It’s half term, if you have children, its generally doing stuff with them while they aren’t at school. I like to kill two birds with one stone and go and visit things that we are all going to enjoy.

The principle is, if it’s thoughtful, includes observation, then its sciencey.

1. Natural History Museum

A lot of people see the word museum and run the other way. However, don’t knock it until you try it especially as 3 of today’s picks are museums. The Natural History Museum (NHM) is  a no brainer for starters,  and  I have already blogged about this place.  Evolution, architecture, viagra, arguments(again) and beautiful things..

As something that costs nothing to visit, you take from  it whatever you want. Dinosuars, amazing architecture, evolution, taxidermy at the next level, geology, jewels, earthquakes and volcanos.  If you choose to do it all at once ( I don’t recommend it), take all day. Get there early. It opens at 10am, so try and avoid the queues. Use the side entrances as the queues are shorter here. There is also a section for artwork- which is where the illustration in the figures above come from.

From South Kensington tube, it’s a short walk. There are  loads of workshops available as well, do check online.

I would recommend a packed lunch. There are more than enough benches or cafes to sit in and munch away on your picnic. Generally, I do a morning and then escape before the crowds overwhelm.

2. Science Museum

If natural history is not your thing, next door is the Science Museum. Not as popular as the NHM, however it has a really cool Wellcome inteactive bit. See yourself age using computer generated imagery (its quite depressing when you end up looking at its creation and you find out you look like your mum :/), the inteactive area explains  genetics and other concepts involved with industry and ecology. It’s 5 floors so there’s lots to do. Again, go early to avoid crowds. For smaller children, the museum itself has engines- explaining the industrial revolution really, space rockets and also aeroplanes. You can step inside a jet and walk along an elevated walkway to see this amazing collection, celebrating flight.  You can see the space suits worn by the Apollo mission flights. I really love this bit.

3. ZSL London Zoo

I get why zoo’s were created. Live animals are more interesting than stuffed ones, (see the NHM). Ethical considerations about our ability as a species to trap, cage and put any  species on show for our entertainment and education is questionable (see The Greatest Showman). London Zoo has taken this on board, and is not the same zoo I used to visit as a little girl. No longer will you find  elephants, these can be found at the sister park Whipsnade,   ZSL London zoo now works really hard to promote conservation.

We’re ZSL (Zoological Society of London), an international conservation charity, and our vision is a world where wildlife thrives. We’re working every day to achieve this, through our science, our field conservation around the world and engaging millions of people through our two Zoos, ZSL London and ZSL Whipsnade Zoos. 

Now, London zoo is almost prohibitively expensive. Sort of worth it if you think that you are paying for the upkeep , room and board of thousands of species of animals. Save Money though: You can save 10% if you book online.

However, save even more if you travel there by train. You can go 2 for the price of one  if you travel by National Rail. You sign up, get a voucher online and present it with your train ticket . Click the  link here:National Rail 2 for 1

4.Kew Gardens

Far away from the centre of London is that bit  associated with Richmond and Hampton Court Palace, and is understandably a Royal botanic garden. It can be found by getting to Kew Bridge station from Waterloo or Clapham junction  and then walking 800m. Now this is a day out and a half. You don’t need good weather but it helps. There are 4 enormous conservatories/glasshouses to visit if it is wet.

Kew is concerned with valuing, understanding and conserving plants, fungi and all flora.  It is also briliant for overcoming your vertigo. There is a treetop walk, where you can watch as your little ones run ahead in the treetop walkway, while you clutch the sides for dear life. The glass houses and  palm houses also have wonderful victorian spiral staircases taking you to the heavens and vetigo city.

The glasshouses aim to mimic every environment on the planet where plants and fungi grow. The Princess of Wales conservatory, which is currently housing an amazing orchid exhibition from Columbia, is one among others that  creates environments for plants from the alpine to the temperate to the desert. Especially in the tropical glasshouse you end up getting undressed and dressed from your winter coats quire regularly so you don’t get overwhelmed with the heat.  If you are going for the orchid exhibiton, go early, the queues are enormous.

