Thames Valley Mums Blog

Days out in the Thames Valley - trains

My eldest son has an obsession with trains, if you have a like-minded child then here are two places worth a visit. They're both open all year round.

STEAM, Swindon: the museum of the Great Western Railway. Perfect for visiting when the weather's bad because everything's indoors. This site was once one of the largest railway engineering complexes in the world employing tens of thousands of people.The musem recreates some of the offices and workshops and takes you on a tour of how the trains were made and the Great Western Railway was developed. The exhibits are all hands-on and ideal for children to play with and explore. Some of the highlights are being able to walk underneath the beautifully preserved steam train 'Caerphilly Castle' and operate the signals in a recreated signal box. You can explore the cabins of a few other steam trains as well as some former royal coaches. A recreated station helps you understand what the age of steam was like (and creates some nostalgia if you're old enough to remember it!).

You don't have to be a train fan to enjoy this museum, it's an enjoyable couple of hours spent learning about a bygone era. And a flashback to a time when Britain was a world leader in industry and manufacturing (sadly no more...).

Kids bored this half term? Try these activites...

I used to measure the success of school breaks based on the number of trips made to A&E. One year I had to deal with a 2-year-old who lost her fingernail in a slammed door AND a 3-year-old who broke her arm whilst climbing out of her cot.

We've moved on since then, and so has the economy.

The credit crunch means that many people may opt to stay local this half term, rather than the usual trip to France and Euro Disney.

Here are some ideas in preparation for when you wake up on Monday morning and the children ask "what are we doing today mummy?"

This post has a Thames Valley twist, but there are ideas that you can use to beat half term boredom in any location.

And if none of these ideas appeal ... you can always hire a babysitter and get a massage!

A little boy's dream: the London Transport Museum

Where do you take a train, plane, bus and car mad three-year-old for his birthday in London?  Why, The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, of course! This was Boy #2's treat of choice last week.  Admittedly, they don't have airplanes there, but as a place where you can spot practically every other mode of transport in London, it ticked all his boxes.
 
The Transport Museum is tucked away in the South East corner of the Covent Garden Piazza, and is easily reachable by tube.  As a family-friendly destination, they don't come much better than the Piazza, with it's host of shops and stalls on the galleries in the restored old Covent Garden vegetable market, the street entertainment on offer in and around it, the (admittedly pricey) restaurants and bars when you need refuelling, and the simple pleasure of being outdoors in what I personally find an exciting, buzzy and vibrant part of town.  Add the Opera House, the local theatre, and the Transport Museum to the mix and this are becomes one of the top tourist attractions in London.  

The Stonor walk

When I was dating future Scottish hubby, he took me on this walk.

I was in the UK on a quick weekend stop over between Boston and San Francisco.

I'm sure we must have slept late, then gone out for the papers to read with our frothed coffees and buttered toast. I had already half moved in and purchased a Krupp's cappuccino maker, and future hubby was just starting to realize how important the black drug was to me.

That was more than 10 years ago, and I remember taking a photo of the manor home of Lord and Lady Camoys, and later, when I was back in my office in Marin Country, I shared it with my colleagues.

All Aboard! Try the IMAX with children

We took the Boys to the Imax on Southbank yesterday, to see the wonderful movie, 'The Polar Express'. 
 
This is not a review of the film, however; it's been out for long enough (five years) that there's a pretty good chance you'll already have seen it, and if you haven't, I suggest you rush down to Sainsbury's where the dvd is usually on special offer at Christmas for around £5.  Then settle down for an afternoon of escapism with your children - I defy you not to be swept up in the story...

London threatre for a preschooler? Oh yes! Go see William's Monster

Poor William.  He's misunderstood as being a little monster, when in fact all he wants to do is have some fun and use his imagination.  And to cap it all, his parents plan a weekend away without him, and he has to go and stay with his scary grandfather, who makes him sleep in the attic where there are all sorts of funny noises and goings on...
 
I took Boy #2 to the theatre this week.  He's not even three yet, but theatre is a treat he and his brother have been getting since they were tiny; I think the youngest that I took either of them was when they were about nine months.  I know, I know.  I can here you saying from here.  A preschooler?  To the theatre?  What kind of a mug are you?

Ten things to do in Oxford with children this Christmas

Wondering what to do with the kids this Christmas?

Oxford is just a hop, skip and a jump away and it's a great place for kids. You just need to know where to go and what to do.

Check out these insider tips by Kelli Terrington, an Oxford mum and founder of Ox and Cross Publishing, publisher of the Oxford Colouring Book, where all proceeds go to charities that help children.

1. The Botanic Garden near Magdalen Bridge has an inspiring Christmas tree decorated with things found in the garden.  If you are worried about being out in the cold, there are several glasshouses where you can keep warm and admire many interesting plants despite the outside temperatures.

London's most spectacular winter attraction -- ice skating at the Natural History Museum

The Ice Rink and the Christmas Fair at the Natural History Museum are billed as 'London's most spectacular winter attraction'.
 
Well, what could be better for a cold November afternoon when the nights are drawing in and the park is out of the question?  We took our two boys (five and three years old) and a couple of visiting family members to see if it lived up to the hype.
 
To a certain extent, it does.  It's in a fabulous location right in front of the beautiful Victorian façade of the museum, and is prettily lit by twinkling white lights in the surrounding trees, so it certainly looked festive enough.

Credit Crunch Sundays -- Try a FREE family art workshop at the National Gallery

I’m going to share a secret. The National Gallery in London does FREE art workshops every Sunday aimed at the entire family to enjoy and learn about art together.

The workshops, run by professional artists, focus on an area in the gallery. After a short discussion, you are given insider tips and high quality art supplies and then set loose to create your own masterpiece.

It’s FABULOUS.

Did I mention it was FREE?

If you live near London, or are visiting with kids, you have to check it out.

Is there an elephant in that zoo?

When my 4 1/2 year old daughter asked me if she had ever seen an elephant in real life, I flashed back zoo visits over the past four years.

None. 

We've taken the older three to the zoo, but not the youngest. As a matter of fact, we have probably not come within 50 miles of an elephant in quite a long time.  

Now I was on a mission.  Luckily, we were already planning a trip into London and it presented a great opportunity to show my daughter a "real life" elephant at the London Zoo.

Or so I thought. 

Nip boredom in the bud! Top 50 activities for children this half term

I used to measure the success of school breaks based on the number of trips made to A&E. One year I had to deal with a 2-year-old who lost her fingernail in a slammed door AND a 3-year-old who broke her arm whilst climbing out of her cot.

We've moved on since then, and so has the economy.

The credit crunch means that many people may opt to stay local this half term, rather than the usual trip to France and Euro Disney.

Here are some ideas in preparation for when you wake up on Monday morning and the children ask "what are we doing today mummy?"

This post has a Thames Valley twist, but there are ideas that you can use to beat half term boredom in any location.

And if none of these ideas appeal ... you can always hire a babysitter and get a massage!

London Cycle Show

Cycle 2008 is back in London on 10 - 12 October at Earls Court.

I always imagined I would be that cycle riding mum with flowing hair and a child on the back, and maybe one on the front as well.  I soon realised I am not Dutch and it doesn’t work like that here.

I went to the Cycle Show last year in hopes of getting a little bit closer to my dream.  What I didn’t expect was that it would be me and a bunch of 50-year-old men at the show.  It was foolish of me not to, considering the amount of titanium and carbon located in one place with expensive price tags.