Six weeks of summer holidays is a long time to have the kids at home! Luckily, The Resident has plenty of fun family activities to make the summer fly by, from tree top adventures to dinosaurs, promenade theatre, gaming and even skiing in the heart of London
Words: Phoebe Gould
1Go Ape, various locations
Is your family full of thrill seekers? If so, check out Go Ape in Battersea Park. At Battersea, Go Ape runs two separate tree top experiences – Tree Top Adventure (10+) and Tree Top Junior (all ages). The Tree Top Junior course takes about an hour to complete through shady canopies and complex obstacles. At the end of the course, there’s an electrifying 34.5 metre zipline. Go Ape is an excellent wet weather activity, as the course stays open when it rains. And it’s not just Battersea, Go Ape has a further adventure centre in Trent Park, north London, as well as a new centre at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, the 30th Go Ape Adventure to launch in the UK and the first to feature a one-of-a-kind four-person zip wire.
goape.co.uk
Swing in the trees at Go Ape in Battersea, Trent and Chessington
2Jungle Book in the Park
We all grew up hearing about Mowgli’s adventures, so why not see them come alive in parks across south London? Sixteenfeet, the Lambeth-based company behind last year’s Wind in the Willows, is now showing The Jungle Book using an engaging style of promenade theatre. The show will take place in various parks, including the Walled Garden at Brockwell Park (23 July-1 August 2016), The Rose Garden at Morden Hall Park (5-8 August), and Streatham Rookery Gardens (11-14 August) and Walpole Park, Ealing (18-21 August). Bring your own picnic and blanket and watch Rudyard Kipling’s tale unfold in front of you.
sixteenfeet.co.uk
Sixteenfeet is now showing The Jungle Book using an engaging style of promenade theatre at various parks
3London Transport Museum’s play zone
The London Transport Museum seeks to conserve and illustrate the history of transport in the capital. Explore All Aboard, the Museum’s exciting new play zone designed for children aged 0-7 years. This is where kids can get into the driving seat of a real bus, try their hand at repairing a mini Tube train, sail the Thames Nipper, serve customers at a cafe, play musical instruments at the busking spot, fly the Emirates Air Line cable car, make driver announcements and help folks at the mini information desk. There are costumed actors galore, transport stamps and even milkshakes for all to enjoy, while learning about the history of transport since the 1800s.
Covent Garden Piazza, London WC2E 7BB; ltmuseum.co.uk
Call All Aboard at the London Transport Museum
4Go skiing at Chel-Ski
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you can’t hit the slopes. Strap on your skis or snowboard and take on Chealsea’s very own Chel-Ski centre. The centre is a great place to ski for all ages and abilities, and offers personal instruction as you conquer the slopes. There’s even a mirror so you can critique your technique on your own. This summer Chel-Ski is offering a tempting summer lift pass so you can save money, even as you ski.
4 Sotheron Place, Chelsea SW6 2EJ; chel-ski.uk
Hit the slopes at Chel-Ski to stay cool this summer.
5Horse riding lessons in Richmond
This summer, take to the ring at Stag Lodge Stables on the edge of London’s Richmond Park near Wimbledon Common. Stag Lodge offers horse riding lessons and courses for all ages from 3 upwards. Stag Lodge is home to over 70 horses, ranging from sturdy Shetland ponies to 16-hand Hunter horses -there is sure to be a horse suitable for riders of all ages and abilities. In the summer holidays, Stag Lodge offers week-long pony courses – perfect for the budding equestrian in your family.
Stag Lodge, Robin Hood Gate, Richmond Park SW15 3RS & Stag Lodge 2, 197 Robin Hood Way, Richmond SW20 0AA; ridinginlondon.com
Saddle up at Stag Lodge Stables
6Join the Wildlife Adventure Club
London Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Adventure Club, based at Woodberry Wetlands, runs many workshops throughout the summer holidays. During the sessions, children can take a tour of the reserve, play active outdoor games, and learn about wildlife and the natural world. Each workshop is about a different topic. Is there a creepy-crawlers fan in your family? The Bird & Insect Detectives program is for them!
Woodberry Wetlands, 1 Newnton Close, Woodberry Down N4 2RH; wildlondon.org.uk
Explore the Woodbury Wetlands and the creepy-crawlies within.
7Strike it lucky at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
If it’s too hot outside for an outdoor adventure (or London’s doing it’s typically rainy best to stifle your fun), check out Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, fresh from a recent refurbishment. The venue has a 1960’s retro feel, complete with neon lights, diner food, and live music. Recent additions include four private karaoke rooms, ping pong tables and London’s only virtual cricket net. Kids aren’t allowed in after 8pm, but for the morning and afternoon it’s a venue that is sure to delight the whole family.
