Lambeth - What's on for the family - October 27th-28th 2012

Earlier this week I was thinking that I didn't have much to write about; everywhere is all half term, half term and Halloween with not much cheap or free stuff earmarked for the weekend and then, ker-plunk!, it all landed down. Lots to do and see, so here goes!

SATURDAY (27th October)

Let start local and the visit the lovely Brockwell Park Greenhouses which will be participating in the Big Draw this week. So on Saturday, pop up there, taking buses 3, 37, 68, 196 or 322 to Brockwell Park, march up the hill and have a go at drawing the plants and structures. This years theme is 'In Lines' and artworks will go up along the brand new vertical fencing. This takes place between 10:30am and 12:30.pm. Donations welcome.

And later on, for the cost of £5 a child, there is play dough session including tips of how to make your own using vegetable dyes and incorporating natural materials! Booking essential. Phone 07427 685714. The session takes place between 2pm to 4pm.

If you want more of a spectacle than Brixton Bolt should be more your cup of tea. This is the chance to see who is Brixton's fastest man, woman and child! All future Olympian sprinters get to it! The first race takes place on Popes Road at 11am. The market on Station road will be supporting this little venture! Come out and watch the action! Buses through Brixton include P4, P5, 188, 196, 59, 159, 3, 133, 333, 45, 345, and 37.

If you are happy to travel further afield hop on the 133 or 35 up to London Bridge and visit the Old Operating Theatre and museum at 9a St Thomas Street, SE1. This Saturday, it's open for free. Surgical demonstrations will take place on the hour, every hour. I'm not sure this is a buggy friendly space so might be worth giving them a ring on tel: 0207 188 2679. Also worth booking your visit as I expect lots of people will be popping in to see it!

An alternative trip out of Lambeth could take you to Somerset House located on the 59 bus route. Between 2pm and 4pm in the West Wing, there will be a chance to cut and paste things. Make a scary mask or a witches hat or a wand. All welcome to join in the gluey fun!

SUNDAY (28th October)

 

Back to staying local, pop over to Myatts Fields Park for a Halloween Event. Between 2pm and 4pm, there will be African drumming, a children's fancy dress event and spooky cakes at the Little Cat Cafe. Fancy dress prizes are awarded for the best costume: 5 and under; 12 and under; and anyone else; judging  is from 3pm to 3.20pm.

Shock at mummy's cake eating habits at the Little Cat Cafe

Myatts Fields Park is located on Cormont Road( SE5 9RA). Buses 36, 185 and 436 to Camberwell New Road, Buses 3, 59, 159  and 133 along the Brixton road. It's a ten minute walk from there.

Another local Halloween event is at the Brixton Windmill in Windmill Gardens. It's another opportunity to turn the children into scary monsters with a fancy dress procession at 3pm. There will be tales of a haunted mill, pumpkin carving and spooky games. The event is £2 per child. Sounds like lots of fun and action! To get there, travel up the hill on buses 159, 109, 133, 45 and 333.

And finally pop along to the Tate Modern for a family event in the Tanks. From 11pm til 5pm, visitors of all ages are encouraged to "explore moving image through interventions, projections and the live creation of 16mm film works with moving image collective, no.w.here, artist Anna Lucas and live publishing collective CATALOG". Sounds curious! Whose going?!  Local blog A baby on board has recently written a post on her visit to the Tate - check it out here!

To get to Bankside for the Tate Moden you can catch the bus 45 which passes through Brixton and  stops at Blackfriars Bridge Road. Alternatively, there is always the tube to Southwark.
 
So peoples, have a lovely weekend. Fingers crossed for good weather!

Lambeth - What's on for the family - October 13th-14th 2012

We've been lucky with the weather as the sun is still striking out and blessing us with it's rays! So what mini adventures can be had this weekend then?

SATURDAY (13th October)

As mentioned last week, this month is the Big Draw event - a celebration of drawing with lots of  happenings across the country (and in a space near you!). Last weekend the Brixton Windmill and Brixton Library hosted  a selection of art activities.

