There are tons of great shows to see in London

Here is a small selection that we think are great

The Lion King
Lyceum

Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains and to the evocative rhythms of Africa, Disney’s multi-award winning musical The Lion King will redefine your expectations of theatre.  A spectacular visual feast, this adaptation of Disney’s much-loved film transports audiences to a dazzling world that explodes with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting music. At its heart is the powerful and moving story of Simba – the epic adventure of his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.
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Billy Elliot
Victoria Palace Theatre

Set in the North East, Billy Elliot is a funny, heart-warming and feel-good celebration of one young boy’s dream.  Billy Elliot The Musical nominated for an extraordinary nine Laurence Olivier Awards as it breaks Victoria Palace Box Office records.  The original multi-award winning creative team from the film: director Stephen Daldry, writer Lee Hall and choreographer Peter Darling are joined by music legend, Elton John, the most celebrated UK singer song-writer of the last 30 years, to create the most anticipated musical of the decade.
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Hairspray
Shaftesbury Theatre

Follow Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular dance show. Can this ordinary girl realise her extraordinary dreams, inspire her mum and still have time to win the boy she loves?
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Oliver!
Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Oliver! is one of the most beloved British musicals, vividly bringing to life Dickens’ timeless characters with its ever-popular story of the boy who asked for more.  Award-winning actor and comedian Omid Djalili stars as Fagin, along with Jodie Prenger as Nancy. The sensational score is full of Lionel Bart’s irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I’d Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me and many more.
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Wicked – the hit musical
Appollo Theatre Victoria

Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagined the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students.  Their extraordinary adventures in Oz ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.  Experience this unforgettable, award-winning musical and discover that you’ve not been told the whole story about the land of Oz…
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War Horse
New London Theatre

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. he’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.  The National’s epic is based on War Horse,  the celebrated novel by the Children’s Laureate (2003-05) Michael Morpurgo . Actors working with magnificent, life-sized puppets by the internationally renowned Handspring Puppet Company lead us on a gripping journey through history.
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Sister Act
London Palladium, Argyll Street

When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place cops are sure she won’t be found – a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and an uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community, but in doing so blows her cover. Soon the gang are giving chase, only to find themselves up against Deloris and the power of her new found Sister Hood.  Based on the smash-hit movie, Sister Act features a brand new score by 8 time Oscar winner Alan Menken.
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The Honey Monster reports on new film and DVD releases each week on Fun Kids.  here’s a summary of his suggestions

Bob the Builder – The Best of Bob

• Can we fix it?
• A new collection of 10 Bob the Builder episodes, with five of the ten never-before-seen on DVD, celebrating 10 years of building with the Can-Do Crew!
• Episodes include:

1. Dizzy Goes Camping
2. Mucky Muck
3. Roley’s Apple Press
4. Sumsy and the Beast
5. Off Road Scrambler
6. Trix and the Bug
7. Travis and the Tropical Fruits
8. Ballroom Bob
9. Hamish’s New Home
10. Egg and Spoon

• Buy with Fun Kids

Ice Age 3 – The Dawn of the Dinosaurs

• Manny, Sid, Diego and all the others are back in this third film in the series – Manny and Ellie are having a baby and Sid wants to get in on the act so adopts some baby dinosaurs – but their mummy wants them back, and you don’t argue with a Tyrannosaurus!
• It turns out there’s a whole world of dinosaurs that have been hidden away
• Buy with Fun Kids

Tinkerbell -  The Lost Treasure

• Now fairies are great.
• Not quite hairy enough for me, and a bit on the flimsy side but great anyway.
• In Tinkerbell -  The Lost Treasure, Tinkerbell accidentally gets Pixie Hollow in trouble and has to venture out across the sea on a secret quest to set things right.
• With some help from her friend Terence – and a rascally firefly named Blaze.   Its great if you like Fairies – like I say I’m not the biggest  fan in the world but if you are, you’ll love it.
• Buy with Fun Kids

