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Wednesday 29 February 2012

the wonderful Science Museum

London museums are fantastic, everyone knows that... it's one of those places you need to take your family to when they come over to visit (so they realise how cultural London is).


The Science Museum is full of interactive exhibits and it is a hugely impressive space, it looks very futuristic... but what I really want to tell you is how great it is for children (of any age).
The whole museum if full of stimulating objects and educational activities for children - for example virtual fish swimming on the floor or machines that manipulate light.

The best thing they do is Launchpad - a massive space designed for children to play, explore and learn. They say on the website that it is for eight years and upwards, but don't worry about it, Odessa is three and I assure you she absolutely loved it!  She really didn't want to leave. We stayed there up to closing time and she still didn't manage to try everything.


Whoever designed Launchpad is a very imaginative person who still remembers how it is to be a child... it was great fun and educational at the same time. Children could experiment with light, water, movement, etc. and watch different demonstration and experiments. It's an amusement park made by scientists.   
And for free as well (they do like donations, however)! Highly recommend for grey, rainy days.   


I have taken few images in Museum café as the light was great... it felt a bit like a science fiction movie...



Odessa doing her own experiments....





Wednesday 22 February 2012

when nothing big happens

On Friday we went to the Southbank to see the children's festival  "Imagine".  We took Odessa to two music related workshops, both very interesting and stimulating. The general atmosphere of the festival was wonderful, and there were little things happing all over the place, such as arts/crafts or a Monster runing around for the kids to follow.


There was also a food market with international cuisine - Odessa and Tim went for Polish sausages which made me love them even more! (I had a boring salad).


Unfortunately I didn't manage to take photographs of the actual shows - I could hardly stretch my legs let alone take my camera out of the bag.  Never mind, I was sure the opportunity would come later.  After the workshops we went for a well deserved coffee at the Southbank Centre (with a view of the Hayward Gallery - one of my favourite London buildings) where Odessa discovered a glass lift - she was mesmerised by it... so very often the the best pictures are taken when nothing big happens...



Odessa loves to have a big open space around her... 



..sometimes she decides to watch world around from different perspective... 



And that's how she looks after ten minutes flat on the floor...


And the last image I would like to dedicate to all my friends who, due to lack of photographic evidence, start doubting I exist... well there I am - proud mum of one funny little girl called Odessa... 

This amazing photograph was taken by my partner, Tim (who also persuaded me to add this credit).

Thursday 16 February 2012

under a chair

A lazy afternoon with friends in the local pub - The Wandle. A beautiful space full of big, vintage furniture made an amazing adventure playground for our children...













Wednesday 15 February 2012

Made in Poland



Ah ha... another parcel! Sent by Odessa's Polish friend Zoja. The book you can see in the image above is a new edition of children's poems I remember from my childhood. It's a beautiful present, Odessa is already crazy about the book not mention the new rabbit she got (his name is Tuptus - which in polish means "someone who makes little steps"). Thus I am reunioned with my memories my own childhood.
Odessa and Zoja do a cultural exchange by post so now we are on a mission to find Zoja some wonderful English books.





    'Does this rabbit fly?'



It's very important for me that Odessa speaks Polish and have an awareness of herself being mixed-nationality. I hope she is going be proud of it one day. That's why I value us being in touch with our Polish friends and family. 


Thank you very much Zoja! 


   

Friday 10 February 2012

Wings







The wings were bought few months ago as a Christmas decoration, although Odessa had different ideas...


She loves wearing the wings, dancing and spinning around to her favourite music - pretending she is a little bird... I have tried explain to her what an angel is but she doesn't like the concept at all... I should have never mentioned that angels are well behaved!
   
Props and costumes are great for little children as they love  games where they can "pretend". It's always good to follow your child's interests - Odessa for her last birthday was wearing a  rabbit costume (which she often uses as a jacket), there are plenty of products on the market. Or if you possess the skills, you can also try and make  something yourself with a little bit of help from your child... an animal mask for example or a robot outfit from cardboard boxes. 


Our wings were bought in a Tiger store (£3), Djeco do some really  cool and inexpensive paper masks, in Lettertbox you can find some animals outfits and of course Mothercare do the traditional princesses and faries.


Don't worry too much about items or costumes themselves -  children often don't need much to stimulate their imagination... for example Odessa likes walking around the house wearing Tim's slippers, carrying an imaginary cup of tea and pretending she is "The Daddy".

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Sunday 5 February 2012

The Amazing Museum of Childhood




The Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green is one of my favourite museums ever!
Come on, how many museums do you know with sandpit inside of it? To see all the kids running bare feet and playing with sand in the middle of winter was a surreal and beautiful experience!
It's a fantastic space full of interactive things to do for children: board games, computer activities, blocks, arts & crafts, huge vintage rocking horses, a play area for toddlers, giant rocks to climb on, fancy clothes and of course you can see all the toys from different eras (some of which make you feel very sentimental).


Odessa playing in of the computer educational games (below)







(and inside of one of the rocks)




(playing Snakes and ladders game)






They also regularly run themed exhibitions. We went there on Saturday and we saw 'Magic Worlds' - an exhibition which features fairy tales and fantasy literature. These exhibitions are wonderfully designed and well thought out - you can find lots of objects to explore and costumes you could try on. You could, for example, put rabbit ears on and 'drink' a cup of tea in with the mad Hatter (Alice Wonderland)... or cook snakes and spiders in a witch's cauldron, (they also provide the outfit!).


Very charming and imaginative.

Odessa was so happy - she couldn't stop jumping... not only did she really liked the place, she was joined there by much loved friend Lelia and cousin Kiara...


(Lelia came and nothing else matters anymore)




 (having Alice in Wonderland cup of tea with Kiara)


   
   
(three little witches cooking a snake and frog soup)





(in the play fire engine)



(in Alice in Wonderland room with Lelia listening to the story)



('Mummy look! Odessa is a rabbit!')



(and let's not forget about the sandpit!)





It was an absolutely wonderful day which cost us nothing, we stayed up to closing time and the children still wanted more. I loved watching Odessa exploring all the space and objects around her - it was very stimulating for her.

I'm guessing we will be back there soon...