The LittleBird Family Pass Top Picks – 9th – 22nd April

Part 2 – Eggtatstic Easter Bumper Guide

There’s plenty of virtual fun to be had throughout the second week of the Easter holidays with online theatre shows at the Southbank Centre and Oxford Playhouse, Narnia fun at Westminster Abbey, Dermot O’Leary in conversation with the Museum of London about his new book.

From 12th April outdoor attractions reopen including theme parks and zoos, drive-ins and crazy golf.

Plus find out the two ingredients you need to make your own flatbreads, how to make everlasting cherry blossom and did you know Tom Gates has his own music app!

If you find our guide useful, please share Top Picks with your family and friends and sign up to the newsletter. We publish our blog every two weeks but we promise the fun below lasts a lot longer than that!

  1. Virtual Events Dated
  2. Outdoor Events Dated
  3. Online Anytime
  4. Make, Watch, Listen & Download

VIRTUAL EVENTS DATED

Toto the Ninja Cat x Museum of London, In Conversation with Dermot O’Leary, Friday 9th April @ 11am 

Dermot O’Leary, broadcaster and author of the Toto the Ninja Cat series will be joined by Museum of London curator Meriel Jeater to delve into the history of London and find out what inspired Toto’s newest adventures.

From St. Paul’s to the legend of Dick Whittington and his faithful cat Tom, discover surprising stories through the eyes of Toto and her gang of friends.

This free digital event will take place on the Museum of London’s Facebook Page. Find out more here

Southbank Centre –  Dust, Saturday 10th April @ 3pm 

Take a front-row seat at a digital production of Dust, live-recorded at Half Moon Theatre using an enchanting mixture of puppetry and live action.

When Little Titch and her scruffy rucksack arrive at the giant, pink house, it’s not what she expected. A blanket of thick, grey dust covers everything in sight, and it’s wild and overgrown.

Her new home is cold and unwelcoming – until she meets Nelly, a flamboyant and loveable hoarder.

Written by Laura Dockrill, author of the Darcy Burdock series and Big Bones, and with music by Hugo White of The Maccabees, this production is a reminder of how playful the world can be.

Aimed at ages 4 – 9. Tickets are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis, with a recommended price of £6. Find out more  here

To find out what else is going on at the Southbank Centre during the Easter holidays, click here 

Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Trail, ends 14th April 

Enjoy this trail around the Natural History Museum online gallery that spans many years of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year archive. Search for clues across oceans, cities and forests and be in with the chance of winning some amazing prizes. The trail starts with this year’s People’s Choice Winner and there’s a video to find out ‘How to Play’. 

Start exploring here

Aslan and the Abbey Virtual Tour at Westminster Abbey on 14th April @ 2pm &16th April @ 11am

Head to Westminster Abbey virtually and join in as they explore the wonderful world of Narnia in the place where author C. S. Lewis is remembered.

Go on a magical adventure to discover the stories and mythical creatures that exist both in Narnia and Westminster Abbey. Meet Queen Lucy and explore the parallels between the Easter story and Aslan’s journey through games, stories and a virtual Abbey tour. Make an animal mask to join in the fun at Cair Paravel and the Abbey.

Aimed at children 5+, tickets are free but you need to book, click here

Waterman’s Art Centre Myths and Adventures from Ancient Greece, until 15th April 

In this series of tales from Ancient Greece, prepare to enter a miniature world full of exciting adventures, with the battered insect Hope as their guide.

Hope journeys into the world of Ancient Greece to escape Pandora’s Box, warn King Midas of his greed, seek Persephone in the Underworld and help Theseus to defeat the Minotaur. In this first tale, discover why there is always Hope in the world.

The online plays from Waterman’s Art Centre are available on YouTube until 15 April. Find out more here

Colour Box; Full of Beans until 16th April

This April, the Colour Box selection of shorts form part of the In The Mix Festival – a programme of events investigating the relationship between art and healthy eating. Within this veritable feast of films, you’ll find gigantic watermelons, cute little bao buns and truffle-hunting bears.

Plus, there are two food-inspired workshops for any peckish crafters out there: make your own Jeff Koons-inspired dog out of grapes and spaghetti, and an edible Jackson Pollock artwork on toast. 

