10 things my kids want to do over the bank holiday weekend

1. Go to Chessington World of Adventures
In the morning today four-year-old Big Girl spotted a picture of the new The Gruffalo River Ride at Chessington World of Adventures on the Kellogg’s box, and she announced that Chessington is exactly where she wants to go this weekend. She’s been to Chessington several times before, and I think the theme park, which is approximately a 30-minute drive from us, offers a range of varied rides and activities for children. There are fun fair rides, zoo animals to see and even a SEA LIFE centre, which Big Girl has enjoyed visiting when we’ve been. Many of the rides are suitable for young children, and fast track passes can be bought in bundles or for separate rides. Last year we also reviewed the Go Ape family-friendly tree top junior adventure at Chessington, which is located outside the park and can be a good destination on its own or for combining with a day at Chessington World of Adventures.

(Photo: Copyright: © Mikael Buck / Chessington World of Adventures)

2. Paint pottery
With mixed weather on the forecast, pottery painting is another favourite, and Big Girl never seems to tire of decorating money boxes, mugs or other decorations. I like sitting down with the children to paint for an hour or more too, and in the past years I’ve enjoyed collaborating with the welcoming pottery studio Sammy Duder in Battersea. It is recommended to call in advance to book a session

3. Visit Disney Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Harrods
After Big Girl had been to Disney Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Harrods last year, she returned home glowing, dressed in a beautiful Tiana dress, sparkly shoes and with her hair tied up in a bow. I’m not surprised Big Girl would have wanted to return for another magical princess experience, and parents with princess fans should note that Disney Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Harrods will close its Fairytale Castle doors on Thursday 1 June 2017.

4. Decorate biscuits at Biscuiteers
In the sweet Biscuiteers icing cafes on Kensington Park Road in Notting Hill and Northcote Road in Battersea, children can enjoy icing their own delicious biscuits and colour-in a paper bag and biscuit box. We sometimes go to a Biscuiteers because Big Girl loves sitting down decorating her own biscuit for an hour and I like the opportunity to relax with a latte. A treat for all!

5. Visit a farm park
This week Big Girl got to share a video clip with her classmates, showing that she’d gone pony riding over the weekend. I love that there are a number of farm parks around London, and we regularly try to make the most of the charming farms, meeting and feeding farm animals and making the most of the outdoor play areas. Three of our favourite farms parks for day trips from London are listed HERE

6. Play in the Play Base at National Army Museum
I’ve already booked Play Base sessions at the newly reopened National Army Museum twice in the past week, and I continue to like the new indoor play area, as it’s welcoming, varied and it hasn’t felt too crowded even when I’ve been to sessions that have been sold out. In addition to soft play, Play Base features role play areas with a kitchen and cleaning facilities, dressing up vests and lots of food to serve to the troops. There’s also a command liaison vehicle and several phones located in different areas of the play area, so visitors can call each other. There’s also a small section for babies with soft play cubes and a mirror.

7. Go to Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park
It’s not long since we went to Peppa Pig World with Save the Children, so although I don’t have Peppa Pig World on the agenda this long weekend, four-year-old Big Girl keeps asking if we can go back. It took us less than 2 hours to drive to Peppa Pig World from London, so I feel it works as a day trip and if we hadn’t gone over Easter I would have considered it now. Like in many theme parks, queues appeared to build up from 11am and onwards, and some queues in Peppa Pig World looked a tad long for an impatient 22-month-old Baby Boy. I was, however, surprised to see a number of other rides suitable for young children in other parts of Paultons Park, and we took several trips on the Victorian Carousel and the Viking Ships, where there were practically no queues at all and they are located just outside the popular Peppa Pig World area.

8. Visit Hobbledown Farm and Adventure Park
If the weather is decent, I know both children would love running around outside, and I think Hobbledown Farm and Adventure Park, which we’ve reviewed in previous years, has a truly impressive outdoor play area. There’s a marble digging area, jumping pillows, climbing tower, zorbing and the Hobbledown High Ropes Course with zip wire and much more. The children also love seeing the animals at Hobbledown, including the unique Wallaby Walk-Through and the Animal Meet & Greet sessions, and when we visited on a rainy day one year, we spent a very long time in the huge indoor play barn.

9. Eat out
When we had friends over last weekend, four-year-old Big Girl wanted to show our guests Strada on New King’s Road–our weekday early dinner favourite–and we also made it to Colbert and Daylesford Organic for brunches. Big Girl loves eating out, and we regularly meet friends out for weekend brunches. I think No 32 The Old Town in Clapham is great when we meet up with several families since it’s spacious, and for a memorable morning out with the family I love going for a hotel breakfast at Ham Yard Hotel, for example. For a quick cake stop, Peggy Porschen remains a favourite destination and I also love The Teahouse at beautiful Petersham Nurseries (see picture below).

10. Watch Mickey and the Roadster Racers and play at home!
For the weekend, I know the children will also want to have enough time to play at home and in the garden, and probably time to watch the new Mickey and the Roadster Racers, which hit Disney Junior in late April. It’s been really cute to see Big Girl and Baby Boy watching the first episodes of the new Disney Junior show together. The show appears to appeal to both Minnie and Mickey fans, and new episodes will continue to air until Wednesday 3 May. The animated show is a madcap car-racing adventure featuring Mickey Mouse and pals Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Daisy and Donald. The series takes the gang and their unique transforming vehicles on humorous high-spirited races around the globe as well as hometown capers in Hot Dog Hills. When Minnie and Daisy are not busy racing, they run their own successful business as the Happy Helpers, solving problems for anyone in need of a helping hand.