Finding something in Central London that amuses a mixed group of kids ranging from four to fifteen years old is a bit of a tall order – but the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden seemed to do the trick. There is a special promotion which allows kids in free and with adult ticket prices at £10 it’s good bad value for money. There is also currently a special free exhibition (although you need to collect timed entry tickets from the Information Centre) called “Street Smart” – where you can play “Skids and Ladders” – a giant snakes and ladders type game where you answer questions on road safety and “Streets Ahead” where you drive a remote control car around London, visiting car clubs, paying your Congestion Charge (?) and collecting passengers to minimise environmental impact.
Two adults and five kids arrived about 230pm on Saturday afternoon. Thankfully there was no queue. However, we had to hang around a bit as we had just bought coffees from the nearby Starbucks which we were not allowed to take in (although you can, of course, purchase hot drinks at the café within the Museum).
Adults were given a somewhat impenetrable map. Kids were issued with “The Stamper Trail” cards and instructed to collect all 13 stamps. Although I usually like these sorts of activities that encourage engagement and participation, these cards made the kids want to race through most of the exhibits to be the first one at the next stamp.
Anyway. We walked up a ramp (called “World City Walk”) which had lots of attractive displays and modern neon lighting. Then we were instructed to take the lift to the second level to start our journey. Inevitably, one of the older children decided to race us up the stairs (and then got lost on the first level). We followed the footprints on the floor and wandered around some old horse drawn carriages (we were able to sit in one of them, along with a model wearing a top hat and reading a newspaper). There were some good horse noises and voices from the past. Plus a few glass cases with artefacts.
After a short while, we took the stairs down to level one where our four year old was delighted to find a huge steam engine. Complete with a period dressed driver who allowed them into the cab to see where the coal was placed. He was a really jolly chap – good with kids and adults alike – and a great advertisement for ASLEF (and they do need some positive PR in the midst of the strikes). There were other carriages that you could enter. The kids laughed at the models in 1970s attire. One of the many diorama models showed us how they managed with steam trains on the underground, and there were numerous others showing how the tunnels were built. I particularly liked the display that showed how the tube map had developed since its inception. It was here that we discovered the Jubilee Line tube driver simulation – even the 15 year old wanted to have a go at that!
There was an area where we learned about the uniforms and training of bus conductors and another where we learned about the role of the transport infrastructure during the war. Finally, we reached the main area on the ground floor where there lots of old and new buses surrounded by numerous interactive screens and models to play with. There’s a café here and a number of toy buses, trains and boats that the kids can sit in. Happily, every seat is equipped with a steering wheel so there are no arguments about who is the driver.
Finally, we climbed up a narrow staircase to a rather clinical area for the Street Smart exhibition. We spent a while playing with the spinning wheels, pop up dice and other activities where we went up the zebra crossings and down the skid marks on the large floor chequer board. Then there was a large room with a jolly man on a microphone as the kids took it in turns to use the remote control to drive their car around a massive road layout of central London – I won’t tell you how many times the kids managed to “run over” the cyclists though.
As you leave the museum, you pass more displays and interactive games on the future of transport. Overall, we had a good time – spent about an hour and a half in total. I think a smaller group of slightly older children (and those with a fascination with buses and trains) might spend considerably longer. And I am sure that most adults would love it.
As we emerged into the sunshine in Covent Garden we were delighted to find that the “Kids are all right” activities were in full swing – there were balloon sculptures, football demonstrations, large games (Connect Four, Jenga etc), quoits, sand pits and a Punch and Judy Show (of course, those in the know realise that Covent Garden is where the first show was performed in the UK). Everyone had a thoroughly good time.
