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it’s free and right under our noses… london’s secret is out!

October 5, 2008 at 7:55 pm · Filed under animals, cafe, coram's fields, free london, ideas for children, paddling pool, playgrounds, run around, sandpit, slides, swings, toddler activities, toddler london, toddlers

Coram’s Fields – 4 stars

Who would have thought that right in the centre of London there would be a large enclosed area for children that will keep your children entertained for a good few hours, and that it is FREE.
Coram’s Fields is just that. It’s a funny mix of enought bits and pieces that put together make it a great experience.  
I love the fact that it is a great, safe environment. There’s not a lot of places in London where you can let your children roam, and not feel like you have to be no more than reaching distance behind them.

Adults can only enter if they are with children. The whole area is securely gated. So sit down and watch your toddlers go walkabout. The only worry might be that they get a little too excited and friendly with the sheep that are wandering about. 
The animal area is great, and feels like a real added bonus. On our visit we saw sheep, goats, hens and ducks. There is also a large grassed area which is great for a picnic, or just fun to run around and play.

There’s a good range of playground equipment in different areas, for different age groups/skill levels.  There are swings, slides, sandpits, a paddling pool – basically there is a lot to keep your little ones entertained. They regularly have organised activities there too – on one of our visits they were doing singing and movement sessions.
Practicalities -

Pram Access: Excellent. Because of the enclosed surroundings parents tend to leave their prams parked in different areas. There is no offical parking area for them.

Cost: it’s FREE. It’s open every day except Christmas and Boxing Day. In Summer: 9am – 7pm; Winter: 9am – dusk 

Cafes: There’s a good little vegetarian cafe, but this place really is made for picnics.
Where is it & how to get there?
93 Guildford Street, London.
It’s so close to Russell Square tube – which unfortunately is not step free. BUT, it’s central location does mean that there are about 10 buses which stop nearby.

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roar like a dinosaur? yes please!

September 11, 2008 at 7:20 pm · Filed under baby, cafe, dinosaur, ideas for children, natural history museum, toddler activities, toddlers ·Tagged , , , , ,

Natural History Museum, South Kensington, 4 stars


There’s nothing like animals to grab a child’s attention, and the Natural History Museum has hundreds of them… stuffed, motorised, boned – you name it, they’ve got it (just none of them are live!).
Make your way through the many corridors lined with animals from all ages – the Dodo is a great treat, but the best of all, it must be said is the dinosaurs. With huge skeletons of an Iguanadon, a Triceratops, and lookalike baby dino’s coming 

out of eggs, there is so much to keep your toddler (and children of higher ages) entertained.
The best part must be the motorised T-Rex. You walk down the ramp hearing the T-Rex roaring and screeching! At this point, I found it best to warn 
our toddlers about what was to come, and how much fun it would be to roar at a dinosaur. 
Turn the corner and there he is, tail flicking, head turning, and a huge jaw with big teeth opening and closing whilst he roars away.

Prior to going to the museum, I thought I’d be writing about this saying ‘It’s all great, but skip the T-Rex as he’s too scary’. But most of the toddlers actually thought he
 was great! (My daughter shouted out “HELLO DINOSAUR” at the top of her voice).
With so much to see and a great interactive ‘play with stuff’ area, this museum can do with many visits.
Practicalities - 

Pram Access: Excellent. Ramps and Lifts throughout the museum. Coat room that doesn’t cost for any children’s items. Costs for adult coats and bags.

Cost: it’s FREE

Cafes: there are a few dotted throughout the museum. They do have a funny policy of not being able to mix and match – eg at the picnic area you wont be able to have your own sandwich supplemented with the restaurant soup’. The food is pretty pricey but remember that the museum is free, so it is somewhat justified. I also MUST mention how great the restaurant staff were with kids. My daughter was having a particularly clingy moment and the guy serving the food carried my tray around, took it to a spare till, and then carried it to a table.

Babychange: a couple. Nice and big with adult toilets.
The details: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
How to get there: South Kensington tube has a lift (from piccadilly line only) and a few stairs. Plenty of buses run nearby.
On a map:
 

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roo-joey.minti.com

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playgrounds (and posers) galore!

September 3, 2008 at 12:16 pm · Filed under baby, cafe, hammersmith, playground, run around, sandpit, slides, swings, toddler activites, toddler activities, toddlers ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Ravenscourt Park – 4 stars

You know sometimes when you just get bored of the same playground all the time, but can’t be bothered walking for half an hour, or jumping on a bus to get to another one? Not a problem at Ravenscourt Park which has 3 playgrounds suitable for toddlers, PLUS a sandpit, PLUS (most times) a paddling pool PLUS, if you’re a parent with children who are a bit older, there’s lots of green space to kick a ball around.

We mostly tend to stick to the one on the south east of the park which has 4 baby swings (very handy for a toddler who struggles to wait) and a climbing frame with a fun slide. There is also a pretend jeep to climb and play in, plus a slide built into the small hill.

