Hooray! Week 1 of the Easter holidays is in the bag. Eek! We still have another school holiday week to fill.

This newsletter includes 5 free things to do EVERY day of the half term holidays, 8 last-minute ideas for the weekend, and 13 more things to do in April after the school holidays.

A quick thank you to everyone who has tagged or DMed me about their days out this week. It’s really helpful to know how others experience places too - I prioritise (and remove) places based on feedback. Most raved about this week was Hyde Park Learning Centre. You said ‘we all had a great time’ and ‘big success…well organised and not too busy’.

Thanks also to those who purchased tickets for the Westminster Abbey family workshops. One of you kindly let me know ‘the shield making workshop was brilliant and we both had so much fun.’ I’d love to run more subscriber specials in future. If you work somewhere who would like to offer something to my readers, just hit reply!

Our first week of the Easter holidays have been just the right side of fun-packed. We were dazzled by the daring acts at Zippos Circus* then learnt about the art of dazzle in the fantastic free immersive theatre show The Camouflage Unit Camp at Imperial War Museum. We hunted egg facts at Eltham Palace and Gardens and giant inflatable eggs at London Zoo. Museum Boy made a glue-rich model garden at a drop-off workshop at Sir John Soane’s Museum whilst Museum Girl and I sculpted gruesome gargoyles at Westminster Abbey. And we had a fabulous evening in Euston, with a family curry at Ravi Shankar Bhel Poori followed by wonder and belly laughter at Easter - Stars of the Magic Circle. Not having had the brain space to edit posts, I’ve shared briefly on my Instagram stories when I can.

Enough about me. What have you been up to? Hit reply or tag/DM me on Instagram with your visits.

*You can use code ZC88 for up to 30% off Zippos Circus at all locations.

FREE Easter Holiday 2024 Activities: Week 2

Here’s my (up to) 5 daily suggestions of free things to do across London with your kids in the second week of the Easter holidays.

Check the listings carefully - some run on alternate dates. Timings and any booking info is all available via the clickable link. Every one currently has space to book or is drop in - hurry though, as spots fill up fast!

Looking for yet more excitement? Dive into my mega guide to the Easter holidays with 100+ activities across London, both paid and free.

Monday 8 April 2024

1. So good I’m including it again! Join in with codebreaking, desert disguises and mirror ‘magic’ in live immersive theatre The Camouflage Unit Camp at IWM London, SE1. Runs 8-12 April 2024. Tickets allocated on a first come, first served basis. Ages 6+.

2. Vibrant minigolf by artist duo Craig & Karl returns to Canary Wharf, E14. Clubs and balls provided. Runs 6 April-29 September 2024. Drop in.

3. Make tissue paper daffodil pictures, frog masks, and paint dandelions at Nature Explorers for Under 5s at Meridian One Community Garden, N18. Plus mud kitchen, toy corner, storytime and refreshments. Book.

4. Design an Art Nouveau window panel using paint pens, glass paints, and acrylic in Window Nouveau at Cafe Della Terra, RM1. Ages 12+. Part of Architecture Adventure 2024, a week of free family activities celebrating home in Romford.

5. On my final check, the fifth suggestion has sold out. Check out the daily drop in ideas if you need more.

Tuesday 9 April 2024

1. Make a bat finger puppet, hunt acorn facts dressed like a squirrel, identify tracks and listen to adventurous animals storytelling in Marvellous Mammals Discovery Days at Hyde Park Learning Centre, W2. Runs 9-11 April 2024. Drop in.

2. Explore 2-3 artworks with related activities in a 30-minute Family Tour at Tate Modern, SE1. Ages 5-11. Also runs 11 & 14 April 2024.

3. Create games and stories in a material-rich environment at Sensory Connections at National Gallery, WC2. Drop in. Runs 9-10 April 2024. Looks best for young children.

4. Muck out the donkey stables, feed some animals and maybe groom or handle some furry residents in Family Volunteering Session at Spitalfields City Farm, E1. Book. Ages 5+.

5. Get stuck into games, an egg hunt, pond dipping, painting, mud kitchen and clay making activities in Easter Holiday Fun at Forest Gate Community Garden, E7. Drop in. Runs 9 & 10 April 2024.

