Architecture - For the Kids

This week I've mainly been sitting down with my foot up - foot, not feet I'm afraid, and it's not been very relaxing. I developed an infection from a random horsefly bite which left me barely able to walk. I mean, honestly, how much pain can one little bite cause? Let me tell you... A LOT! Anyway, I seem to be on the mend now thanks to some strong antibiotics, and I'm going to be wearing a head-to-toe boiler suit from now on at all times, just in case!

I was due to be giving a talk to Wiss's pre-school nursery class about Architects (and Modelmakers!) but that has had to be postponed too. Instead, and to keep me prepared, I thought I'd share some of our personal architectural gems in London.

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The view from the top of Gipsy Hill, SE19 is one Wiss has grown up with, and as views of the City go it is pretty spectacular. We watched the Shard being built from this vantage point and we see it daily in all sorts of weather - the way the sun reflects off it is amazing. Wiss developed a love for the Shard and points it out whenever he spots it somewhere on the skyline!

The Shard

Getting the train into London Bridge station offers a completely different view of the Shard, and standing at the foot of it you can feel completely dwarfed. The trick perspective from this angle makes it seem like the Shard is even taller than it really is. 

We have not taken Wiss to the top viewing level yet as the prices have always been prohibitively expensive, but this half term children go free! Between 26 May and 1 June up to 2 children can get in free with at least one full-paying adult. Even though adult tickets are still £25 each, this could mean a saving of up to £37.90 on the kids!!! See their website for more details and to book in advance.

City Hall

Once you've got the train to London Bridge, it would be silly not to take a stroll along the river. We always cut through Hayes Galleria (great pirate ship sculpture in the middle) then have a look at HMS Belfast moored just before City Hall. The piazza round here is always buzzing with people and interesting things to see. There's even a free table tennis table with bats and balls provided!

City Hall (designed by Norman Foster) is home to the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority, and as such may seem to be off-limits, especially with a child...but no! Parts of it are open to the public, and once you've negotiated the airport-style security (always exciting for a kid) you will be able to explore the enormous aerial photo of the whole of London (just seen at the bottom of the ramp in this photo) I wish I taken some pictures of Wiss running around on this but maybe I will, and add them in post-posting?

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As well as trying to find your house on the huge map, there is a great cafe with an outside terrace into the Scoop (for little ones to run around in, if there's no free entertainment on) and of course, there is a toilet with baby changing facilities. Always handy to know where these are in busy tourist areas!

Toddle in the City

I've posted before about these brilliant Treasure Hunts for kids armed with digital cameras, and I'm pleased to say that Yat is back again with more Toddles this summer! The first ones kick off on the 30 & 31st May in Crystal Palace as preparation for the Overground Festival running from 26th -29th June. I love the idea of encouraging a love and respect for the city from an early age, and you really do get to see things from a completely different perspective when a child is behind the lens.

 

 

As well as being a great day out there is hope that the photos from these Toddles may help with the future redevelopment plans of Crystal Palace and the Park! The pictures taken by these children could help to shape the city of tomorrow by informing the city-planners - how cool is that?

We're booked in already and can't wait to see what treasures the kids discover in Crystal Palace. If you want to book too then go to the Toddle in the City website.

Iggy Peck

Finally, you can keep the architecture theme going even at bedtime! 'Iggy Peck, Architect' is a great story about a little boy who just loves buildings (and bridges) The rhyming story is funny, and we love the illustrations by David Roberts. (I particularly love the use of graph paper backgrounds!) I found this a really easy way to start introducing the concept of architecture to Wiss, and it has led on to lots of discussions about designing buildings - and how suspension bridges work!

Toddle in the City

Last weekend Wiss and I took part in a city 'treasure hunt', but it wasn't a hunt in the usual sense. Armed with a (kid-proof) digital camera Lewis and 5 other little people set off under the guidance of Yat (an urban designer) to find treasures amongst the streets of Shoreditch! They each had a favourite adult with them too, to help supervise.

I heard about Toddle in the City through Twitter and I thought it was a brilliant and original idea. Yat aims her walks at 3-6 year olds which was the first thing to catch my attention. There is so much on offer in London for 5 or 6 years plus and this younger age range is often over-looked but these treasure hunts are a really fun and empowering activity for them.

Taken from a tweet this sums up the aims behind Toddle in the City: "Urban designer Yat wanted to find a fun way to engage kids so they will grow up to love the city. And Toddle in the City was born!"
We all met up on a gloriously sunny Sunday near Boxpark and Yat handed out name stickers and the digital cameras. Lewis has seen cameras, iphones, video cameras etc all his life but he's never actually had one for him to use all by himself. He was really excited and actually very proud to be trusted with such a cool thing!

Self portrait taken by Lewis in a mirror

All the kids were able to start using them confidently straight away so off we set. Yat led the way and pointed out things of interest but the kids were encouraged to take pictures of anything and everything that caught their attention. And this was the really interesting bit for me... It was amazing to see what Lewis noticed. I look at buildings, shop windows, watch out for traffic, other people etc but he took a photo of a spider web by a bin and he even managed to spot a ladybird on a bollard! (Unfortunately, these photos were out-of-focus but he made a good attempt.) I guess the streets of London look pretty different when you're only a metre tall.

Lewis took 133 photos in total, and of course some are better than others, but there are some really great images too. Here's a selection of my favourites:

We were lucky enough to find a local street party run by the Friends of Arnold Circus so after our walk we enjoyed an afternoon of music, chasing bubbles and lounging in deckchairs. Days like that remind me just how wonderful London can be. I sometimes worry about bringing up a child in a city but we are so lucky to have all of this on our door step!

Toddle in the City is running Treasure Hunts throughout the summer in Shoreditch and along Regent Street on the car-free days in July. There's a different theme to each walk so there's always something new to discover.

As you can tell, we loved it! I'm now planning on building on Wiss's new-found photography skills by giving him a camera to document a wedding we're going to. I can't wait to see what the ceremony and reception look like to a 3 year old!


NB: This is not a sponsored post. These are purely my own thoughts and recommendations and I did not get paid for writing this post. Thank you

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