Chuggington – Wheels to The Rails

• And if like me you’d rather have trains than fairies maybe you’ll like the new Chuggington collection, also out this week on DVD.
• The Great Frostini helps the trainees try for their ice-cream car badges, Zephie is reminded that alarms are for emergencies only and that small engines are useful too!  Plus, Wilson plays nurse to a sick Dunbar and discovers his artistic side, and Koko learns the importance of listening.
• It’s a massive collection of episodes with all the characters.  Wilson’s my favourite, who’s yours?    chooo choooo!
• Buy with Fun Kids

Star Trek

• The brilliant J.J. Abrams’ 2009 feature film is also released on DVD this week
• Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk, a sharp but aimless young man who’s prodded by a Starfleet captain, Christopher Pike to enlist and make a difference.
• At the Academy, Kirk runs afoul of a Vulcan commander named Spock, but their conflict has to take a back seat when Starfleet, including its new ship, the Enterprise, has to answer an emergency call from Vulcan.
• Wow – its a greeaaaat film
• Buy with Fun Kids (DVD)
  
• Buy with Fun Kids (Blu-Ray)
  

Night At the Museum 2 – The Battle for the Smithsonian

• If you loved the film a Night At the Museum you’ll love this sequel out on DVD this week – The Battle for the Smithsonian, rated PG.
• Ben Stiller is the night watchman at a famous museum called the Smithsonian and things aren’t quite as quiet as one might think!
• It’s a really funny film with tons of great effects although if you ask me the original film was funnier.
• If you have little brothers or sisters they might find it a bit scary in places though!
• Buy with Fun Kids

Bird and Third – A Really Squooky Christmas!

• Totally not scary is the latest Bird and Third DVD, A Really Squooky Christmas!
• Stacks of episodes about he cheeky chicks on this one with some special Christmas ones, with lots of Christmassy songs too.
• I love it as it cheers me up, I love Muffin, she’s my favourite.
• Buy with Fun Kids

Roary The Racing Car

• For all racing car fans Roary The Racing Car is back on DVD with a special bumper Christmas edition – neeoow!   Join Roary, Marsha and Big Chris and all the other race track characters for high speed fun.
• Neeeooow!  I’d love a go at racing, looks like Monster fun.  I think Big Chris would have a job squeezing me in the car door though.
• Buy with Fun Kids

Have a right royal time at London’s world-famous landmarks

We all know about England’s famous Kings and Queens of old – but how much do we really know? Maybe its time to revisit the amazing heritage that’s right on our doorstep, and discover tales of pageantry, bravery, love… and perhaps even a little treachery along the way!

Some of the most famous Kings and Queens of England resided in stylish Kensington Palace. With its finery and finesse, it’s quite a spectacle – and its sunken gardens are welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of the city. Bursting with stories, from William and Mary to the death of Princess Di, it’s a fascinating and beautiful place to visit (but just around the corner from one London’s swankiest shopping streets!).

Perhaps even more resplendent, the wonderful, sprawling Hampton Court was the favourite home of one of our most famous – or infamous monarchs, King Henry VIII. The buildings, grounds and its many exhibitions are great to explore, and what’s especially enjoyable is the world famous Hampton Court Maze – it’s a good idea to double check that you’ve got your phone with you before you enter, so you can let people know if you get lost!

At The London Bridge Experience there’s, perhaps surprisingly, much more to do than you’d be forgiven for thinking. In an amazing, interactive recreation of times past, you get to see, hear, taste and even smell what life around London Bridge was like through the ages, and they actively encourage you to join in the fun and have a laugh – so be prepared!

The Yeoman guards who work there are full of terrifying tales about The Tower of London which they’re only too happy to tell you as they show you around this magnificent symbol of London that’s positively dripping with horrible history. The crown jewels may be under armed guard but they’ll happily let you look at them, although, as with the notorious Ravens who also reside there – just don’t try to touch them!

Join Morph and friends and take a journey through animation past, present and future. With lots of models and props to see, including a set from Aardman’s latest Wallace & Gromit animation, A Matter of Loaf and Death, Animate It! is an experience not to be missed.

