CREATIVE ENERGY
BOUNCE, BAKE and paint your way through the holidays, with our array of family-friendly activities. Some of the fun events listed below are free, but some make a charge; some are dropins or allow booking on the day, but others have limited availability and must be booked well in advance, so please be sure to check.
LEAP IN
Flip Out Brent Cross is soon to launch trampoline classes. Although they are not available in the school holidays, the spring break is a great time to get into practice. With more than 60 trampolines to keep people of all ages moving and having fun, Flip Out allows you to learn at your own level — for fun, to participate in a competition or simply to make friends. You might think trampolining is tricky, but coach Anna Marie-Slater has years of experience and will have you accomplishing moves such as the half twist and full twist. This is not only a good workout but also so much fun — and beneficial to your mental health. Numerous studies have shown that working out in a group can lower stress and improve quality of life.
Flip Out Brent Cross is at Staples Corner, north London. flipout.co.uk/brent-cross
COLOURFUL COOKERY
The Jewish Museum London has Get
Creative! events on April 9, 11, 16 and 18. The free drop-in arts and crafts are inspired by the museum’s exhibitions and are suitable for all ages.
On April 14, Kids Kitchen is at the museum, offering hands-on cooking classes for ages two to five. The event is free, but booking is essential. Exhibitions at the museum include
History: A British Story. This permanent gallery tells the stories of Jews who have come here from areas as diverse as Eastern Europe, India and the Middle East — and how they have become part of British life.
Highlights include a replica Jewish East End street and an interactive map exploring the history of Jewish settlement around the UK. There are engaging activities for visitors of all ages, include a migration board game and Yiddish theatre karaoke. jewishmuseum.org.uk
GAME ON
The Science Museum in central London is holding an interactive gaming event — Power UP — from April 6 to 22. It will feature more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games from the past four decades, from retro arcade classics to the latest in VR technology — and will offers visitors of all ages the opportunity to discover the technology and possibilities of gaming. Games featured will include Pong, Pacman, Sonic, Space Invaders, Mario and Minecraft. sciencemuseum.org.uk
HAPPY LANDINGS
The RAF Museum in Colindale, north west London has been transformed, with three innovative galleries exploring the first 100 years of the RAF and its roles today and inviting visitors to imagine its future contribution and technology. For picnicking, a grassed landscape reflects the heritage of the site as The London Aerodrome and RAF Hendon. There is also a new outdoor play area for under-11s and a new café.
The museum now offers Stem backpacks (free, for a returnable deposit), for children aged three to eight. Each one contains games and puzzles that will introduce children though play and exploration to the subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths, as well as the museum’s many stories and objects. rafmuseum.org.uk/ london
ARTISTIC APPETISER
Heath Robinson is best known for his drawings of elaborate and bizarre contraptions, for instance a vast machine involving numerous pulleys, powered
You will soon be doing the half and full twist’
by a candle, just for peeling potatoes. There is a museum dedicated to his work, in Pinner, Middlesex. Combine a visit to the museum (open 11am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday) with brunch, lunch or afternoon tea at Daisy’s in the Park, next door. There is a second branch of Daisy’s in Radlett. heathrobinsonmuseum.org daisysinthepark.co.uk
DAFFODILS AND DRAGONS
Fly the Flag at Cutty Sark on April 7. Visitors age four-plus can learn to send a coded message using signal flags and design their own flag.
From April 9 to 11, children can join a Fantastic Flowers workshop and craft their own daffodil, to take home or add to the Cutty Sark garden.
Dashing Dragons is the theme of an artist-led workshop, available from April 16 to 18, for the same age range. rmg.co.uk/cuttysark PHOTOGRAPHIC FINESSE
At Greenwich National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House, there is a family photography day on April 8, complementing the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition (exhibition runs until May 5). At the photography day, you will learn which settings to use in different situations and how to capture spring colours at their best. The cost is £60 per child and accompanying adult (children must be accompanied); £30 for an additional adult or child. Age range is eight to 13. Booking is essential.
Alternatively, hunt for hidden stories and mystery objects at the museum in a series of free workshops, from April 7 to 21, for all ages and abilities.
On April 12, experience Elizabeth I:
Construction of an Icon, a 21st-century masque based on the Armada portrait. You can wave off the Queen (dressed in a newly commissioned designer costume for our times) from the Queen’s House in Greenwich and join the procession to the National Portrait Gallery via Westminster.
On April 25, try your hand at conservation. From globe-making to identifying pests that damage the museum’s collection, the short activities are an insight into the work of the conservation team. For all ages. rmg.co.uk
BEAR IN SPACE
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, until May 12, the Hubble Vision exhibition presents space telescope images, from nearby planets to distant galaxies. Free and suitable for all ages.
