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For Tiny Londoners & Their Adults

Bablands is a resource for Londoners who find themselves with a small creature to dress up and entertain. Part-magazine, part-guide, Bablands follows the adventures of Babu and Roro as they seek out London’s coolest kids’ shops, best child-friendly hangouts and activities that won’t make mummy want to gauge her eyes out with a weaning spoon.

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It’s Babvent Day 4 and today I’m thrilled to be teaming up with @somersethouse to give away four tickets to their Skate at Somerset House with Möet & Chandon event ⛸
AD. Want to share your Christmas list with Santa but don't fancy paying through the nose for the pleasure? @livat.hammersmith has just landed itself a brand new grotto with a stylish Scandi twist (that's right, it's a GrottA). It comes complete with balloon-animal-sculpting elves, a free gift for every child and what I’m convinced is the *actual* Santa. The best bit? It's totally free to visit, with no need for timed slots or scrolling desperately through your spam folder for your tickets. Just rock up and demand that pony, and don't take no for an answer 🐴
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@thegingerbreadcity from @museumofarchitecture opens tomorrow. This year the exhibition is themed around climate and split into five climate islands: polar, continental, temperate, dry and tropical. I could have spent ages examining the hundreds of tiny, intricate biscuity buildings, but Babu, Roro and Lily had other ideas and we probably only spent about 20 minutes in the actual exhibition (they recommended 30-45) and then maybe 45 minutes in the workshop space making our gingerbread house (recommended time 1-1.5 hours). This lot don’t hang around 😂 Tickets cost £15 for over-12s and £10 for under-12s, then the workshop is £50 for one adult and one child on top of that 💸 I’ve got to be honest (which I realise doesn’t always make me very popular), £150 for an activity that lasts a maximum of two hours is crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I love this exhibition and feel extremely lucky to be invited each year, but if I wasn’t then we wouldn’t be going because I don’t have that kind of money (does anyone?!). I definitely think they should allow one house per family rather than one adult and one child - because really who wants more than one gingerbread house sitting on their kitchen counter? - and given that the workshop is fairly self-explanatory, £50 seems like A LOT. I mean, I saw a kit in Aldi the other day for £7. I know that’s not the point and maybe Aldi shoppers aren’t the target market here - it is in Knightsbridge, after all - but yeah, there’s my 50 cents (which tbh is more my kind of budget lolz). On until the 3rd of January.
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@fujifilmuk House of Photography’s Arctic Adventure is so tiny you could barely call it an occurrence, let alone an adventure, but it’s cute anyway, with a series of scenes to explore and take photos in. We were literally in there for 10 minutes and the majority of that was spent sliding down these giant yeti feet, but since we literally walked past on the way to the Transport Museum it was definitely worth a look.
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We’ve been to pretty much every @nowgalleryse10 exhibition since 2017, but I don’t recall any of them being as big a hit with either of my kids as @babbym ‘s Ribbons was with Roma today. Ribbons’ central structure is a floor-to-ceiling den made from coloured ribbons that have been knitted together. Inside the den, which is reminiscent of a huge woolly jumper, visitors can relax on a specially made carpet and watch three TV screens showing films in which Bovan wears his creations. The best bit is that Ribbons is a participatory installation, which means not only was Roma allowed to touch it, but she got to add to it too 🙌 In the corner there’s a ribbon dispenser where you can cut as much ribbon in as many different colours as you like, then weave, plait or knot it into the existing structures in the space. We were there for 90 minutes and only left because I needed to eat something, but she was so happy in her house 🏡 When we arrived she’d just had a huge meltdown on the tube and I was really stressed, but the knotting was so lovely and therapeutic. Note to self: buy ribbons, knit den 🧶⛺️
First annual Santa visit done (I’ve told them that the ones we visit are the real Santa’s mates or it just gets weird). God bless free Santas in a sea of £50 ones 🥴 The Zoo and Hamley’s ones are lovely and everything but Christmas is extortionate enough without having to pay through the nose to talk to a strange man in a polyester suit, amiright? To be fair the Transport Museum isn’t free to visit, but adult tickets last for a whole year (mine was still valid), kids go free and you don’t need to book timed entry slots anymore, so we just walked straight in. Santa will be at the Winter Wonderland every day from now until Christmas (check the website for timings) and you don’t have to book, though you might have to queue at busier times. Oh, and you get a badge 🎅
I’m mad stressed at the moment so I couldn’t believe my luck when @sharkyandgeorgeevents invited the girls to their kids’ club at @oldspitalfieldsmarket last weekend. I wasn’t keen on leaving either of them with people they didn’t know well when they were very little, but I’m a lot happier about it these days, especially since I find this particular age combination pretty tough going at the best of times 🙃 Babu was a bit nervous when we got there but they both settled in pretty quickly when they realised how much more fun they were going to have with these guys than with stresshead Mummy. I felt a million times better at collection than at drop off having taken three heavenly hours for myself (tbf I just sat in a cafe doing some work, but still), and they’d had the best time making snow globes, writing Christmas lists and turning each other into snowmen with bog roll ⛄️ Thanks for - at least temporarily - saving my sanity @sharkyandgeorgeevents 🙌