Become an animator for a day and pick up some useful animation tips from the experts. Style your own characters, create your own storyboard and make your own showreel!

Animate It! is an interactive exhibition within Explore At-Bristol, developed in collaboration with Aardman Animations to give visitors the opportunity to create their own animations.

From creating stories and characters through 2D and 3D animating to the final edit, Animate it! gives everyone the opportunity to release their inner animator.

Entry to Animate It! is free with a ticket to Explore. For directions and opening hours please click here.

For more information
http://www.animateit.org.uk/home/

At-Bristol is one of the UK’s leading science and discovery centres

The hands-on science centre Explore, and its planetarium, offers an amazing world of hands-on discovery – where exploration and education go hand in hand with an unforgettable, fun day out!

At-Bristol develops travelling exhibitions which are available for hire to other venues.

There are also fantastic spaces for unique weddings and private or corporate events.

At-Bristol’s Open Spaces are large public squares offering stunning water features and public artworks on the historic Harbourside. There are many restaurants, cafés and bars nearby, as well as other attractions and the ferry boats. At-Bristol was the catalyst for a £450 million urban rejuvenation of a previously derelict area of Bristol’s city centre.

At-Bristol
Anchor Road
Harbourside
Bristol
BS1 5DB

For more information
www.at-bristol.org.uk

New! Cosmos & Culture: how astronomy has shaped our world
Until 2010
FREE

• This new exhibition traces 400 years of telescope technologies, explores our changing perceptions of our place in the cosmos, and examines the role astronomy has played in our everyday lives.
• Objects on display include Thomas Harriot’s drawings of the Moon, Jupiter’s satellites and sunspots; the telescope William Herschel used to discover Uranus; a detector seeking the mysterious dark matter that makes up most of our Universe; and an amateur telescope made of bean cans, car parts and coat hangers.

Fast Forward: 20 Ways F1™ is changing our world
Until Spring 2010.
FREE

• British teams, engineers and mechanics have shown themselves to be at the forefront of Formula 1™, a world where human skill, passion for innovation and cutting-edge technology are pushed to the extreme.
• ‘Fast Forward: 20 ways that F1™ is changing our world’, is a free exhibition at the Science Museum showing how Formula 1™ technology can be applied to different fields of research and innovation to offer new solutions to our everyday lives.
• Find out how sophisticated composite materials, telemetry systems and rigorous pit-stop strategies devised by British teams are currently applied to improve safety and efficiency in our hospitals, homes and work places.
• Over twenty different by-products of Formula 1™ have been brought together for this exhibition, courtesy of British universities and private companies actively engaged in this field.

Listening Post
Until 2010.
FREE

• Listening Post is a critically acclaimed electronic art work, the result of a collaboration between US artist and composer Ben Rubin and statistician and artist Mark Hansen.
• It is “a visual and sonic response to content and magnitude of online communication…giving form to online ‘noise’”.
• A hanging lattice of over 200 small screens carry a series of carefully orchestrated live data feeds from various online traffic of public chat rooms and message boards.

Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain
Until March 2010.
FREE

• Parents and grandparents can enjoy a nostalgic hour looking back at an era when Britain was at the forefront of technological innovation after World War II.
• Alongside seminal objects of the time, from both the state and in the home, is a collection of Eagle comic artwork and Dan Dare memorabilia reflecting the optimism of the post-war years.

Plasticity – 100 years of making plastics
Until January 2010.
FREE

• The first completely man-made material, Bakelite, was discovered 100 years ago.
• This exhibition looks back at Leo Baekeland’s world-changing discovery and displays just some of the cornucopia of new plastics and products which followed, from nylon stockings to Tupperware and Ekco radios.
• It also looks at some of the amazing plastic materials currently being produced and what the future might hold for plastics as their environmental impact faces increasing scrutiny.

Where do I find out more?
See the Fun Kids review on the Science Museum

Plunge into the abyss at The Deep exhibition opening on 28 May 2010.

Explore a huge variety of bizarre, luminscent underwater creatures, like this scary angler fish, that live deep down in the ocean.

