Actual real life events are taking place once again and museums are still re-opening. So if you\u2019re up for getting out and about, here\u2019s our pick of the best things to do in and around London; from the reopening of Fairy Tales at Discover to the return of Backyard Cinema’s Winter Night Garden, exploring the London Mural Festival to experiencing Cloudscapes in a meadow plus you can now watch films on water.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check out our previous blog on what opened and when From theme parks, cinemas, museums and attractions. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n And there\u2019s lots of virtual fun to be had; watch the Unicorn Theatre’s theatrical reading of Roald Dahl’s The Twits, catch R\u00e9versible by Les 7 Doigot performed virtually, all the way from Montreal, Canada, imagine the future with the House of Illustration and visit a digital exhibition plus learn how to make your own lava lamp – there\u2019s lots to do, see and have fun with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you find it useful, please do share this and sign up to the newsletter. We\u2019ll be sending these out every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n OUR TOP PICKS OF THINGS TO DO<\/strong> Aimed at 0 – 8 year olds, the exhibition sessions last 30 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Book your exhibition tickets here<\/a> The weekends within the festival will celebrate creative communities across the city, whilst introducing a new way for people to experience one of the world\u2019s biggest art movements.\u00a0 Watch your favourite film on the UK\u2019s biggest ever riverside screen, with sound streaming straight to your boat or deck chair, there is plenty of H\u00e4agen-Dazs ice cream to go round too.\u00a0 Host a Picnic for Polka at your home, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th September @ 1pm\u00a0<\/strong><\/a> Nicola Davies \u2013 My Butterfly Bouquet, Sunday 6th September @ 11am<\/a> Aimed at ages 5 – 7, find out more click here\u00a0<\/a> Make your own lava lamp with Glasgow Science Festival,\u00a0 Wednesday 9th September @ 4.30pm<\/a> Prepping Roald Dahl Story Day, Sunday 13th September\u00a0<\/strong><\/a> There\u2019s lots going on between now and the big day so keep checking in to find out more about competitions, quizzes and much, much more.\u00a0 TED-Ed Animations are short, animated videos about ideas that spark the curiosity of learners everywhere. These videos, paired with questions and resources, make TED-Ed Lessons.\u00a0 Discover the world and explore new countries with Paddington and see how other children live. Sign up for an \u00a38 monthly donation and Paddington will send a personalised postcard every month along with fun, educational activities helping your child to explore different countries with Paddington each month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unicef receives 100% of subscription. Perfect for children aged 6-10. Aimed at ages 5 – 12. Find out more here<\/a> Twists and Tails – the Story of Angelina Ballerina, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tiger, Mog and Pink Rabbit – A Judith Kerr Retrospective and Mystery<\/p>\n\n\n\n Magic and Midnight Feasts – The Many Adventures of Enid Blyton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To start exploring the exhibitions, click here<\/a>\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Actual real life events are taking place once again and museums are still re-opening. So if you\u2019re up for getting out and about, here\u2019s our pick of the best things to do in and around London; from the reopening of Fairy Tales at Discover to the return of Backyard Cinema’s Winter Night Garden, exploring the … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":7842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2672,12,13,799],"class_list":["post-7841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-family","tag-kids","tag-littlebird","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7843,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7841\/revisions\/7843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Fairy Tales at Discover, reopens 4th September\u00a0<\/a>
