fun things to do with kids in london england    
  Travel for Kids
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Globe Theater
 

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (New Globe Walk Bankside) – A great way for kids to get a glimpse of Elizabethan London is to visit the Globe Theatre. Recently reconstructed, the theater is built with materials and techniques from that time period. Don't miss the costume exhibition, how characters are dressed for Shakespeare's plays. (Tip: Free with the London Pass.)

And to see a play, your best bet is to take in an afternoon matinee at the Globe. Click here for schedule.

    Golden Hinde – Next door to Shakespeare's Globe Theater is the Golden Hinde, a glossy reconstruction of Sir Francis Drake's ship that he sailed around the world. Check out the cannons and see where the treasure was stored in the hold. The Golden Hinde goes to sea from time to time, so click here for the schedule, to make sure she's in port.
    HMS Belfast The HMS Belfast is a World War II cruiser that took part in the Normandy landings. You can run around the entire ship, see inside the gun turrets and armaments rooms, and get a feel for life on board the war ship. (Tip: Free with the London Pass.)
    Imperial War Museum (Lambeth) – The Imperial War Museum is filled with war souvenirs, such as a Spitfire, V2 Rocket, German submarine. One of the best exhibits is a recreation of a World War I trench on the front lines. The exhibit is very lifelike, with sound, lighting and "smell" effects. Also, don't miss the recreation of an air-raid shelter and "blitzed" out London street in World War II. Kids can squeeze into the bunks on a submarine, but it's a tight fit for adults.
kids books england
     
Shakespeare's Globe - kids books England  

Open the book and out pops a replica of the Globe, William Shakespeare's playhouse. With paper characters and playbooks, stage your own scenes from twelve different Shakespeare plays in the pop-up theatre. Go backstage with the illustrated companion booklet. Captivating, and fun for kids and parents alike. (Activity pack)

 

     
Stage Fright on a Summer Night (Magic Tree House)
Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie travel back to London in 1600 to find a special magic, and end up onstage as two fairies in Will Shakespeare's play. "Without wand, spell or charm, turn daytime into night." (Easy reader)

 

 
Stage Fright on a Summer Night
     
King of Shadows  
King of Shadows
Susan Cooper

A great read before you visit the Globe Theater. Present day, young Nat Field comes to London to act in a Shakespeare play, but suddenly finds himself transported to the Old Globe 400 years ago. Ingenious plot that beautifully interweaves past and present. (Chapter book)

 

     

Young Widge is sent by his new master to steal the script for Hamlet at the Old Globe. Instead, Widge joins the Lord Chamberlain's theater company. Action adventure, swords flashing, at the Old Globe. (Chapter book)

The story continues in Shakespeare's Scribe and Shakespeare's Spy.

 
The Shakespeare Stealer
     
Tales from Shakespeare  

Shakespeare's plays, presented in a picture-panel format, with detailed lively illustrations. The plays included are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Winter's Tale, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest. Super for younger kids, before you see a Shakespeare play. (Picture book)

And don't miss More Tales from ShakespeareAs you Like It, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing.

 

 

     
Shakespeare Stories
Leon Garfield, Michael Foreman

Twelve Shakespeare plays, retold as stories and imaginatively illustrated, but without losing the mood and heart of these great works. Also, Shakespeare Stories II. Good for older kids. (Chapter book)

 

 
Shakespeare Stories
     
Will's Quill  

A country goose, Willoughby Waddle, comes to London, but nearly ends up in the soup pot, until he meets a kindly playwright, William Shakespeare. As As Shakespeare scribbles all night to finish his play, Willoughby turns out to be a very useful goose. Fun for little ones.
(Picture book)

 

(More children's books on other London and England pages)