The Natural History Museum

We tend to avoid heading too far into West London, unless we happen to be driving, as it never feels like the easiest journey by train or bus. However, with EDtot's current dinosaur phase it seemed like a good time to introduce her to the wonders of The Natural History Museum.

So on a rainy Monday we set off on the train to London Bridge. As we had to make a slight detour to Hyde Park Corner to drop off a package (nothing remotely exciting), it meant we had to take the longer route of going via Green Park. Whilst there is a lift at Green Park, the walk between the Jubilee Line and Piccadilly Line is still really long. With all the changes of transport I had opted to sling EDtot, but with hindsight I really should have taken the buggy as she is getting a little too heavy for a whole day out in a sling. Well, to be fair it would be feasible with a sling if she was occasionally willing to walk and at a pace that meant we returned before Christmas.

So after a long journey on train, tube and bus we arrived at the Museum. It is a beautiful building, but unfortunately I only had my phone camera to hand so the shots are less than impressive. Despite EDtot being very familiar with the entrance to the museum thanks to her London Bus book, I was ill prepared for the fear that took over on seeing the massive dinosaur skeleton. EDtot most definitely did not want to walk at this point and was torn between keeping an eye on the beast and burying her head in my shoulder to avoid eye contact with it.


After much discussion EDtot decided to brave the actual dinosaur exhibition on the understanding she would be carried throughout. There is a lift up to the walkway in the exhibition so if you do take your buggy it is still possible to see the whole thing, but it does get very crowded. I could not believe it was a Monday with the number of people that were there. I don't think I would ever contemplate heading there on a weekend.

Most of the dinosaurs were labelled as "cute" by EDtot apart from the last one that was roaring away, but due to it's pose was deemed to be "taking a bow", not "preparing to attack". Thanks to Diddi Dance for that one! After moving on to the less scary animals, EDtot finally agreed to walk and give my back a rest. We managed a couple other exhibits before stopping for a sandwich on one of the many benches in the museum. I think there is a lovely garden we could have gone to for our little picnic, but on a rainy day it was easier to stay indoors.

We then set off on a far easier journey home which involved one bus from right outside the museum (although it is not a frequent service and does take a convoluted route) to Vauxhall and one more bus home. Definitely a fun day, but one to save for when you're feeling well rested and able to tackle London's transport system.

The Dinosaur Trail

We really did have a beautiful summer, didn't we? The weather has turned now and autumn is in full swing. It is my favourite time of year though with all the colours in the trees and that lovely crisp smell in the air. If the wonderful summer weather meant you spent most days in your local park and you can no longer face going back to the same paths and swings, then have a look at one of the many other options we have in South East London.

Crystal Palace Park is accessible by many different bus routes, a train line and has a few car parks dotted around. There's a decent amount of things to see and do in the park including the usual children's play area, cafe, lake and a small farm.

The old One O'Clock Club has become a pre-school on weekdays, but on Saturdays and in the school holidays the centre, now called Diddy Dinos, opens for drop-in Pay and Play. I really missed the old One O'Clock Club so I was thrilled when I found out we could still pop along on certain days. EDtot loves the paint and craft options and the outdoor space has so much to offer the under 5's.

EDtot's favourite part of the park though is definitely the Dinosaur Trail. She loved sitting on EDdad's shoulders trying to "find" the dinosaurs hidden in trees. Can you spot any? :)

Bank Holiday Adventures (yes, the August Bank Holiday*)

I love those days when we act like tourists in London. They aren't a regular occurrence as we normally have something we need to do on our trips into Central London. So it was even more fun that our latest Tourist Day was unplanned.

We set off to Battersea Park Zoo for opening time at 10am. It is a children's zoo in a beautiful park and with the added bonus of being right on the river. There are the usual animals to see including lemurs, meerkats, snakes, otters, monkeys, donkeys and birds. The surprising thing about it is that there is also an amazing toddler playground spread out over one corner of the zoo and EDtot spent just as long there as she did checking out the animals.

After a quick sandwich from the cafe, we decided to continue our day out by heading down to the Thames. Although EDtot can get through the day without her midday nap, life is much easier all round if she manages at least an hour. So we drove around for a while and thankfully she dropped off so we headed to Bankside and eventually found a parking space.

We jumped on a Thames Clipper boat heading to North Greenwich. Well, jumped is a little misleading. We queued and waited and queued and waited. I don't know how busy they are midweek, but it was always going to be a slow affair on a Bank Holiday. EDtot has a few London based books and so was thrilled to spot landmarks from her own stories. I must try to find some Far East based kiddy books for our next trip to see the grandparents!

After Tower Bridge the journey speeds up considerably, which was lucky as EDtot had had her fill of bumbling along the river. When we arrived at North Greenwich we toyed with the idea of heading for the cable car which is a short walk away, but it was getting late in the afternoon so we settled on a mooch around the O2 and a quick play in the little fountain before jumping on the tube back to Waterloo.

It was too late to head back home for dinner so we rounded off the day with some sushi before enjoying a leisurely stroll along the Southbank to the car. A fabulous touristy day out with something for everyone.

*Apologies for the radio silence on the blog. It has been a busy ol' summer and updating the main EDtots site with the new term's activities has taken up most spare time.