There are Cycads, prehistoric trees and ferns, carnivorous plants and  a small aquarium underneath the conservatory.  This is just a taster, there is also a woodland to explore not to mention  a Japanese garden, a pagoda, a faux roman temple and wonderful big trees to hide under.

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5. The Horniman Museum

Last, but by all means least is the home of the best overstuffed Walrus in the world. The Horniman’s, situated in Forest Hill, is accessible from London Bridge or Caterham or the Overground(orange tube line).

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This small museum has a large garden attached that actually has, a disused skateboarding rink thing in it, as well as a little animal enclosure and some external percussion instruments. It really  is a gem.

It hosts the most comprehensive collection  of musical instruments  in the UK as well as the insides and outsides of dead animals. Interestingly it also has events where you can access items that have been on display: an eclectic mix ranging from puppets to skulls.

There’s an aquarium at cost, not much though , and it hosts exhibitions. All museums in London tend to be free- well the ones I go to are, unless they are exhibiting things. Currently, the Horniman is hosting LEGO Brick Wonders. The 7 wonders of the world plus some.

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I am sure off the top of your head you can already think of a handful of great places to visit (Greenwich observatory for example), please include them at the bottom of this post if you can. Share your ideas, I think all parents and travellers would be grateful.

When I first read about this exhibition, I did not think; Empire-building-lion-hunting, King.

The British Museum is a treasury of artefacts- but this exhibition is amazing, donated from around the world, it takes you on a journey of Ashurbanipal’s accession, the culture surrounding his reign and enables you to understand a little more about a civilisation that had all but been razed from the earth and severely misunderstood.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/ashurbanipal.aspx?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=smp&utm_campaign=ash&utm_term=4&utm_content=link_21%2F12%2F2018_mktg

It cost me £17 and a little over an hour and a half of my time. It was so cleverly done. (The other thing I really liked were the classes and talks advertised associated with all of this- to be found in the pamphlet. Food for the soul.)

I admit, I knew nothing of the Assyrian empire (640BC at this point) spanning Northern Iraq, Egypt, Syria up to the boundary of Turkey -including others. If that doesn’t help contextually- Ashurbanipal’s brother ruled Babylon. When I spoke to my colleague later her words were- “was it in the bible?” Yes. ( If you refer to the bible for your historical facts you’ll also learn that it was apparently destroyed due to depravity and debauchery), more accurate would be that it was one of the greatest civilisations of the ancient world.

Ashurbanipal owned a library of 10,000 texts- all in cuneiform clay tablets covering; laws, medicines and wizardry (augury etc), and there was a postal service which I found impressive. What really struck me though was the level of lion hunting.

Clearly- just like Heracles – killing lions was a big thing in ancient times and this king’s walls were covered with it. Alongside really muscular men with amazing beards and accessories.

The number of artefacts after such a period of time is a clear indication of how immense this thing is and made me feel quite irrelevant.

Very cleverly this exhibition has adapted technology to visualise the narratives carved into the gypsum/ stone over meters and meters more easily, by enabling scenes to be described chronologically. Obviously, the Assyrians didn’t carve it that way- so the story is all over the place.

The British Museum has overcome this by allowing a little light from a projector somewhere in the exhibition to outline the same protagonists spotted all over the wall at different time points, while someone narrates what is going on.

So, the story of the traitor who was captured ( on the right hand side), bound, had their eyes removed then tongues cut out ( somewhere in the middle) and then flayed alive( in the scene directly above) was told and made into a coherent story.

Oh, there were also rivers filled with headless corpses (I didn’t need the projector for that). Clearly this king was good at making a point.

There was one scene on another carving where he was with his Missus in a garden- but it seemed an afterthought. Compared to hundreds of dead lions and corpses all over the place, that is.

Eventually, Ashurbanipal disappeared after 20 or so years of rule. He’d killed his older brother who had gotten fed up of just ruling Babylon and had tried to depose him. Whether he abdicated, was knocked off or simply died, no one knows.

The empire fell 20 years after that. This amazing vast empire. It strikes me that he had not put things in place for people to take over. Systems of delegation- investing in creating a legacy.

Given the amount of killing all over the walls it would suggest that maybe he didn’t trust people or barter with them. The empire was entirely him. And when he died- it went with him.