Step into a fairy tale town and through into the woods to discover a world of giants, palaces, gingerbread houses and treasure caves.Numbers in each session will be very limited so there is plenty of space for everyone to play and explore our magical Fairy Tale world.\u00a0
Trip trap over a bridge (but watch out for the troll!), join in the palace disco with the musicians of Bremen, sit in a giant\u2019s footprint, help Jack win some magic beans and stop by Grandma\u2019s caravan (why is her face so furry\u2026?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find out more about visiting Discover, safety measures and booking tickets, click here<\/a>\u00a0
Backyard Cinema The Winter Night Garden, opens 4th September\u00a0<\/a>
Backyard Cinema\u2019s Winter Night Garden is back. With a reduced capacity and social distanced seating, get ready to experience a new adventure as you enter a secret tunnel of trees that leads you to a beautiful, indoor enchanted forest and rediscover your favourite films.\u00a0
To find out more and when the Snow Kingdom opens, click here\u00a0<\/a>
Cloudscapes, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th September, 2pm, 3.30pm & 5pm<\/a>
Part of the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival (running until 12th September), experience Cloudscapes.\u00a0 Lie back and relax as cloud enthusiast Lorna Rees invites you to contemplate the troposphere. Her dreamy commentary on the passing skies will allow you to appreciate the temporary \u2018galleries\u2019 created by clouds. Visit the Cloud Museum afterwards to learn more about cloud-gazing and climate change.\u00a0
To find out more and book your ticket, click here<\/a>
To find out more about the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, what\u2019s on and when, click here<\/a>\u00a0
London Mural Festival, throughout September\u00a0<\/a>
London Mural Festival will feature over 100 international and local artists painting suburban houses to city centres and cultural hubs. Artists including Camille Walala will create murals at more than 50 locations including Wembley Park, King\u2019s Cross, Holborn, Crystal Palace, Canary Wharf, the City, Camden, Hackney Wick and Tottenham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find out more, click here\u00a0<\/a>
OpenAire Float-In cinema by H\u00e4agen-Dazs, until 27th September\u00a0<\/a>
Take the helm and skipper your crew through London’s historic canals before mooring up to enjoy a cinematic experience on water.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find out more, click here<\/a>\u00a0
OUR VIRTUAL TOP PICKS<\/strong>
R\u00e9versible by Les 7 Doigots,\u00a0 Friday 4th September @ 7pm<\/a>
Part of the Freedom Festival (4th – 6th September),\u00a0 catch R\u00e9versible by Les 7 Doigot performed virtually, all the way from Montreal, Canada.\u00a0 Be prepared for the best in contemporary circus. Through a unique, riveting mix of theatre, circus, dance, music and acrobatics, R\u00e9versible is dedicated to a generation who forged the world that we live in today and whose stories might hold the key to a better tomorrow. Our elders lived in a simpler era, when time moved at a less rapid pace. This time in history inspired poetry, imagination, passion and staggering virtuosity. To find out more about the show and their Sunday performance S\u00e9quence 8, click here<\/a>
To find out more about the Freedom Festival, Luke Jerram\u2019s first artwork made specifically for young children, Lullaby<\/a> taking place each evening of the festival and more click here<\/a>
Roald Dahl\u2019s The Twits Online with the Unicorn Theatre, Saturday 5th September @10am<\/a>
Enjoy this new theatrical reading of one of Roald Dahl’s best-loved books about a most despicable couple, The Twits, the clever Muggle-Wump and the magnificent Roly-Poly Bird. This unabridged reading, filmed in the Unicorn theatre, is gleeful, gunge-filled digital storytelling.\u00a0
Imagine the worst people you can think of, can you do that? Good. Then you\u2019re just about ready to meet Mr and Mrs Twit, the nastiest couple you could ever hope (not) to meet.
Aimed at ages 6 – 12, the story is split up across three 20-minute episodes, but will be released all at once so that you can enjoy them whenever, and wherever, you want, available until 30th November.\u00a0 Watch it on the Unicorn\u2019s YouTube Channel here<\/a>
Play-Along Plink and Boo, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th September @ 10am<\/strong><\/a>
Part of the Freedom Festival (4th – 6th September), explore a world of colour, interactivity and adventure. The topsy turvy world of Plink and Boo uses acrobatics, music and mountains of toys, to create interactive filmed circus theatre adventure, exploring what happens when people don\u2019t fit into boxes.\u00a0
Play-Along Plink and Boo is free but requires advance booking. To find out more and how to prep before watching the performance so that you can interact and play along from the comfort of your own home, click here<\/a>
To find out more about the Freedom Festival, Luke Jerram\u2019s first artwork made specifically for young children, Lullaby<\/a> taking place each evening of the festival and more click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Help raise funds for Polka Theatre by inviting your friends, neighbours or family together for a special picnic. Create your own Polka Picnic with a fundraising pack full of recipes, games and get access to a live-streamed gig, click here <\/a>to sign up.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
A River Runs Through It, finishes Sunday 6th September at 8pm<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>
Part of the Totally Thames Festival that runs throughout September, enjoy a virtual exhibition celebrating London\u2019s intoxicating mix of vibrant colours, stunning architecture, the beauty of the Thames, its bustling streets, and the non-stop buffet of cultural events. This year A River Runs Through It is proud to present an exciting online blend of art in a unique virtual exhibition, intriguing podcasts and films about our favourite London gems, interviews with remarkable London heroes, and an emotional tribute to London in lockdown. To catch it before it finishes, click here<\/a>
Totally Thames is an annual season of unique, diverse and accessible arts and culture throughout the month of September with activity taking place on, beneath, and along the River Thames. The Festival runs until 30th September, to find out what\u2019s on and when click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of the Borders Book Festival (running until 27th September), join author Nicola Davies to hear how one little girl in need of a lot of cheering met a whole bouquet of butterflies. Nicola will explore all the stages of a butterfly\u2019s life, tell you how very important they are to our ecosystems and explain how easy it is to invite butterflies into your garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Family friendly events happen every Sunday at 11am throughout the festival, click here<\/a> to find out more.\u00a0
Otters and Orcas, Puffins and Skuas, live from Orkney\u2019s Coast, Monday 7th September @ 7.30pm<\/a>
Part of the International Orkney Science Festival<\/a>, join award-winning wildlife cameraman and photographer Raymond Besant as he takes you on a tour of Orkney\u2019s coast, from cliffs and geos to sandy beaches, and the varied birds and mammals who live and feed there in a world of wild weather, orcas, otters, seabirds and seaweed.
You can watch this free event from here<\/a>, or if you\u2019d like to join questions and discussion, you can also go direct to it in the Science Festival\u2019s YouTube channel here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Celebrate science from the comfort of your own sofa this autumn. Join Glasgow Science Festival\u00a0 digital programme (9th September – 9th November) with hands-on activities, talks, shows and more. The festival kicks things off with the Glasgow Science Centre team at home. Take part in 5 days and 5 science shows with Wednesday\u2019s experiment\u00a0 showing you how to make your own lava lamp. Join via the festival\u2019s facebook page.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Find out more here <\/a>and what’s going throughout the festival here<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Roald Dahl Story Day next weekend, don\u2019t miss getting your hands on the official Party Pack for 2020. Packed full of ideas to help you celebrate, you can download the pack here<\/a> plus there\u2019s a pack for Titchy Toddlers you can download here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep up to date here<\/a>
The Virtual Big Dog Walk, until 30th September\u00a0<\/a>
Taking place throughout September, join in the Virtual Big Dog Walk \u2013 the World Big Dog Walk Challenge aiming to support dog-related charities. Dog walkers from all over the world will complete their walks independently, choosing to walk wherever and with whomever they like.\u00a0
Find out more here<\/a>
ONLINE ANYTIME\u00a0<\/strong>
TEDEd<\/strong><\/a>
TED-Ed is TED\u2019s youth and education initiative with a mission to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a section for parents<\/a> as well as students. Click here<\/a> to find out if the ocean can run out of oxygen, how our brains process speech and what makes volcanoes erupt, plus find out more about Earth School here<\/a>
Unicef\u2019s Paddington Postcards<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0
Imaging the future<\/a>
From the House of Illustration<\/a>, enjoy these free downloadable family activities Imagining the Future. Design your own future home, the clothes that people might wear in the future or the community and neighbourhood they might live in.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seven Stories Online Exhibitions\u00a0<\/a>
Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, have digitised three of their exhibitions so that families can enjoy the stunning artwork, interesting facts and carefully curated exhibitions from anywhere in the world;\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RSC Shakespeare\u2019s Learning Zone<\/a>
The RSC Shakespeare Learning Zone offers loads of information about Shakespeare\u2019s plays. You\u2019ll find key facts, key scenes, pictures from past productions, videos of actors and directors working on and performing the plays AND find out about all the main characters and how they relate to each other. A great resource for those studying the bard. Choose a play and get going here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n