The library event is repeated this weekend on Saturday between 2pm and 4pm. There will be drawing and reading based upon the theme of children in Victorian Times. Open to all of the family and easy to get to; buses running through Brixton including the 3, 2, 195, 415, 133, 59, 159, 37 and 345.

The Big Draw is also on at Myatts Field Park this Saturday. Between 1pm to 5pm, there is an opportunity to have a go at drawing in workshops located around the bandstand. There is also a chance to hear the  London City Reggae Choir perform.

Bandstand and Little Cat Cafe at Myatts Fields Park

Myatts Fields is located on Cormont Road( SE5 9RA). Buses 36, 185 and 436 to Camberwell New Road, Buses 3, 59, 159  and 133 along the Brixton road. It's a ten minute walk from there.

And from drawing by hand to a bit of computer fun and photoshop technology, we can head to the British Museum (using the wonderful 59 bus) to play with the Green screen time machine, a family activity where you can place an image of yourself with museum objects. Fun for kids who know what's going on and parents who want to do comedy pics with unaware little ones!

The screen is located in the Samsung Centre and is open from 11:30am to 3:30pm. It's free but limited spaces. Otherwise the rest of the museum is always amazing to have a look around!

SUNDAY (14th October)

From a big museum to a little museum, pop into the Cuming Museum on Walworth Road. It contains the collections of the Cuming family and a room of local history information, very much designed with children in mind. There is also an exhibition about Charles Dickens on until Saturday 24th November. To get to the museum, you can catch a 35 or 45 along the Walworth Road or go to Elephant and Castle on the 133, 155 or 415 and it's a short walk from there.

The FREE button pressing exhibition in East Dulwich is back again with a second round of  Cabaret Mechanical Theatre automata! Hop on the 37 bus from Brixton to East Dulwich (catch this bus on Acre Lane opposite the Town hall) to visit the exhibition at Space Station 65, located off Lordship Lane at 65 Northcross Street. Exhibition is on til 6th Jan 2013 and opens Thursday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm.

Boo-boo wondered whether it was in a plastic case to stop her from chewing it.

 
And if this automata has whetted your appetite for robots, then head to the Southbank to see Six Robots named Paul, a Merge Festival exhibit in which six robots draw a portrait of a sitter. As I understand it, you can book to be drawn by the robots and these pictures become part of an exhibition. How cool is that! Well, not sure how much small children will like the piece but it would certainly be curious to them for a while (five? ten? fifteen minutes? And then use bribery for a longer session.)

This exhibit is located at NEO Bankside, Pavillon A, 50 Holland Street, SE1 9FU (behind the Tate Modern) and is open Wednesday to Sunday, 12 to 7pm. Last day of the exhibition is October 21st. To get to Bankside on bus, the 45 which passes through Brixton stops at Blackfriars Bridge Road. Alternatively, there is always the tube to Southwark.

Not interested in robots but want to see something real, then head down to the Battersea Dogs and Cats home to go on a tour of the building! Yay for persuading mummy and daddy you need a pussy cat! Tours are on Saturday and Sunday at 11am or 3:20pm (Sunday) 4:20pm(Saturday). Donation entry price of £2. The home is located at 4 Battersea Park Road, SW8 4AA and can be reached by taking the P5 to Ascalon Street. Get off here and walk up Savona Street to get onto Battersea Park Road- you should come out opposite the Power Station.

Well, there's a weekend of robots, drawing, dogs and cats and in the immortal words of Looney tunes, "That's all folks!"

 

Lambeth - What's on for the family - October 6th-7th 2012

The heating has been put on at home, an extra blanket on the bed and the search is on for a good winter coat for baby Boo-boo. So I was hoping for a few events indoors however it looks like we will be getting out hats, gloves and scarves because this weekend's offerings are outdoors!

So lets take a look.

