the Science Museum until 4pm, but it was much less crowded than earlier in the day and although we only saw probably 25% of it the kids enjoyed that and didn't get bored.
Moo said:
Ohh yes - tiring, but great fun. Not sure I'll repeat it on my own with 3 in tow in future, when my youngest (Bill, aged 2) is old enough then it will be a trip for everyone - this time round Mrs F stayed behind to look after him.
Yes, it can be a problem with multiple children, trying to tailor outings that will interest all of them.
A good plan can be to rope in some of their chums (+ attendant parents), so that you can travel to the destination together and split up into little age-specific groups when you get there.
A good plan can be to rope in some of their chums (+ attendant parents), so that you can travel to the destination together and split up into little age-specific groups when you get there.
LadyArowana
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Jellyfire said:
I did that last time I went to City airport, even went round the carriage and demanded 500 quid off the other passengers just for turning up and sitting in the seat, seemed only fair!