Being in London we are really lucky to have lots of arenas and theatres nearby. I always enjoy taking the boys to see something new when we get a chance, it makes a great day out for the whole family. It’s always a good option in winter as the weather is colder, its harder to find things to do to occupy the whole family as its so cold outside that a lot of days out ideas are off the table for a little while as it can be so uncomfy to be in the great outdoors in the freezing wind and rain!
Some of our favourite shows to see with kids, which we have seen in the past are:
Disney on Ice – We saw this at Wembley but you can also see it at the 02 Arena. We saw the Passport to Adventure one last Christmas for the boys’s dad’s work Christmas party. Best Christmas party idea ever! I keep telling him can you go and hint to the Christmas Party organisers to do that for the kids party again! I would also love to take the boys to see Dare to Dream and Worlds of Fantasy among others. I love it as much as the kids, because yes – I am one of those Disney mad mothers!!
Dora Live – We saw this over the Summer and the boys enjoyed it. I always find preschool performances based on fave TV characters to be quite good, as it keeps even the younger ones attention. You can see our full review of it here
Ben and Holly Live – Much like Dora, this went down really well with the kids! I didn’t review that one on the blog but it was great for them.
Pantomime – I took Mr Z last year for the first time. I think the others would have been a bit young for it, but maybe from this year Mr T would be okay too so I would say from about 4+ as it was quite a long show. Last year our local one was Peter Pan, and I think this year it will be Cinderella. Hopefully will take them again. CBeebies Pantomime would be another great one! The performance is in Sheffield and you could apply for tickets earlier in the year but we did not get any! Maybe next year though. I’m also considering Reading for Panto as I think Justin Fletcher performs there every year and we do love Justin!
The Lion King – This was an amazing show! It’s only suitable for 8+ so it is for older children and mine are not ready for it quite yet but for those who are at that age it’s brilliant. I went on a child free day with my sister, and our full review is here if you want a look.
Circus – Last year I won some tickets to a circus that had come to Brent Cross. Mr Z went with his dad and two of cousins and said it was a great performance! Shame I missed out but I had to stay home and look after the younger two as it was quite late, but they all said it was brilliant show, suitable for age about 4+.
Football – Not exactly a show as such, but another thing Mr Z went to watch with his dad earlier in the year was the Danone Cup for junior Football and the matches were something great for them to watch
We have lots more planned in the coming months too, starting with Sid Sloane’s show which we should be seeing this weekend in Stratford. I will be back with a review on that one afterwards! We are also looking forward to CBeebies Live! and Peppa Pig Live after the new year, so look out for reviews on those too.
I can’t help but look further into the future and think of more ideas on where to take the boys as they get a little older. There are loads of show on at the 02 so we are spoilt for choice really. There are sport events like the ww3 uk tour 2013 and performers like Diversity which would be amazing to watch!
What shows have you been to, or what shows do you have your eye on? Let me know in the comments!
On the weekend, we decided to take the kids to Peppa Pig World. We don’t normally go to theme parks without planning in advance and getting our tesco club card rewards ready, but the boys have really got into Peppa Pig lately and we really fancied a family day out so we decided to just go for it! It comes to £98.00 for a family ticket which is quite expensive! This is for 4 people, our youngest was free as he is under 90cm. Booking online would have saved £12 from that so would definitely be the better option, but unfortunately we didn’t plan in advance this time! This admission covers the whole of Paultons Park, not just the Peppa Pig World.
I don’t know whether there is any concession price for children receiving DLA and their carers, as some other theme parks do have. We didn’t ask and the website only mentions that wheelchair & Mobility Scooter dependent guests are admitted free of charge – so whether they do take other disabilities and conditions into account, I am not sure. I would be interested to know, if anyone has asked them let me know in the comments! I am also not sure whether they operate a Qbot system like some of the Merlin Parks but the queues were very short on the day we went, so it really wouldn’t have been needed at all. We did not have to wait more than 5 minutes for any ride.
When we arrived at Paultons, we went straight to Peppa Pig World. The first ride the children chose to go on was the Windy Castle which you can see in the background below. It’s actually a little scarier than it looks, it goes quite high! My 4 year old was a little scared while riding on it, but the little ones were fine. It gives you a good view of the whole Peppa Pig World so it is a good choice to go on this first. All 5 of us were able to sit together in the carriage and there was no restrictions of height or age.
The children also went on the following rides:
Grandpa Pig’s Boat Trip – this is a very gentle and calm ride, not scary at all for any more sensitive little ones. They go round and round in a boat on real water, with a slight up and down motion. Only 4 were allowed in each boat, so we had to split up and have one parent per boat to take all the children. Again there is no restriction on height or age on this ride, just a recommendation that it may not be suitable for under 12 months. All 3 of my children enjoyed this ride.