SATURDAY (6th October)

Now it's all gone a bit arty this weekend as it is the Lambeth Open, an opportunity to poke one's nose into the studios of the local art community. Unfortunately it's not necessarily a child friendly event though if you have a baby in a sling, I'm sure this event is accessible to you. Anyway, I thought I'd put it out there for those who want to brave it! Let us know how it goes.

Neighboring borough Wandsworth also have a similar event with their Wandsworth Artist Open House. They have a couple of arty trails mapped out in Battersea and Balham/Tooting area so fairly easy for Lambeth folks to get to!  Again probably not on for those with toddlers who might run riot around valuable art works!

However these events also coincide with the Big Draw. YAY! say the parents, because this has some things that children of all ages can get involved with!

First up, the Brixton Windmill is holding a Big Draw event. Travel up the hill on buses 159, 109, 133, 45 and 333 to Windmill Gardens and get involved in their Flour Power event from 1pm to 4pm. This involves helping create a large participatory Rangoli drawing, "a traditional folk art from India, involves creating large designs on the floor using bright colourful materials such as flour, seeds and pulses". There will also be chalks around so kids can chalk the paths with pictures and patterns. There will be tea, coffee and cake available and the gardens has a kids playground so this makes a good opportunity to let the children have some fun and mum and dad eat cake!

If that doesn't do it for you, make sure you factor in some time to pop down to Brixton Library where they also have a Big Draw event from 2pm to 4pm. This will be a reading and art workshop based around the theme of children in Victorian times. Open to all of the family and a great chance to do something and stay very local. Lots of buses run through Brixton including the 3, 2, 195, 415, 133, 59, 159, 37 and 345.

Now I reckon some of you don't mind a bus ride into central London so just to let you know the Big Draw is also on at the National Gallery which is only a bus ride away being served by the 159 and no. 3. This event is on between 11am to 3pm in room 9 and consists of working on a collaborative art installation, drawing the pics in the gallery with different materials and learning new skills. The event is repeated on Sunday.

So we've finished indoors for today. But we're off outdoors again tomorrow!

SUNDAY (7th October)

Coats still on? Couldn't let you get to comfortable! We are off to visit the West Norwood Feast, a selection of markets selling local items whether that be printed illustrations, hand made jewellery to home grown veg and cooked on the spot burgers and burritos! Yummy! We certainly enjoyed it last month. There seems to be a hub of activity around St Luke's church where the hot food is served and where the children can go mental in their own little area. It really has provided a children friendly space! The feast runs from 10am til 4pm every first Sunday. Buses into the area are the 2, 68, 432, 196 and 322.

Boo-boo enjoys eating outdoors at the West Norwood Feast!

Heading from deep south Lambeth into North Lambeth, we can take a moment and try a  bit of gardening with the Elefest Mobile Gardeners on Wansey Street and be part of creating a jigsaw pavement mural, help plant a sofa (?!) or adopt a box for seed planting.This event runs from 12pm to 5pm and is located on Wansey Street which is just around the corner from the Cuming Museum. Local buses to the Elephant are the 133, 415, 155, 35 and 45.

Whilst we are at the Elephant we can either make a choice to head to Camberwell or the South Bank. Now what's on where? Well, one for buggy parents is the free Camberwell Radical History Walk featuring stories of anti-fascists, rioters and squatters! Meet at 2pm, on Camberwell Green, by the corner of Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5. Transport through Camberwell is buses, 36, 45, 185, 35 and 68.

Not for you? Then perhaps head to the Southbank Centre for the Real Bread Festival! Yes, it's all about bread but more importantly there is an opportunity for the family to get their hands dirty and have a go at making bread. Check out the Brockwell Bake arena (yes Lambeth folk, our Brockwell as in park) and have a go at making pizza. There is an opportunity at 11am, 1pm and 3pm to learn about the best methods of baguette making. Travel here on the 59!

And while you are down the Southbank don't forget to check out the great playground in Jubilee Gardens next to the London Eye!

Ok folks, I think we have had food, gardening, art viewing, art creating and a spot of radical history. Hopefully you have found something that either yourself or the little one can enjoy!

Happy weekending!