Enter a deep sea world, 11,000 metres down in the ocean, that is less explored than the surface of the moon.

Bizarre specimens, astonishing images and eerie sounds combine with interactive installations and the latest oceanographic discoveries, to reveal a world of extraordinary beauty yet fragile biodiversity.

Times

• To 5 September 2010
• Open 10.00 – 17.50 daily, Monday to Sunday
• Last admission 17.15

Tickets

• Adults £8
• Child £4.50, schoolchild £3.50
• Adult senior £4.50
• Family £22
• Free to Members, Patrons and children aged 3 and under.

For more information:
See the Fun Kids review on the Natural History Museum

Get ready to experience the world of Myths and Monsters at Horniman Museum, as the exhibition looks at weird and wonderful creatures from around the world.

Myths and Monsters exhibition
The Horniman Museum is getting spooked by myths and monsters for 2010 as they attempt to examine the truth behind the legends of famous creatures such as the cyclops, the unicorn and the yeti. Are they all imaginary or is there a grain of truth to their status?

Storytelling from across the world
Sea monsters, giant serpents, dragons, chimeras and giant hairy men are all the stuff of children’s stories or myths from around the world, but where do these legends come from. Examing the ways in which the stories behind the fabulous creaures have developed, Myths and Monsters at Horniman Museum is a thrilling exhibition for children of all ages that love the idea of monsters.

Fact or fiction
As different legends are created in different parts of the world depending on local stories, climate and religious beliefs, monsters are created through human imagination or fear. But what Myths and Monsters at Horniman Museum hopes to unravel is, do any of them actually exist?

Dragons and dinosaurs
Whether your child is obsessed with dinosaurs or has falled head over heels in love with the Gruffalo, the exhibition of Myths and Monsters at Horniman Museum examines the links between mythical dragons and real life dinosaurs. And for those who will be sorely disappointed to learn that most monsters exist only in our heads, you will be thrilled to find out why the yeti might actually be real!

When
13 February to 5 September

Where
Horniman Museum
www.horniman.ac.uk

Price
£2.50-£5.00

Take a look at the ways in which wartime Britain coped with low food supplies and growing their own with the Ministry of Food exhibition at Imperial War Museum London.

Ministry of Food
With the outbreak of war and the introduction of food rationing, the goverment set up the Ministry of Food to ensure that everyone in the country was catered for as well as could be. With slogans such as Dig for Victory, War on Waste and Lending a Hand on the Land, everyone was encouraged to take responsibility for the food on their plates and do their bit to keep the public well fed, and you can see how these ideas were implemented in the Ministry of Food exhibition.

Grow your own
Food rationing lasted for fourteen years and completely changed the face of food in Britain, not to mention creating a healthier diet for many. As food imports from foreign countries were drastically cut, British people had to rely on seasonal and locally grown produce to supply their kitchens. Visitors to the Ministry of Food exhibition are able to see just how the trend for growing your own and sourcing locally began in the 1930s rather than in last few years.

Dig for Victory
Exploring the ways in which food supplied shops, kitchens and canteens came from farms, vegetable gardens and allotments rather than overseas, the exhibition highlights the ways in which people were encouraged to cut their own portion size, grow their own vegetables and share their food with families who had been bombed out of their homes, all in order to make Britain more self sufficient. The Ministry of Food exhibition invites visitors to take a look around a wartime greenhouse, a 1040s grocers shop and a typical kitchen from the era, complete with larder, gas cooker, and plenty of wartime recipes.

Food for all
With the Women’s Land Army and the Farming Holiday Camps helping the farmers and the green-fingered vegetable growers in their gardens and window boxes, the country was able to produce enough to keep supplies going under the duress of war. But preparing it and cooking it in the most efficient way, using up all the ingredients and ensuring there was no waste wasall important. The Ministry of Food was key to implementing guides for housewifes and cooks, in order to increase the number of meals it would provide, and in this exhibition you can see plenty of ways in which this was achieved.