Enjoy the shorts and workshops here 

I Believe In Unicorns, Oxford Playhouse, Livestream 15th April & available on demand 16th – 18th April 

Olivier Award – nominated Wizard Presents brings best-selling children’s author Michael Morpurgo’s enchanting tale to life. Tomas loves playing outdoors… he hates school, books and being dragged to the library by his mother. But his world is turned upside down the day he meets the Unicorn and the Unicorn Lady and is spellbound by their story.

There is a free post-show talk with Michael Morpurgo and actor Danyah Miller immediately after the livestream on Thursday 15th that Thursday tickets holders are invited to. 
Aimed at ages 6+, tickets from £10. To find out more and book, click here


OUTDOOR ADVENTURES DATED

Drive-In Family Theatre, David Walliams Billionaire Boy & Horrible Histories UK tours from 12th April 

Car Park Party and Birmingham Stage Company start their UK tours this Easter bringing theatre to the people with these safe and socially distanced from the comfort of your car Drive-In family theatre tours. Choose from David Walliams Billionaire Boy and Horrible Histories Barmy Britain and Gorgeous Goergians & Vile Victorians. 

Tickets are from £52.00 per car. Find out what’s showing near you and when here

The Drive-In, reopens 12th April 

Relive the magic of the American drive in movie theatre, a contact free way to experience film.  Rock up in the comfort of your own car for the ultimate outdoor cinema experience. Snacks and drinks are available and will be delivered to your car by 1950 drive in attendants, with sound broadcast straight to your car’s FM radio. Films include Wonder Woman 1984, Tom and Jerry: The Movie and Godzilla vs Kong. 

Tickets are from £19.99 per car. Find out what’s on here 

Crazy Golf at Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross, until Sunday 9th May

Grab your putters as Club Golf is back in Coal Drops Yard. The wacky 9-hole course is designed by artists Baker & Borowski and is inspired by the King’s Cross rave culture of the 80s and 90s. A covid safe family activity, the course is entirely outdoors and clubs and balls are sanitized between each play. Bookings can be made in line with the Government’s rule of six.

Tickets are £5 and under 12s go free. To find out more and book, click here 

LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort, reopens 12th April 

Once again, we can enjoy the thrill of a theme park! With many of them opening 12th April onwards, LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is no exception! With additional hygiene and safety measures in place, you can enjoy rides and attractions galore with the promise there is something for everyone. The vast majority of outdoor rides and attractions will be open as well as character meet and greets. Due to current restrictions though, LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is unable to open indoor rides and attractions or run live entertainment.

And new for 2021 LEGO® MYTHICA opens on 29th May promising a parallel universe, where LEGO creatures come to life. Full of epic adventures, powerful guardians and mysterious creatures all waiting to be discovered. 

Standard tickets £53, £29 if you book 7 days in advance, pre-booking essential. To find out more and book tickets, click here

ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoo, reopens 14th April 

At last, both London and Whipsnade Zoo are able to reopen and once again you can see your favourite animals. There are lots of new safety measures in place and indoor closures and indoor restaurants remain closed to adhere to government safely measures. 

A heads up for May half term at London Zoo, check out The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Kids will be able to take a step into the caterpillar’s miniature world with a series of action-packed activities celebrating Eric Carle’s iconic book and its ravenous, wriggly hero.

Standard tickets, adult £32.50 and child £21.12. Pre-booking essential. Find out more here


ONLINE ANYTIME

#MakeShiftStudio 

Head to Towner Eastbourne and explore these weekly workshops with artist Rachel McGivern made back in 2020,  available for you to enjoy at home any time you like. Watch videos and download illustrated guides to discover how to make mono-prints with just some felt tip pens, a plastic pouch and a damp sponge, learn out about a simple paper dyeing technique called orizomagami and then make carnival style decorations to brighten up your windows with colour and create pocket-sized concertina sketchbooks and more here.

Celebrate 10 years of Tom Gates with Liz Pichon readings 

To celebrate 10 Tremendous Years of Tom Gates,  author and illustrator Liz Pichon is reading an extract from each of her 18 books. Pick your favourite and listen to an extract here 

For more Tom Gates news, check out his brand new website here

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s Elizabeth’s Easter ele-egg-hunt

Let the Easter fun continue and watch ZSL Whipsnade’s youngest elephant, four-year old Elizabeth, as she was treated to an egg-stra special Easter activity – an unusual ele-egg-hunt!