20 awesome things to do with your little Londoners in December is now live, packed with the very best things - free and paid, Christmassy and not so Christmassy - happening in the capital next month. Looking for the grottoes, light shows, ice rinks etc.? They have their own ever-growing festive post (currently with 40 activities), and links to both are in my bio. Enjoy!
Have you been to Lucy Sparrow AKA @sewyoursoul ‘s Felt ‘R’ Us Christmas pop up at @brunswicklondon yet? If not, why not?! It’s Lucy’s biggest store yet, featuring some of her greatest felty hits, including items from the Bourdon Street Chemist at @lyndsey_ingram and installations such as The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Lunch from Buckingham Palace, felt operating theatre Triple Art Bypass from Context Art Fair in Miami and the police car from The Billion Dollar Robbery at Saatchi, as well as some very well decorated Christmas trees. Speaking of which, tree decorations are £10 each and they’re so cute it’s faintly ridiculous. You can visit Felt ‘R’ Us and get your decs and gifts right up until the 24th of December, and go and see Lucy’s felt Christmas tree for @meatgram round the corner while you’re there. Free to visit, no need to book (but take your wallet because I guarantee you’ll want to buy something).
Seven Romas and seven Lilys 🥲 I’d seen a few photos from @twist_museum before we went and was fully expecting a Selfie Factory-type setup. While it is obviously designed to be Instagrammed and TikToked to death, it does have a bit more of an exhibition feel, with explanations for each piece or room and more of a structured layout. That said, it’s very much an experience rather than a ‘museum’. Tickets start at £19.50 for adults and £18.50 for ages 3+ which is frankly insane for what it is, and massively prohibitive for families (for comparison, Camera Obscura in Edinburgh is five times bigger and the same price, only it’s free for under-5s). While I’d definitely revisit exhibitions like Frameless (which can also presumably be updated since it’s essentially a bunch of screens), once you’ve done this one you’ve kind of done it, and I did wonder about its longevity and how they’d refresh this when it gets tired since the optical illusion theme is fairly limited. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really great bits. We loved the Ames room and the bit that makes you look like you’re swimming with dolphins, and I think overall the girls really enjoyed it when they weren’t trying to kill each other, but still, £40 for an hour’s entertainment is nuts.
We’re on a train on the way back from @lightopiafestival and Babu just told me that it has been “jokes”, so I’ll take that. We’ve been to a few light shows now and this one definitely feels like the big one. It’s dominated by big lantern sculptures like this one, but I was particularly impressed by the projected display over the water (I’m going to post a reel when I get round to it 🙃), and the floodlighting around the dinosaurs is always beautiful. Tickets start from £19.50 for adults and 0-2s go free.
Big Torvill and Dean energy at SKATE @somersethouse yesterday. Always feel really lucky to be invited to London’s prettiest rink, even if ice skating scares the shit out of me (I did skate! I promise 🙃). SKATE officially opens this Wednesday the 16th. Ticket prices are date-dependent. Kids are welcome and skating aids are available at no extra cost for kids ages 8 and under. Skates are available from a kid’s size 6 upwards. A 10% discount will be applied at the checkout for family groups.
Heading out to Brentford after a long week did not feel like the one at 5pm last night, but @enchantedsyon was well worth the trek (even if we didn’t get back until after 10 🥲). Arranged around Syon Park lake, this, the OG of Christmas light trails, is is long enough that it feels like a meaty family activity but not so long that the kids get bored and knackered. There were lots of effects we hadn’t seen on other trails, from quirky illuminated dioramas to coloured smoke machines - and even an indoor light show set to the Riverdance theme, which made us all weirdly joyful 😂 Enchanted Woodland is only on for the next three weekends - Friday to Sunday - ending on the 27th, so get your skates on if you fancy it. Tickets cost from £10 for adults and £7.50 for kids. Reel incoming.
If you only do one thing this week, get yourself over to Archway and check out the latest group show from the geniuses at @badartpresents - Touch Me Baby. This hotly awaited exhibition has got it all: a swing, boob beanbags, a bum fountain, endless squishy things and - the best bit - it’s all totally touchable, sticking two fingers up to the last two and a half years of mask-wearing, hand-sanitising, social-distancing misery. There’s no need to book but be quick - it’s only on until Sunday.
Serving Mitchell Brother realness at the opening of Club Curling at @coaldropsyard yesterday. Now I’ll admit I’m crap at literally all sports, but curling is HARD 🥌 The vibe is similar to bowling, only curling stones are heavier than bowling balls and you’re going for a sliding rather than throwing action. Needless to say it’s not the one for three year olds (apparently I learnt nothing from last year’s attempt), but under-12s do go free so provided you don’t take it too seriously you can still have a game of sorts. Personally I’d stick it on the date-night list, especially since there’s a rink-side bar serving sugar-rimmed hot toddies and mulled wines, as well as boozy hot chocolates. Also check out the stewards’ outfits this year - they’re pink and marshmallowy and amazing. Adult tickets are £7 each and you can book via the Kings Cross website (they do accept walk-ups too). On until the 26th of February.

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