Zany adventures in imaginary worlds
COLDER, GREYER days are no bar to family f un t h i s w i n t e r . Many open-air attractions have wound down until spring but there are plenty of venues where the whole family will have a ball — and stay warm. If you have children between four and 12, the destination of the moment is Kidzania at Westfield London — a mini town run by children.
The town is accessed via BA-style check-in desks at which children are given 50 KidZos — the official currency — and a map. They and their parents are also given special bracelets, which are scanned in and out of each activity, to help you locate them during the four-hour session.
The KidZos can be spent on fun pursuits such as chocolate- or ice-cream making, or learning to dance, DJ or be a firefighter — this last involves a ride in the Kidzania fire truck and a go on the hoses to put out a “fire” in the Kidzania hotel, after an educational video on fire risks.
Once funds run out — or sooner, if your offspring are prudent — they can earn KidZos by doing jobs.
My five-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son jumped into gender-stereotypical roles. She plumped for a course at the dance academy, shifts nursing in the special baby care unit and plaiting hair on dummy heads in the hair salon, before taking two trips to the supermarket. Her brother took the role of a Renault mechanic, before clambering around “fixing” air-conditioning units, spending time as a courier, picking up parcels from various outlets and indulging in a game or two of table football.
The highlight of my son’s trip was opening a bank account with his own bank card for paying or withdrawing money — this can be done once children have 75 KidZos.
Four-to-six-year-olds require an adult escort, while under-fours can be entertained in nursery-style special rooms. Children of seven-plus are
machines ( and firefighting training at Kidzania allowed to move around alone. You can check up on them by scanning your bracelet on special machines dotted about. That should give Jewish mothers peace of mind — but only if a child has scanned into a specific activity. Despite security on the exits and the bracelets, the 10 minutes when I was unable to locate my son — while he was playing table football and roaming around — were tense.
A nice touch is the parents’ room — an oasis of free newspapers and (to buy) alcohol and snacks.
At £29.50 per child and £16.50 per accompanying adult, it is not cheap — just shy of £100 for a family of four — but it kept us fully entertained and engaged for the full four hours. Both children gave it a double thumbs-up and would go back again in a heartbeat.
Another newish attraction — also open since the summer — is Shrek’s Adventure in the old County Hall building, next to the London Eye. Dreamworks and Merlin are behind this — and it shows in the slick production and theming, which even extends to the lift and toilets.
After check-in — same airport thing going on — you are whisked to the adventure by American-accented actors, who usher you on board a stomach-churning, jaw-dropping 4D bus ride which, unfortunately, ends with your “squashing” one of Rumpelstiltstkin’s favourite witches.
The participants then spend their time trying to escape the angry fairy tale character’s revenge. You visit rooms such as the Poison Apple Pub and the Muffin Man’s House and meet characters — convincingly and amusingly played by the actors — such as the narcoleptic Sleeping Beauty, Shrek and Princess Fiona.
We, the grown-ups, loved the whole
Highly entertaining: colourful Clip n Climb