Before I fill you in on this week’s free and affordable events around our great city, I just wanted to mention that I am firm believer in the food revolution, and a loyal patron of Abel and Cole. I have approached Abel and Cole asking to put them in touch with you. They are the most family-friendly organic grocery delivery service (lots of recipes, fabulous customer service, great drop-off system) and I full-heartedly recommend them.
To tempt you further, they have kindly extended a fantastic offer for London-baby families: if you are a new customer, receive a free cookbook with your first order and your fourth organic box will be free. Simply click here and when you complete your order, type in Londonbaby to make sure you receive your gifts.
I will have a post filled with Abel and Cole lunchbox ideas for you on Friday – along with their Abel and Cole’s Farmer’s Choice PTA fundraising scheme, just a few of the great things from a very special company.
Family Events Saturday 14th September
King’s Place Festival: King’s Place (the new office building opposite King’s Cross Station) is putting on a rich and varied cultural festival. Bring the kids as there is loads for the entire family: arts and crafts, music, dancing, wine tasting, canal boat rides, discussions… a huge variety of interesting activities for all. Free, all ages
Potter’s Field, Thames Festival Blue Ribbon Village: Part of the Thames Festival, head over to Potter’s Field (the park near Tower Bridge on the south side of the river, near the City of London offices) for an afternoon of sea shanties and crafts. Free, all ages
V and A, Pop-up Performance: Head over to the V and A and explore how William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones were changing the ideas of design in Victorian England. 11am, Paintings Room 82, free, all ages
If you are out and about with a pushchair in London over the holidays, download the best London Baby App to date: Gobaby App. All London Underground and DLR stations are listed with their push-chair navigation explained in detail through four simple icons. Once you get the hang of the icons, you can tell by a glance if the station is step-free, has more than 10 steps, has a lift or requires an escalator. For nervous mothers like me who find the escalators intimidating, but happy to bump the pushchair down a small flight of stairs to get on a lift – this app is INGENIUS and the best £1.49 you will ever spend.. Check out The Gobaby App review on London-baby.com and Gobaby App’s review in London’s Evening Standard.
Saturday Films:
Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: Tales of the Night. Tickets £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2. My husband’s rainy day ace in the hole read the review, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location. Also, head down the road to The Gold on Portobello Road in the heart of Notting Hill and have a fabulous family-friendly meal in a pre-gentrified Notting Hill gem. Be sure to get one of the balcony tables in the atrium area … wonderfully food, cool venue and very family-friendly for slightly older kids.
Barbincan Family Film Club: All Stars. Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie. Great price. 11am, all ages.
Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, Percy Jackson, Sea of Monsters; 10:30am. Check out the newly refurbished Electric Cinema in Notting Hill with its plush, red velvet beds, sofas and armchairs. Looks like a great way for Dad to occupy the kids on a Saturday morning. Tickets £8 per person. All ages
Family Events Sunday 15th September
King’s Place Festival: Head over on Sunday to the King’s Place Festival for even more child-centred fun and entertainment (still loads on for adults). There is The Wimpy Kid Show, making beautiful origami flowers out of recycled magazines, singing with Nick Cope, and storytelling with Debussy. All free, all ages.
Potter’s Field. Thames Festival, Blue Ribbon Park: this festival also continues today with a line up including storytelling, music, clay modelling and origami.
Royal Academy of Art, Family Studio: Explore collage, Mexican murals and photography in this free art workshop. All ages, free
Camden Arts Centre, Family Storytelling and art activity. Sunday 11am-12:30 with one story at 11am, a second at 11:10 and an art activity at 11:20. A third story at noon, fourth at 12:10 and another art activity at 12:20.
Spitafields Farm, Eco-Chic Market. Every Sunday noon – 6pm with loads of great diversions for children including Bay Leaf the Donkey and other animals from the farm, along with artesian foods and crafts.
Coffee and Keys, Forge Arts Venue. . Maiko Mori on piano, £10 for adults, £4 per child. Very family friendly with a great brunch on sale after. 11am – noon. Coffee and tea from 10:30
And on to the upcoming week:
For Babies and Toddlers:
Buggy Bootcamp, Hyde Park: Join Kerri Holland and the nicest group of new mums and dads, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am. Meet at the pedestrian bridge near the Serpentine Café (not the big bridge past the Lido) and bring the little ones along. Fantastic Value £6 for a one-off class and great fun.
Monkey Music Chelsea, Gloucester Road & Belgravia: Chelsea’s favourite specialist weekly music classes guarantee lots of fun and giggles, mesmerizing the little ones with Monkey Music songs, beautiful puppets, hand crafted props, specialist percussion instruments, dance, movement and magical bubbles, providing the perfect, structured environment for your child to flourish and develop. It’s great for making grown up friends too! Fabulously clean, wonderful venues, great families and kids.
The highly acclaimed Ding Dong( 3-4 yrs) classes teach the children to read music, introduce the instruments of the orchestra and provide a super preparation for learning an instrument.
Monkey Music was voted the best class in Chelsea by NETMUMS last year.
For all class details and to book a complimentary class please click here
http://www.monkeymusic.co.uk/area/chelsea-belgravia-knightsbridge-gloucesterroad-westminster
Join Monkey and his friends on facebook too https://www.facebook.com/MonkeyMusicChelseaAndWestminster?ref=hl
Beaufort House Mummy Mondays: Introducing Chelsea’s latest craze in mum and baby fun. Hop over the Beaufort House, on The King’s Road, on Mondays with the little ones for classes with Culture-kids, La La Lydia Jenkins, Alisa and the Wriggly Crusaders and more all complimentary. Come and sample Beaufort House’s award-winning menu, 2 courses £10. Mondays from 11am
Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream. Tuesdays at 10:30. Bring your infant under 12 months on for a screening of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. Tickets are £8.50.
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