Grandpa Pig’s Little Train – Again there is only 4 allowed in each carriage, so we had to split up for this ride, and there is no restrictions so all of the children were able to go on this ride and they all enjoyed it. My boys are mad about trains so this was very popular with them. You can see my 3 year old below, excited to go on this train ride!
Daddy Pig’s Car Ride – Only the 3 and 4 year old went on this ride, with their dad. I never went on it as I was keeping an eye on the little one sleeping in the buggy, but my 4 year old tells me it was one of his favourites!
George’s Dinosaur Adventure – This was the other definite favourite. Again only my 4 and 3 year olds went onto this, the 4 year old riding alone and 3 year old together with Dad. They really enjoyed this one.
There are 2 other rides in Peppa Pig world – Peppa’s Big Balloon Ride and Miss Rabbit’s Helicopter Flight (which you can see here in the background below), which they didn’t chose to go on. There are also loads more in the main Paulton’s Park, including some much more advanced and thrilling rides for the slightly older children. My husband did try to persuade the 4 year old onto the Cobra ride, but he didn’t go for it (which I was glad – I would be so nervous seeing my little boy on such a big ride!)
Some of the other rides that were suitable for my 4 year old in the main park were the Flying Frog, the Astroglide slides, the Raving River and the Wave Runner. There are also plenty more, if you have time.
Back in Peppa Pig World, there are quite a few attractions to see other than just the rides. One of the main favourites with all 3 boys was the George’s SpaceShip Playzone. It is an indoor soft play area. There are loads of slides, and different sections for different age groups (baby, toddler and slightly older). I can imagine this would get packed out if it rains!
The playground in Peppa Pig World is also really nice. It’s very spacious and really well designed. We did this at the end of the day and the children would have been happy to spend much longer in it, if the park was not closing. Because it is so big and spread out, I don’t think it would get too over crowded so is fine for even little ones newly toddling around. Some pics below to show just a little bit of what there is!
(Excuse the lack of shoes, he threw them out of the buggy half way through the day and we never found them! This child is a nightmare for always chucking his shoes!!)
In Peppa Pig land you can also go inside Peppa Pig’s house (shown below, outside and inside!) – just note there is no buggy or wheelchair access for this.
The characters inside the house move and speak.
You can also see the camper van, but not go in it. Still, the boys enjoyed looking.
Other attractions in the main Paulton’s park, which we had not known about before but enjoyed, were all the animal attractions.
Throughout the park, as you walk around there are various exotic birds you will see – flamingos , cranes, emus and even more. Apparently there is a meerkat section too, which I have now seen on the website but did not spot while we were there.
There is also a penguin section which is located inside Peppa Pig World and you can see the penguins at their feeding time. There is a ramp which allows access for pushchairs, and there they have windows to see underneath the water so you can see many penguins coming past and diving to eat the fish.
Going through the gardens and the birds section was really peaceful and quiet. I found this brilliant, for my 3 year old. He has ASD and although he really enjoys these type of theme parks, after a little while I felt like it was starting to get a bit much for him and he was starting to melt down a bit. Lucky that I was able to put him back into the buggy and take him to spend some time quietly looking here.
My favourite bird was definitely the Toucan – so beautiful!
Another nice and quiet area in Paultons is the Dinosaur Land. You go through the path and there are so many models of different dinosaur species which you can see, among the real trees and mud. This would be great for any dinosaur enthusiasts, and is quite educational too. My younger two really enjoyed looking and pointing at these dinosaurs. 4 year old was busy on the astro slide, but I know he is scared of dinosaurs so maybe its better he missed out!
At the end of the day, tired out but enjoyed themselves!
My 3 yr old loving his new mr Dinosaur!
Overall I would say it was a good day. It’s a shame we didn’t plan and get the slightly cheaper tickets as I’m not sure its the best value at the full price but there is lots to do and the children definitely enjoyed it. The next day my 4 year old came home with a note he had written in school: “Mum, I like you. Can we go to peppa pig land again one day” So I’m sure we will be back – after all how can I say no to that? 🙂
Being in London we are really lucky to have lots of arenas and theatres nearby. I always enjoy taking the boys to see something new when we get a chance, it makes a great day out for the whole family. It’s always a good option in winter as the weather is colder, its harder to find things to do to occupy the whole family as its so cold outside that a lot of days out ideas are off the table for a little while as it can be so uncomfy to be in the great outdoors in the freezing wind and rain!
