Family Fun

Keeping the kids entertained over the Easter holidays is easy with the huge choice of things to do in London. Most of the museums are putting on special Easter themed activities, The O2 hosts the fascinating Dinosaurs Unleashed and Zippos Circus is back in town.

Easter Family Fun at Household Cavalry Museum

Household Cavalry Museum, SW1A 2AX
9th April - 25th April 2011

See if you can find the hidden bunnies among the military uniforms and treasures of the Household Cavalry Museum. As part of their Easter activities the museum is hosting trails where children have to uncover the hidden rabbits to win chocolate treats. There's an educational side to visiting the musuem this Easter with craft activities designed to help children aged 5 to 11 learn all about the horses, troopers and history of The Household Cavalry Regiment. All these fun activities are free with entry to the museum, but you do need to book in advance.

Easter Family Fun at Household Cavalry Museum - Information

Zippos Circus

Blackheath Common | Brockwell Park | Finsbury Park
31st March-5th April | 7th-12th April | 21st April-3rd May 2011

Zippos Circus comes to town this spring performing their unique circus show. Setting up their big top tent at several venues in and around town this April, London locations include Blackheath Common, Brockwell Park and Finsbury Park. This well-loved travelling company specialises in old fashioned entertainment that harks back to the golden era of the traditional horse-drawn travelling circus. Veteran ringmaster Norman Barrett - recently awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to entertainment during his 60-plus years in the industry - performs his hilarious budgies then guides you through the cast of performing horses, high-wire acts, aerial artists and clowns. Zippos isn't just for the kids, it's a genuine family show that people of all ages will enjoy.

LONDON LOCATIONS & DATES:
Finsbury Park - 31 March-5 April
Brockwell Park - 7-12 April
Blackheath Common - 21 April-3 May

Zippos Circus - Information

Easter Fun for Families at Museum of London Docklands

Museum of London Docklands, London, E14 4AL
9th - 25th April 2011

This Easter at the Museum of London in Docklands kids can learn about Victorian working life, help load a ship so it's ready to set sail and hear the stories pub landlady Maeve Dawson has to tell. The museum is putting on a whole range of Easter Fun for Families with free entry for adults (kids are free all year round) and free events taking place throughout. Kids can get involved in making chocolate creatures, hear legends and stories, find out what it was like to be a child working in Victorian London, and dress up and have their picture taken. Select sessions are suitable for children as young as two and all of them are free.

Easter Fun for Families at Museum of London Docklands - Information

Easter Holiday Workshops at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, SE21 7AD
12th & 14th April 2011

Kids who want to get creative this Easter should head to the Dulwich Picture Gallery where Sackler Centre Resident Artist Erica Parrett will be hosting two Easter Holiday Workshops. At the Mad Hatters workshop kids aged 6 to 8 years can design their own Easter bonnets and masks using eco friendly recycled materials. In the afternoons it's the turn of children aged 9 to 11years to take part in the Beautiful Creative Easter Nests workshops. Get your hands covered in glue and create your own papier-mache box based on spring time creatures and you'll get to take home your very own egg holder. These seasonal workshops are in addition to the regular afternoon ArtPlay classes held on the first and last Sunday of the month from September to May.

Easter Holiday Workshops at Dulwich Picture Gallery - Information

Easter Egg-Laying Animals

Grant Museum of Zoology, WC1E 6BT
11th-20th April 2011

During the Easter holidays the Grant Museum is exploring the wonderful world of Egg-Laying Animals. With around 62,000 specimens in the museum there are plenty of animals to investigate. Using their rich library of animal artefacts, the museum is putting on an afternoon of specimen-based activities to help visitors find out how eggs come about, whether they're shells or spawn. From penguins to platypuses, sharks to snails and bullfrogs to butterflies, there's a surprising amount of egg laying animals to find out about - it's not just down to ducks.

Easter Egg-Laying Animals - Information

Easter Workshops at Fulham Palace

Fulham Palace, London, SW6 6EA
12th & 13th April 2011

A family outing to Fulham Palace - a hugely popular place with Fulham families - has an added attraction with the museum's Easter Workshops taking place on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th April. On 12th April children aged 5 to 12 can take part in a two-hour craft session, making traditional Easter items and the like from a mix of branches, paint and other materials provided. There's a suitably spring-like theme for the following day's workshop - a great way to keep the kids entertained during the school holidays. Just make sure you phone to book in advance as places are limited and fill up fast.

More info: Easter Workshops at Fulham Palace Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Dinosaurs Unleashed

Parklife, W1K 6DE
18th February - 31st December 2011

Feel the ground tremble (or is that your knees?) when you come face to face with 24 full size animatronic dinosaurs at Parklife on Oxford Street. Visit Dinosaurs Unleashed and you'll be able to walk alongside the giants of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and meet Stegosaurus, Iguanodon, Megalosaurus as well as marvel at massive Diplodocus - three times the length and double the height of a double-decker bus. These giant prehistoric creatures - including the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex - are a fun way to find out more about the beasts who roamed the Jurassic forest long before man made his entrance. The dispaly includes a prehistoric aquarium which gets you into the underwater world of the dinosaurs, animated by computer graphics, and a 'green screen' theatre so you can put yourself in the picture. For youngsters who love to learn about the mighty TRex, this is a treat. Go to www.dinosaursunleashed.co.uk for details and to book.

Dinosaurs Unleashed - Information

Passion in the Square

Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DS
22nd April 2011 - 23rd April 2011

Passion in the Square is a recreation of the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, put on for free for the public in Trafalgar Square. Not to be outdone by the scores of Easter egg hunts and other events across the city, Trafalgar Square hosts this special adaptation giving viewers the chance to get to grips with the story at the heart of Easter. Featuring over 70 actors, all donning period costumes, the show is sure to have a big impact on the watching crowds as they witness the tale of Christ's betrayal by Judas and his trial before Pontius Pilate.

More info: Passion in the Square Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube