LONDON

KIDS ABOUT TOWNFrom musicals to marine life, London offers many amazing experiences for kids.By Beatrice Yeatman-BiggsEquipped with a natural curiosity anda boundless imagination, childrencan find fun in most things – butsometimes it’s necessary to bringthose opportunities to them. Londonis a fascinating city and the potentialto inspire young people is limitless.The girls among you mayremember scouring your parents’garden for rose petals, in orderto make ‘perfume’ (much to theirdismay). The Geffrye Museum’sLotions And Potions workshop(p. 62) gives children the opportunityto create their very own range ofpampering products, using flowersand plants from the herb garden(pictured). HMS Belfast (p. 32) alsooffer many fun activities for kids.When it comes to surreal sights,you can’t get much more fantasticalthan a restaurant in a rainforest. TheRainforest Cafe (pictured) is situatedin a leafy green jungle, with exoticanimals perched on creeping tendrilsand nestled among giant leaves forcompany. Fun, themed dishes includeLeaping Lizard Mezze and VolcanicChilli Con Carne (p. 90).As if this wasn’t adventurousenough, kids can travel back 65million years to be among prehistoricbeasts at Walking With Dinosaurs(refer to p. 76 for review). Duringthis show you will witness arange of lifelike dinosaurs as theywander around the stage, while apaleontologist narrator talks youthrough their characteristics.Inject some true magic into yourvisit with a trip to the Warner Bros.Studio Tour London, where youwill be guided round the worldfamousHarry Potter movie set.Explore behind the scenes, and seecostumes and props, during thisunique tour (p. 30).For yet another thrillingadventure, make a trip to the SeaLife London Aquarium (pictured),where you can see thousands ofsea creatures, explore the SharkReef Encounter and even interactwith some of the animals (p. 32).From in the water to on thewater – the RIB Tours Londonwill give you an adrenaline-fuelledexperience as you zip along theRiver Thames enjoying London’ssites and listening to the musingsof a humorous guide (p. 41).Who doesn’t love the mischievous,magical, and sometimes menacingbooks of Roald Dahl? Matilda TheMusical is a spellbinding adaptationabout a young genius weighed downby her disobliging family, who findsshe has magic powers that can rightall the wrongs around her. A highlytalented cast and clever stage effectsmake this a must-see show (p. 76).Based on the popular 1994Disney film, The Lion King, withits brightly coloured costumes,captivating music, and effects, willtransport adults and children alike,to the glorious animal kingdom ofAfrica (p. 76).SNORKELLING PHOTO © SEA LIFE LONDON AQUARIUM; HERB GARDEN IMAGE © THE GEFFRYE, MUSEUM OF THE HOME; KIDS AT BAR IMAGE© RAINFOREST CAFE; RSC’S PRODUCTION OF MATILDA THE MUSICAL © MANUEL HARLAN22 | visitlondon.com|LONDON PLANNER|May 2013