The downside of the park, in a way, is how good it is. It is mostly, very busy. On a nice day you could amuse yourself by counting Bugaboos. Or you can sit in the cafe grounds (there is also seating indoors with high chairs) at one of the picnic tables and watch the glam mums stroll by as you wonder why some people go to such effort just for a playground visit (heels, big sunglasses, full makeup), or somedays wonder why you don’t go to that kind of effort yourself. It kind of depends on my mood :)

Though it gets busy, it is a big park, and i’ve never felt crowded there. There are enclosed grassy areas that are dog free, and there’s also a pond with some lovely ducks and geese that are incredibly bread savvy.

The details – Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith – entrances on all sides – see map below.

How to get there: Ravenscourt Park tube has steps (surprise surprise), but there are plenty of buses from Hammersmith Tube (step free for District and Picadilly lines) which run along all sides of the park except the western side.

Cafe: Well priced adult teas, coffees, cakes and small meals (such as baked potatoes). Also sell child friendly food and snacks. No baby change facility.

Where is it?

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a little tired.. but it’s still worth it

August 7, 2008 at 6:19 pm · Filed under baby, cafe, gunnersbury park, slides, swings, toddler activites ·Tagged , , , ,

Gunnersbury Park – 3 stars

If you want to get away from the crowds, and you’re looking for a bit more space than usual, head to Gunnersbury Park. There’s a lot of open space for you and your child to run around, kick a ball or simply just stop being just 1 foot away from the next person (okay, sometimes the amount of people in London does get to me!).

So – if you’re feeling the need for a some personal space – this is the place to go.

There are a couple of playgrounds – one just down from the parking area (yes! you can park here – and it’s free!). There’s baby swings and other baby & toddler friendly equipment including a slide. There are also some ‘big kids’ swings and a climbing frame for different ages. It’s certainly enough to keep your child happy for a while.

Mix this with dog walkers and their owners going past every few minutes, and my daughter is more than happy here for at least half an hour or so.

From here, head to the pond (not fenced off all around) where there are many ducks, geese and other fowl that I have no idea what they are – thank goodness everything at the moment is ‘DUCK!’ and i’m not asked to identify species.

Keep heading around the pond and you’ll get to the little cafe which is somewhat tired, but that doesn’t stop it serving great tea, coffees, cake and small meals. They’re pretty relaxed about kids running around too.

There’s also a little playground next to the cafe… the ratio of bird poo to swing / graffiti to equipment is however a little high, but i reckon you could gulp your tea down in time to trust your little one in this area.

It’s a shame that it hasn’t been kept a lot better – on this Wiki page here there’s more information and pictures of when it looked glam!

Why go here? To feel like you’re not surrounded by others and escape the bugaboo parades! It’s a bit rough and tumble, but we like it!

Where is it?

View Larger Map

How to get there: to be honest, the novelty of driving and being able to park for free is pretty hard to refuse, but you can also get the tube to Acton Town (no step free access) and it’s a 15 minute walk from there. Buses do go past.

Baby change: none – but plenty of privacy

Cost: Free entry, free parking… ah but wouldn’t you know it they charge for the goodies in the cafe ;)

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a little tired.. but it’s still worth it

August 7, 2008 at 6:19 pm · Filed under baby, cafe, gunnersbury park, slides, swings, toddler activites

Gunnersbury Park – 3 stars

If you want to get away from the crowds, and you’re looking for a bit more space than usual, head to Gunnersbury Park. There’s a lot of open space for you and your child to run around, kick a ball or simply just stop being just 1 foot away from the next person (okay, sometimes the amount of people in London does get to me!).

So – if you’re feeling the need for a some personal space – this is the place to go.

There are a couple of playgrounds – one just down from the parking area (yes! you can park here – and it’s free!). There’s baby swings and other baby & toddler friendly equipment including a slide. There are also some ‘big kids’ swings and a climbing frame for different ages. It’s certainly enough to keep your child happy for a while.

Mix this with dog walkers and their owners going past every few minutes, and my daughter is more than happy here for at least half an hour or so.

From here, head to the pond (not fenced off all around) where there are many ducks, geese and other fowl that I have no idea what they are – thank goodness everything at the moment is ‘DUCK!’ and i’m not asked to identify species.

Keep heading around the pond and you’ll get to the little cafe which is somewhat tired, but that doesn’t stop it serving great tea, coffees, cake and small meals. They’re pretty relaxed about kids running around too.

There’s also a little playground next to the cafe… the ratio of bird poo to swing / graffiti to equipment is however a little high, but i reckon you could gulp your tea down in time to trust your little one in this area.

It’s a shame that it hasn’t been kept a lot better – on this Wiki page here there’s more information and pictures of when it looked glam!

Why go here? To feel like you’re not surrounded by others and escape the bugaboo parades! It’s a bit rough and tumble, but we like it!

Where is it?

View Larger Map

How to get there: to be honest, the novelty of driving and being able to park for free is pretty hard to refuse, but you can also get the tube to Acton Town (no step free access) and it’s a 15 minute walk from there. Buses do go past.

Baby change: none – but plenty of privacy

Cost: Free entry, free parking… ah but wouldn’t you know it they charge for the goodies in the cafe ;)

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