Wednesday 10 April 2024

1. Recreate First World War pantomimes from Veronica Nisbet's scrapbook using watercolour and animation in Who’s Behind You! Stop Motion Animation at the Museum of the Order of St John, EC1. Best ages 3-10, all welcome.

2. Dress up and have fun in Angels of London, a storytelling session inspired by the world famous costume shop at Museum of London Docklands, E14. Tickets allocated on arrival.

3. Build creations from sticks and other materials to explore ideas behind Islamic patterns in Shapes and Structures at V&A South Kensington, SW7. Drop in. Runs 10-12 April 2024. Ages 5+.

4. Design and make wearable art from found materials using just one colour in Make Your Own Wearable Artwork at Chelsea Library, SW3. Book.

5. Kids can get hands-on with vintage typewriters in Pen to Print Children’s Event: The London Typewriters at Barking Learning Centre, IG11. Runs 10-11 April 2024. Book. Ages 6+.

Thursday 11 April 2024

1. Stroke a giant millipede, get Madagascan cockroaches to hiss and spot the stick insects in Branch Out – Wiggly Wild Show! at the Garden Museum, SE1. Drop in on first come, first served basis. Ages 4+.

2. Create a listening instrument from recycled materials, turn the mini playhouse into an audio recording den, and map sounds in Sonic Roots – Spring Family Day at Museum of the Home, E2. Drop in.

3. Make a nature mobile to hang in your window or garden in Spring Decorations Family Drop-in Workshop at Sir John Soane’s Museum, WC2. Drop in. Ages 4+.

4. Reuse old books and magazines to celebrate underappreciated and/or new fauna in Family Event: Badge Cafe at Grant Museum, WC1. Book/drop in.

5. Learn to Design Collage with Clara Chu and discover the Designer in the Shed’s approach to designing upcycled bags at Young V&A, E2. Drop in. Ages 7-14.

Friday 12 April 2024

1. Hear seasonal stories with Olivia Armstrong, paint with nature, and create an Easter eco-bag in Week 2 of Spring Family Festival at the National Portrait Gallery, WC2. Different activities run 11 April 2024. Drop in.

2. Create plant pots, plant sunflowers to take home, and make wildflower seed bombs in Spring in the Air at Grosvenor Square, W1. Drop in. Plus make your own mini-garden, book.

3. Control a real surgical robot, take a behind the scenes lab tour, experience keyhole surgery challenges, and chat with healthcare researchers in Science of Surgery at The Wellcome /EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences (WEISS), W1. Drop in.

4. Explore air quality monitoring with arts and crafts, Air Quality Snakes and Ladders, balloon modelling, refreshments, and pollution reduction tips in Air Quality Fun Day at the Art Pavilion in Mile End Park, E3. Book.

5. Go on a Wild Egg Hunt at Railway Fields Nature Reserve, N4. Discover which egg-laying creatures live there and decorate rock eggs. Book.

Daily free drop in events

1. Uniqlo Tate Play: Yoko Ono, Do It Yourself at Tate Modern, SE1. Until 14 April 2024.

2. Different crafts daily in Easter Holidays at the National Maritime Museum, SE10. Until 14 April 2024. 

3. Smileyworld Art Trail at Battersea Power Station. 29 March-19 May 2024. There’s free face painting on weekends too.

4. Paws on the Wharf art trail at Canary Wharf. Until 17 May 2024.

5. The Little Egg Hunt sculpture trail in Chelsea. Until 15 April 2024.

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What’s on in London with Kids: April 2024

Because Easter hit before April could even blink, here’s 15 things to do with the kids this month after the schools go back:

1. Create kaleidoscopic Roman art, handle artifacts, and learn about Roman London in Second Saturday at Guildhall Art Gallery, EC2. 13 April 2024. Free, book. Best ages 3-13.

2. Piece together your own paper pot inspired by the ancient Egyptians in Family Event: Paper Pottery at Petrie Museum, WC2. With illustrator Lucia Vinti. 13 April 2024. Free, book/drop in.

3. Weave yarn tapestries using foraged sticks and various materials in Children and Families Spring Holiday Stay and Play at Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, SE14. 14 April 2024. Free, book.

4. Create tsukumogami shadow puppets inspired by everyday objects and Japanese folklore in Family Day: Shadow Puppets at William Morris Gallery, E17. 20 April 2024. Free, drop in.

