October half term (26 to 30 October for most schools) is nearly here and if you are in or near London, the Southbank Centre is one of the best value days out you can give your children. Most of what is on is free, it is all under one roof beside the Thames, and every event doubles as a learning opportunity if you want it to.
Wed 28 Oct to Sun 1 Nov · Queen Elizabeth Hall · Ticketed
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's picture book becomes a stage show full of star crossed aliens, magical music and cosmic laughs. This is the one to book early, half term performances sell fast. Perfect for picture book fans and a lovely springboard for a week of space themed play afterwards.
Thu 29 Oct to Sun 1 Nov · The Clore Ballroom · Free · Ages 5+
Drop in and explore a giant storytelling bed, help the Story collector with their mission and piece together well loved tales or invent new ones. This is literacy in disguise: story structure, character, performance and confidence, all through play.
Sessions: Thu 29 Oct 11am, Fri 30 Oct 1pm, Sat 31 Oct 11am, Sun 1 Nov 11am.
Fri 30 Oct, 10.30am · The Clore Ballroom · Free · Ages 5+
A creative workshop inspired by Jacqueline Wilson's The Bed and Breakfast Star, using play, art and poetry to explore what home means to your family. A wonderful starting point for conversations about belonging, community and shelter, for children who like big questions.
Fridays · The Clore Ballroom · Free · Ages 0 to 5
Live music and songs in a playful, squishy space, split by age. Ideal for families with younger children who want a warm, easy rhythm to their week.
Until Sun 8 Nov · Across the site · Free · All ages
Sir Quentin Blake celebrates the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary with illustrations you can discover across the building and a procession of characters outside the Royal Festival Hall. Look out for rock stars, ballet dancers, dub poets and skaters. Pair it with a chat about the 1951 Festival of Britain and you have an art lesson and a history lesson in one morning.
Until Sun 1 Nov · 10am to 8pm · Free · All ages
Bring a book, leave a note inside for the next reader and take a new one home. Children's and YA shelves included. Closed Mon 26 and Tue 27 Oct, so time it around those days. We love a book swap for reading motivation and it costs nothing.
Royal Festival Hall · Ticketed, from £20 · Ages 12+
A live piano concert inside a virtual reality world, with an avatar of pianist Yuja Wang at a self playing Steinway. Recommended for ages 12 and over (under 10s cannot be admitted because of the headsets), so this one is for families with teens rather than little ones. A brilliant doorway into music, technology and the science of sight and sound.
Day one, go and enjoy it with no agenda. Day two, follow your child's favourite moment. Space mad after The Smeds and the Smoos? Build a rocket, map the night sky, write an alien postcard. Moved by the Quentin Blake parade? Illustrate your own family in 1950s London. That is the approach we build into everything at Homeschool Club: follow the child, keep play at the centre, and let real world experiences do the teaching.
Waterloo is the nearest station, Embankment is a short walk across the bridge, and the riverside walk from the London Eye takes ten minutes with children.
Want planning made simple every week? We build your child's interests into a full week of learning, your way. Join Homeschool Club and use code WELCOME14 for your first month free.
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