Tavistock Hotel, Bedford Way WC1H 9EU; bloomsburybowling.com
Try your hand at a strike at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
8 Visit Spitalfields City Farm
There are about seventy farm animals who call Bethnal Green’s Spitalfields City Farm home. Plus a couple of thousand bees. At Spitalfields you can ride donkeys, race goats, soak up the sun in a flower garden and try the hottest chili possible. Escape from the city through petting goats and pigs, buying pesticide-free Bengali vegetables and fresh produce, and have a cup of tea at the nearby café: The Tea Hut.
Buxton Street, Bethnal Green E1 5AR; spitalfieldscityfarm.org
Meet a new friend at Spitalfields City Farm
9 Tour the West End
It’s not summer in London without a trip to the theatre capital of Europe: the West End. Experience mouth-watering delight at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal Drury Lane or fly away on a magic carpet at Disney’s Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre. Don’t forget to consider the Disney classic The Lion King in it’s 17th season at the Lyceum Theatre, Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter and, of course, Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge. Maltilda has partnered with Radisson Blu Edwardian, so families can have a special themed afternoon tea before or after they see the show.
westendtheatrebookings.com
See Matilda The Musical in London, the winner of 50 major international awards, including 12 for Best Musical
10 #PowerUP at The Science Museum
The Science Museum features seven floors of fun and educational exhibits, including the Apollo 10 command module. This summer, the museum is hosting #PowerUP, a hands-on interactive gaming event running from 22 July to 7 August 2016 with the very best video games, computers and consoles from the past 40 years. For the rest of the summer, guests explore the usual planes, trains and space craft, along with the latest advances in modern science. There’s also the Garden, a play zone where budding scientists can strap on aprons and splash about with waterways and boats, jump around exploring light, and discover the science of sound through all kinds of fun activities.
Exhibition Road, South Kensington SW7 2DD; sciencemuseum.org.uk
Learn about (and test) gravity at the Science Museum
11 Dino Snores at the Natural History Museum
Enjoy a real-life night at the museum at London’s Natural History Museum. Dino Snores is a sleepover experience for children (and their parents) that involves exploring the depths of the museum by torchlight. Unroll your sleeping bag under the skeleton of Dippy the Diplodocus or under the big blue whale. Kids get to make their own dinosaur T-shirt to keep and all are treated to breakfast in the morning.
Cromwell Road, South Kensington SW7 5BD; nhm.ac.uk
Unroll your sleeping bag under this guy and hope for sweet dreams
12 Explore HMS Belfast
Visit the HMS Belfast, an active royal navy ship during World War II. Roam the decks for a view of the Thames and go down below to see what life was like during both conflict and peacetime. The HMS Belfast is one of only three surviving war ships from the D-Day landings in World War II and fired over 5,000 shells during her 33 days of service off the coast of Normandy. On Summer Saturdays, the ship is running Ship Shape Saturdays for kids to learn how to become a member of the crew.
The Queen’s Walk, Bankside SE1 2JH; iwm.org.uk
Climb on board the HMS Belfast for a tour of the war vessel (photo: IWM)
13 Hit the lido
What better way to spend the summer holidays then splashing around in the pool? London has an incredible array of lidos for outdoor swimming. In fact, here are 10 of London’s Best Lidos for you’re family’s enjoyment. Tooting Bec Lido in Tooting is particularly popular during the summer months and is the largest outdoor lido in the UK by surface area. The pool is open all summer until the 30 September 2016.
Tooting Bec Road, Tooting SW16 1RU; placesforpeopleleisure.co.uk
Take a dip at Tooting Bec Lido
14Cutty Sark Pirate Takeover
Shiver me timbers, the Cutty Sark has been taken over by pirates! At least it will be during the Pirate Takeover weekend on 6-7 August 2016. Meet pirates on board, dress up and hunt for treasure. Help to build up a shanty town within the grounds of the National Maritime Museum and toast the high seas at the pirate tea party. 11.30 am-4pm. Adults £15, kids £7.50.
rmg.co.uk
It’s a pirate’s life for the little ones at Cutty Sark this summer
15National Theatre’s River Stage 2016
This summer the NT presents the River Stage festival, a free outdoor arts festival on the South Bank. From 5-7 August, Latitude Festival is packing up its tents and venturing from Suffolk to the South Bank with a selection of family-friendly acts. From 19-21 August, internationally renowned dance company Rambert takes over the River Stage with a weekend of unique dance pieces from their wonderful, diverse repertoire. Book free for workshops for all ages and live music by Rambert musicians. Finally, from 26-29 August, the National Theatre takes back its stage for a final weekend of music, dance, performance and an outdoor cinema screenings for everyone.