5. Turn cream into butter using hand-held churns, then fashion it into a butter pat to take home in Heritage Cheese Kids Club at Dulwich Picture Gallery, SE21. 20 April 2024. Paid, book. Ages 4-10.

6. Plant wildflower seeds and take it home to grow in a pollinator-friendly pot in Festival of Blossom: Wildflower seed planting at Morden Hall Park. 20 April 2024. Free, drop in. Ages 4+.

7. Make experimental woven fibre artworks and silhouette cutouts in Family Day: Entangled Pasts, 1768-now at Royal Academy of Arts, W1. Plus book reading with J.T. Williams. 21 April 2024. Free, drop in.

8. Inspired by García Márquez's tale, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings at Unicorn Theatre, SE1 explores human nature through a mysterious encounter. With music, puppetry and live video projection. 24-28 April 2024. Paid, book. Ages 8-12.

9. Celebrate the RIBA HQ 90th year through craft activities, drawing, songs and stories in Family Fun Day: RIBA Building Birthday Bash, W1. Plus RIBA Baby room, and Lego. 27 April 2024. Free, book.

10. Discover how armour showcased the wearer's identity and try some on yourself in Hands On Armour at Wallace Collection, W1. 27 April 2024. Free, drop in. Ages 5+.

11. Help make a collaborative collage inspired by The Tiger Who Came to Tea and watch a relaxed screening of the stage version at V&A South Kensington, SW7. 27 April 2024. Free, drop in.

12. Bring your favourite teddy to a springtime picnic with crafts, garden games, stories and singalongs in Eddy’s Teddy Bear Picnic at Fulham Palace House & Gardens, SW6. 28 April 2024. Paid, book.

13. Be inspired by the work of Angelica Kauffman to create costumes and portraits in Family Studio: Costumes at Royal Academy of Arts, W1. 28 April 2024. Free, drop in.
    

And, especially for Under 5s:

1. Explore sensory play themed around identity and expression, inspired by the Thomas J Price Display in April’s Design Baby at V&A South Kensington, SW7. 17 April 2024. Free, drop in. Ages 0-3.

2. Early Weaves at Polka Theatre, SW19 is a heartwarming, non-verbal dance theatre for early years, exploring friendship through willow props, sound, and movement. 17-21 April 2024. Paid, book. Ages 0-4.

3. Share William Morris’s love of books with tot-friendly crafts in Mini Morris at William Morris Gallery, E17. 18 April 2024. Free, drop in. Ages 2-5.

4. Bounce along the Australian kangaroos' trail and create a clay creature inspired by netsuke (small sculptures) from Japan in Hop into Spring at the British Museum, WC2. 19 April 2024. Free, drop in. Under 5s.

5. Dive into Ella in the Garden of Giverny tale, followed by painting your own garden (23 April 2024) or enjoy storytime and crafts inspired by The Tiny Seed (30 April 2024) at the Garden Museum, SE1. Free, drop in. Under 5s.

What’s on this weekend 6-7 April 2024

Lastly, here are additional ideas to keep you and the littles (or not-so-smalls) occupied this weekend. Click the links for timings and any booking info before heading out.

1. We’ll be heading to Now Play This! A Festival of Experimental Game Design at Somerset House, WC2. 6-14 April 2024. Paid. Kids under 12 go free.

2. Spring Festival & Plant Sale at Spitalfields City Farm, E1. 6 April 2024. Free.

3. Spring Kids' Print-Making Drop-In Workshop at Wimbledon Museum, SW19. 6 April 2024. Free.

4. Family Day – Bedlam! at Royal College of Nursing Library, W1. 6 April 2024. Free.

5. Let’s Get Creative: Assemble Play at Orleans House Gallery, TW1. 6-7 April 2024. Free.

6. Community Celebration at Marble Hill House, TW1. 6-7 April 2024. Free.

7. The Ceilidh Jam with Folk Dance Remixed at Southbank Centre, SE1. 7 April 2024. Free.

8. Book Buzz at artsdepot, N12. 7 April 2024. Free.
   

I think it’s time for bed! I’ll be back at the end of the month with a guide to May.

Until then, I hope you all have a great time in this great city,

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