Unusual ingredients
Dried eggs, spam and margarine were all ingredients that became familiar to anyone in the kitchen during the war, and these were just part of the campaign to ration and stretch out food resources to the maximum. Adapting to the new foods was tricky for some, and the Ministry of Food exhibition shows some of the Food Flashes films that instructed cooks on how to create dishes and what to use when. Marguerite Patten, a famous nutritionist from the Ministry of Food, broadcast special films called Kitchen Front that were intended to inspire and educate people, which are also see on show at the exhibition.

Paying tribute
Along with showing just how we won the war on food shortages during the Second World War, the Ministry of Food exhibition also highlights the dangers that were involved in shipping and transporting the food around the country. Thousands were killed in their efforts to help maintain the food supplies to everyone at home, from the 30,000 killed in the Merchant Navy to all the dockers, lorry drivers and bargees who delivered it to shops and houses. Paying tribute to those that lost their lives and who struggled to ensure that Britain didn’t starve, the Imperial War Museum looks at how everyone involved in the process from growing and transporting to cooking and delivering it.

Ministry of Food Exhibition

• 12 February to 3 January 2011
• 10am – 6pm
• £4.95
• Imperial War Museum

Read the Fun Kids review on imperial War Museum

When is a seat not just for sitting on?
When it’s for play, for eating, for learning or even for a quick snooze of course!

Taking the classic children’s tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears as a starting point, major new exhibition Sit Down: Seating for Kids invites the visitor to consider just what makes the perfect seat. Is it comfort? Style? Ease of use?

Spanning four centuries, Sit Down features over 70 examples of seating made for children, ranging from school chairs to armchairs, saddles to swings, highchairs to potties. Designs by Charles Eames and El Ultimo Grito are on display, as well as the Modernist highchair by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld and Spotty, a 1960s paper chair designed by Peter Murdoch.

Ideas around the growing popularity of designer seating specifically for children as well as how and why styles have changed over the centuries are also considered.

Dates
Until 5 September 2010

www.vam.ac.uk

V&A Museum of Childhood
Cambridge Heath Rd, London, E2 9P

Transport Bethnal Green

Telephone – 020 8983 5200/020 8983 5235 (information line)

10am-5.45pm daily

A family-orientated exhibition that uses hands-on and computerised interactive displays and engaging film and footage to demonstrate techniques of shipbuilding, from the ‘age of sail’ to modern prefabrication methods.

The exhibition focuses on the science, engineering and social history of shipbuilding in Great Britain, and the interactive elements of the exhibition will allow children of all ages to get involved and experience this history.

HMS Belfast is unique as the last remaining big-gunned warship to have seen action in the Second World War still moored in European waters.

• Launched in 1938 she served with distinction in the Second World War and was amongst the very first British ships to go into action into the Korean War in 1950. Her service in the War, during which she spent no less than 404 days on active patrol, was as long and arduous as that with the Home Fleet during the Second World War.
• In May 1971, after 32 years service, HMS Belfast was ‘Reduced to Disposal’, in preparation for her sale and destruction by the ship’s breakers. With the encouragement of the Imperial War Museum, an independent trust was formed, led by one of HMS Belfast’s former captains, Rear-Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan-Giles. The trust succeeded in bringing her to London where she opened to visitors on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1971.
• HMS Belfast has been part of the Imperial War Museum since 1978 and is the first ship to be preserved for the nation since Nelson’s Victory. A tour of this huge and complex warship will take you from the Quarterdeck up to the top of her bridge and all the way down through her nine decks to her massive Boiler and Engine Rooms, well below the ship’s waterline.

Find out more
http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk

Nearest Tube:
HMS Belfast is moored on the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge.
Tube: London Bridge or Tower Hill

Opening Times:
1 March – 31 October, 10.00am – 6.00pm – (last admission 5.15pm)
1 November – 28 February, 10.00am – 5.00pm (last admission 4.15pm)

Admission prices:
Adults £12.95
Children (under 16) free – must be accompanied by an adult
Discounted rates available for senior citizens, concessions, students, groups, carers.