Each of the huge, colourful eggs hidden by her keepers was in fact a giant watermelon, her favourite snack, decorated with edible paint. 

Watch this feel good video here 

Eat Your City 

Part of Learning From Architecture, a programme of design-based activities for home learning create your own research cookbook as you explore and design a city you can eat! Explore the food that grows in your city, the ones that are sold at markets and the ones you find in your kitchen. Share your favourite recipes. Design a Foodscape. Start to imagine how great it would be to have more edible cities. 

Start researching here 

V & A Playing with Shapes 

Shapes are all around us. If you look closely at some of the things in your home, like the table or sofa, you might see they are made up of different shapes. In conjunction with design company HATO, based in London and Hong Kong, be inspired by artworks from the V & A’s collection where artists have used geometric shapes to create patterns and then have a go at making your own. 

Start playing here 


MAKE THIS

2-ingredient flatbread

Flatbreads are brilliantly versatile and with only two ingredients required, quick, easy and fun to make. Once they’re ready to eat, fold them, dip them, wrap them with your favourite foods or spreads and enjoy them sweet or savoury. Make a batch and pop some in the freezer for another meal. 

Watch the video and get cooking here 

Make your own cherry blossom and bumblebee decorations 

A symbolic flower of Spring, Cherry blossom trees are in bloom and looking lovely. With their beautiful blossom only lasting for around two weeks before it starts to fall, get crafting and make some everlasting cherry blossoms decorated with little fuzzy bees to enjoy at home, or to give as a gift. 

Get crafting here 


WATCH THIS

But do this first… 

Turn on the Subtitles 

A relatively new campaign with a simple message – Kids read more with the subtitles on. Turning on the subtitles while children are watching television can double the chances of a child becoming good at reading meaning that TV time becomes reading time. 

Find out more here and turn on the subtitles!

Thunder Force (9th April Netflix)  

Two childhood best friends, played by the brilliant Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, reunite as an unlikely crime-fighting superhero duo when one invents a formula that gives ordinary people superpowers.

Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! (April 14) 

Jamie Foxx stars as a single dad figuring out fatherhood on teh fly in this family friendly Netflix original series. 


LISTEN TO THIS

Everything Under the Sun (For Kids) 

Each Friday, join Molly Oldfield, the very first question writer (or QI Elf) on the BBC TV show QI and author of three books as she answers questions – with the help of experts from Neil Gaiman to the fish curators at the Natural History Museum – sent into the show by children around the world. If you’re a kid with questions you want answered or if you want to learn interesting facts about life on earth, this is the award winning podcast for you.


DOWNLOAD THIS 

Tom Gates Music App (FREE) 

Featuring music from Dog Zombies, Dude3, Plastic Cup and the Oakfield School Choir this fun-packed App includes amazing interactive features for learning, playing and singing.

This brilliant app puts you in control of the music. You can hear all the parts separately. You can learn to sing the songs – all the words are there. Then if you want you can switch the singer off and you can sing instead, like karaoke.

All the Dog Zombies tracks have special ukulele parts. There are videos on You Tube and lizpichon.com to show you how to play them. The app lets you slow the music down so you can start by playing the songs through really slowly. The better you get, the faster you can go till you get up to full speed.

And you can put any part of the song on a loop – so the bit you select plays over and over to help you get it right.

Fun Kids Live – Have a walk whilst you learn! 

Walk The Roman Life, The Roman Wall, A delicious Food walk

Download the walk’s accompanying booklet and listen to the podcast episode whilst you walk! 

For example The Roman’s Walk! 

The Romans had a huge impact on Britain and a massive role to play in London’s history! The Romans might have left London a long time ago but they left behind plenty of things that you can still see and explore today. From Roman Bath Houses to famous rocks, we’re going to sniff out all the best Roman places around London in this walk.

What3words – Never get lost again! 

This is the easy way to find one another. When meeting in the park, in large green spaces.. Or indeed anywhere in the world! 

And on a serious note police have urged everyone to download the smartphone app and they say it has already saved several lives…

With the what3words app, it’s easy to find, share and save precise locations. Easily find a what3words address for anywhere in the world We have divided the world into 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words.

Brought to you by The LittleBird Family Pass –  saving families money all year round. To find out how,  click here 

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