nationaltheatre.org.uk
Half Human Theatre perform at the NT River Stage last year
16Summer Art Camp at Dulwich Picture Gallery
Dulwich Picture Gallery is running Summer Art Camps to help get the creative juices flowing. From 23-25 August it’s Colour Lab for ages 12-16yrs, where you can explore the wonder of the optic nerve and use your observations to mix exciting colour palettes (10.30am-12.30pm). From 2-4 August it’s Into the Wild for ages 6-12yrs where you can engage in art-making outdoors to create a variety of images inspired by the Gallery’s garden (6-9yrs, 10.30am-12.30pm; 10-12yrs, 2-4pm). From 16-18 August it’s Print Mill for 6-12yrs, where you can create your own paper using natural dyes and make a series of mini edition prints with handmade printing blocks (6-9yrs, 10.30am-12.30pm; 10-12yrs, 2-4pm). All art camps £45.
Get crafty at Dulwich Picture Gallery’s Summer Art Camps
17Summer Tennis Camps
Sydenham Tennis Club is running summer tennis camps for ages 5-15 from 25 July to 25 August. A fun way to keep children active and occupied over the long summer holiday, the tennis camps are suitable for all level of players from complete novices to those who have regular coaching. There are morning and afternoon camps run over four days (Monday-Thursday) and it is possible to book single sessions as well. Run by LTA licenced coaches. A full 4-day course is £52, single sessions are £15.
sltcc.co.uk
Sydenham Tennis Club is running summer coaching sessions
18The new Prehistoric Garden at the Horniman
The new Prehistoric Garden at the Horniman Gardens features some of the oldest plants on earth. Designed to complement the Dinosaurs: Monster Families exhibition, the display of ‘living fossils’ – plant and tree species that have survived from the time of the dinosaurs – is framed by trees from the period (yew, redwood and Lawson cypress). The garden is also home to a life-size sculpture a velociraptor, created from 8mm mild steel by Neil Bowen of Lakeland Steel Ltd. There are oodles of special family activities running throughout the summer, too, including Big Wednesdays: Brasil Summer Season, running from 10, 17, 24 & 31 August from 11am-3.30pm, where kids can get into the spirit of the Rio Olympics with storytelling, dance, films, music and craft inspired by traditions from all over Brazil (free), as well as Pond Dipping every Tuesday until 30 August and Minibeast Safaris every Friday until 2 September for just £3 (adults free).
100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3PQ; horniman.ac.uk
Visit the Velociraptor at the Horniman’s new Prehistoric Garden
19Summer Arts Courses at The Albany, Deptford
The Albany and Deptford Louge are running five, week-long creative arts courses for 8 to 19 year olds. There are three great courses running in Week 1 (1-5 August): Love2Dance Street Arts: Street Dance and Circus at the Albany (ages 8-12); Digi.Art: Creative Coding and Multimedia Arts at Deptford Lounge (ages 13-19) and 100 Years From Now: Theatre at Deptford Lounge (ages 13-19). Week 2 (8-12 August) offer Performing the Future: Sound, Illustration and Text at Deptford Lounge (ages 13-19), and during Week 3 (15-19 August) its The Street Canvas: Street Art and Graffiti at the Albany (ages 13-19). All courses run 10am-3pm and cost £5 (free for Lewisham Homes residents).
The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford SE8 4AG. To book email summerarts@thealbany.org.uk see thealbany.org.uk
Teens can learn Creative Coding and Multimedia Arts wiht Digi.Art
20Theatre at Kew
Kew Gardens presents two live theatre shows for children this summer – The Wind in the Willows and The Dream Fairies – Adventure through Bubble Land, both performed by the Australian Shakespeare Company. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame’s classic story of life on the riverbank with Ratty, Mole, Badger, Otter and Toad, runs from 23 July to 28 August, Weds-Fri at 11.30am and 6pm, and Sat/Sun at 11.30am and 4pm. The Dream Fairies, where the adventurous Honeysuckle unexpectedly meets the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream with songs, bubbles and acrobatics, runs from 30 July to 28 August (ages 3-6), Weds-Sun at 10.30am and 2pm. Meet at Victoria Gate. Weekday tickets are £19.90 for adults and £12.90 for kids; weekends are £21.90 and £14.90. Tickets include entrance into the gardens.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond TW9 3AE; kew.org