On April 11 and 18, visitors age four to seven and their families can “travel” across the solar system and help Space Ted prepare for a holiday on another planet. The 20-minute Space Safari planetarium show will include closeups of planets and a sing-along (to help Ted find the great big bear), plus a 30-minute workshop. Out Of This World, on April 9, 10, 16, 17, for age seven-plus, allows you to take a family trip to the moon, with a planetarium show, interactive quiz and immersive virtual reality activity. There are further planetarium shows throughout April. rmg.co.uk
PIRATE TREASURES
A Pirate’s Life For Me runs until April 22 at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, east London. It focuses on fictional pirates from Victorian Britain to the present and leads visitors on a journey from a seaside tavern, where they will discover a mysterious map, to a pirate boutique, pirate ship and tropical treasure island. Dress up, sing sea shanties and acquire pirate skills. vam.ac.uk/moc
BEFORE FACEBOOK
One for older kids — Friendship Before Facebook: Social Networks in a Pre-Digital
Age is at the British Library until May 12. How were friends selected, collected and put on display, before the digital era? Explore pocket-sized friendship albums — made between the 16th and 19th centuries — full of celebrity autographs, music, miniature paintings (and bawdy lift-the-flap pictures).
If you can get to the BL before the holidays, you may catch Cats on the
Page, a free exhibition (until March 17) about literary cats. Renew your acquaintance with favourites such as Judith Kerr’s Mog, while meeting new furry friends from around the world. The exhibition features a reading corner, family trail and sound recordings. bl.uk
SWEET HOME
The Foundling Museum in central London is running a Star Baker House Challenge on April 9. Does the smell of baking make you feel at home? Children age five-plus can work with artist Anne Harild to bake biscuits in the shape of fantastical houses. Book on the day.
Toy Homes, on April 11, is again for age five-plus and focuses on the importance of homes as places to feel safe and happy. Work with artist Anne Harild to make a roll-along home to take on your travels. Free for children and up to two accompanying adults.
Music for Bedrooms is a composition workshop for age five-plus, which will
Prepare Ted for a holiday on another planet’
be led by Charlotte Harding. She will help visitors explore the identities expressed in the bedrooms featured at the museum, then create and perform their own musical creation. April 16, free for children and up to two accompanying adults. Book on the day. foundlingmuseum.org. uk
ILLUMINATING
The National Gallery is running holiday activities inspired by its exhibition, Sorolla:
Spanish Master of Light. On April 8 and 15, there are free drop-in sessions on the theme of Luminous Landscapes
(for under-fives). You can also drop in, free, for Lines Illuminated (all ages), on April 9 to 11 and 16 to 18 and try drawing techniques to explore light effects. The gallery has “artist’s apprentice” workshops on the theme Light Fast (ages eight to 13) on April 17 and 18. The cost is £15 per child, free for accompanying adult. Booking is essential and children must be accompanied by an adult (one adult per child maximum).
The workshop will allow you to try out specialist techniques and capture fleeting effects of light by mixing colour, drawing and projection, to create a collaborative artwork, with the guidance of moving-image media artist Betsy Dadd of Kaleidoworks.
On April 3, there will be BabyJazz events for under-fives, at £8 per child, free for accompanying adult.
Magic carpet storytelling for ages two to five happens every Sunday at 10.30am, 11.30am and 12.30pm and it is free. Fly away on the magic carpet, which comes to land in front of a different painting every week. Places are allocated 30 minutes before sessions, on a first-come, first-served basis. nationalgallery.org.uk
DONKEYS IN DEVON
If you happen to be holidaying in Devon, make time to visit The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth and meet the lovable rescue donkeys. The sanctuary offers tours, talks and demonstrations. thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/sidmouth
JEWISH HISTORY MONTH
Even before the school holidays begin, there are exciting events to be enjoyed throughout March, for Jewish History Month. The Jewish Historical Society of England is presenting a varied
programme in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton and Hove, on the theme Big Screen, Little Screen, Jews in British Cinema and Television.
Highlights include a guided bus tour of London (Lights, Chutzpah,
Action: Cinema with a Jewish Twist); an Ealing Studios evening including a screening of The Lavender Hill Mob;a discussion of Jewish women filmmakers; a guided history walk and talk on Borehamwood’s film industry; talks on Jews in TV sitcoms and on British Jewish TV drama from Jack Rosenthal to the present and a Stanley Kubrick event. Full programme details can be found at jewishhistories.com
Fly away on a magic carpet to visit a work of art’