Tips for taking kids to see London art installation BFG Dream Jars

‘Let’s go find another one!’

Four-year-old Big Girl was in her element on Friday despite being outside in heavy downpour. We missed our usual dinner time and came home later than planned, as she had ben so enthusiastic about the summer art installation we had gone to see–the awesome BFG Dream Jars dotted around London and inspired by the release of the BFG film.

I had been invited to collaborate with Persil, which supports the initiative also celebrating the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s birth, and Baby Boy, Big Girl and I had spent the afternoon on the Persil Wild Explorers Trail, one of five suggested trails for seeing some of the BFG Dream Jars, which are on display until Wednesday 31 August.

The dream jars are giant jars with sculptures representing childhood dreams and aspirations of 50 celebrities and they will later be auctioned off to raise funds for Save the Children. The jars, free to see for everyone, are placed around London and the UK, and searching for jars turned out to be the perfect activity for Big Girl.

The Persil Wild Explorer Trail was brilliant for getting us out on a rainy afternoon and it meant it was even more fun than usual to go to an area of London I feel guilty about not taking the kids to more often.

The trail starts in Westminster, where little ones can see Big Ben in the background, and continues into beautiful St James’s Park. Baby Boy and Big Girl were both excited to see the ducks and swans in the pond there, and if the weather had been better we would have spent more time here, stopping for a hot chocolate at Inn the Park and testing the swings at the Buckingham Palace end of the park after seeing the pretty ‘Read’ glass jar, representing HRH The Duchess of Cornwall‘s dream of sharing the magic of books.

The area surrounding Buckingham Palace is buzzing with tourists at this time of year, and searching for the next jar reminded me that the Persil Wild Explorers Trail could also have been combined with visiting The State Rooms or Royal Mews or being outside watching a Changing the Guards ceremony, which takes place at 11.30amdaily or on alternate days, depending on the time of year.

Another of our favourite jars was placed outside the entrance to The Queen’s Gallery-Innocence, HRH The Countess of Wessex’s dream to protect children from dangers they now face via the internet.

The trail then continues up Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch, before explorers can cross the road and head into Hyde Park, passing the beautiful Rose Garden and later walking up to Marble Arch for a final stop – a jar representing Richard Branson’s dream of being airborne.

Going on a jar adventure turned out to be an all-weather activity, getting us outdoors to see not only impressive art installations but also London landmarks I want to share with the kids.

Persil (www.persil.co.uk) has also launched The Persil Wild Explorers App, which has over 100 activities for families, encouraging families to explore the outdoors

Disclaimer: This post is a collaboration wit Persil

Tags: BFG Dream Jar Trail, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Changing the Guards, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Outdoor activities, Persil, Roald Dahl, St James's Park, Summer, Wellington Arch, Westminster