Tate Modern Archives - A Baby on Board blog

Draw On The Floor At Mega Please Draw Freely, The Tate Modern

Gillian — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 21:25:42 +0000

If You’re Searching For More Summer Holiday Activities, We Loved Mega Please Draw Freely If you fancy getting down with your kids and drawing all over the floor of one of the UK’s most famous art galleries, head over to the Tate Modern in London to take part in Mega Please Draw Freely. But what is it, and do you need to book a ticket? Here’s everything you need to know about this new, free art event that’s a lot of fun for children AND parents. What Is Mega Please Draw Freely At The Tate Modern? Mega Please Draw Freely is an interactive art exhibition that’s turned the Turbine Hall floor into a giant drawing pad. It’s been covered with a vinyl surface, and everyone is encouraged to draw, write and doodle whatever you like all over it with giant crayons. There are also daily interactive art sessions at 11am and 2pm that take place in this fun, forest-like space. It’s the idea of artist Ei Awarkawa, who was inspired by the Gutai group of Japanese artists who wanted to change the world through art and play. It is part of Tate Play series of free, creative activities for families. And it’s especially good for every parent who’s ever discovered doodles on their walls or furniture (me). How Does It Work? Once you’re inside the Tate (you need to book first, see below) everyone is given their own bag of big crayons. You’re then free to pick a spot and can draw / write / doodle all over the floor, over and among everyone else’s drawings, writings and doodles. And that’s it, really! Don’t go in your best clothes as you are likely to get crayon all over you (but mainly on your children). And someone will probably try to draw on you with the big crayons. Mainly, your children. As it’s the Tate there is also a cafe area nearby, as well as baby change facilities and a gift shop. How Much Does It Cost And Do We Need To Book A Ticket? Tickets are free, but you need to book a timed slot for the collection route in advance online (this also includes the Tate Modern galleries). More info here. Although a booked time means you have to plan your visit, it does means numbers are kept low. When we went everyone was very spaced out, and wearing masks . Lots of tickets are available, we booked the morning we went. When Is It On Until? It’s on until 29th August. So What Did We Think Of Mega Please Draw Freely At Tate Modern? It’s a lot of fun…for everyone! Parents included. I noticed a lot of parents were really getting into it. Me included, obviously. There’s something really liberating about letting loose with the big crayons. And hopefully they won’t try this at home. Where Is It And When Is It Open? It’s taking place at the Tate Modern, which is open Monday to Sunday 10.00–18.00. The Tate Modern is at Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Where Else Would We Recommend To Take Kids In London? Here are a few more of our favourite places to take kids in London:

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Art galleries and toddlers: a cautionary tale

Gillian — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:00:53 +0000

This post was originally going to be titled ‘Meschac Gaba at the Tate Modern, and a walk along the Southbank.’ However, slight change of plans. Monday was a Bank Holiday, and Alex and I decided to head over to the Southbank and the Tate Modern. We’ve been there quite a few times with Eliza – here and here – not because I’m under any new mum delusions that my child will become a mini pre-school art critic, but because it’s easy for us to get to, really child-friendly and, lets be honest, much less boring for adults than most children’s activities. I’d read that the Meschac Gaba exhibition was really bold, visual and interactive – and great for toddlers. What could possibly go wrong? It started off well. The exhibition is pretty hands-on, with big puzzle tables and blocks on the floor that children can stack and make structures with. Lots of fun. Confusingly, it also has things at feet level that you’re not supposed to touch – as we were shortly to find out. We wandered into the next room, with a TV in the corner next to more things on the floor (this time, not for playing with). Eliza spied the screen and parked herself down by it, probably hoping for a peeeg episode. ‘Cute!’ I thought. She looked relatively settled so I got out my phone to take a photo. And then this happened… She turned her head. Spied the piles of stuff on the floor to the left of her. And pounced. With lightening speed, her hand was mere inches away from the display. Summoning all his secret goalie skills, Alex leapt over and grabbed her, safely swooshing her away in his arms. Exciting plans thwarted, Eliza burst into noisy tears ‘Mummeeeee…noooo….want MORE!” Luckily, it was a fairly noisy room, but she really wailed. And wailed. All our tricks to soothe and distract her – “Look! Some colourful things! Oooooh what’s THIS?” – didn’t work. Nothing was as interesting as the giant pile of cassettes her mean old parents wouldn’t let her play with. We quickly hot-footed it to the Tate Cafe, which has lots of space, a proper children’s menu that’s not just things with chips, and lovely waiting staff who made a big fuss of her. To be fair to an 18 month old, what’s the difference between some blocks you can play with, and a big pile of general stuff that’s also on the floor? Where’s the line between blocks and art? So take it from us, dear reader, toddlers and art – proceed with caution. And parents, exercise your reflexes. You’ll never know when you might need them.

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The Tate Modern With Kids: The Best London Art Galleries For Babies And Toddlers

Gillian — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:18:50 +0000

Taking A Trip To The Tate Modern With Kids Thinking of going to the Tate Modern with kids? Wondering how child-friendly the Tate Modern is for toddlers? Here’s what we thought on our recent trip to the Tate Modern with a baby. How Child-Friendly Is The Tate Modern With Kids? If you’re thinking of going to the Tate Modern with kids, toddlers or babies, and wondering how child-friendly is it, the answer is very. It’s very easy to access, even with a pram. The staff are really friendly. There are change facilities and a cafe with a children’s menu. While there’s no dedicated children’s area (there used to be!) the art is all very visual, colourful and easy to look at. There are also a lot of places to run around freely, including the giant turbine hall (toddler paradise). Taking A Baby To The Tate Modern When it comes to London’s art galleries and museums, the Tate Modern is right up there with my favourites. Last time we went I was 37 weeks pregnant – which seems about three lifetimes away now – so when Nick and I were planning to meet up on a Saturday, we thought it was a good place to go with Eliza. The Turbine Hall at the Tate currently has a Tino Sehgal exhibition, if that’s even the right word, which consists of live, choreographed encounters between people, using noise and light. When we arrived it was dark and the giant lights were flashing, and there was a big group of people doing a slow step up and down the main floor. We watched from upstairs – trying to work out if it was some kind of un-dead uprising or a Thriller flashmob – and then went downstairs and walked around the group. It was interesting; a lot more complicated and less immediately obvious than the crack, the slides, the seeds, or the sun. Coincidentally, it actually was International Zombie Day; we ran into a group of people dressed up as we left. As it was Saturday and fairly busy we stayed away from the main Tate Modern galleries, but we did take a look around the Tanks, the new / old section attached to the main hall that has been built out of the power station oil tanks (it’s pretty industrial, to say the least). There were several different exhibitions including Lis Rhodes’ Light Music, and a room of Sung Hwan Kim projections. All of them consisted of darkened rooms, video projections, flashing lights and muffled and distorted sounds. Nick and I were weirded out by a lot of it, as it seemed like something from either Twin Peaks or a pretty terrifying nightmare. However Eliza was open-mouthed in silent wonder (light and dark, flickering lights? A red room? Muffled sounds? Must have been a lot like being in the womb). Andy Warhol at Dulwich Picture Gallery was so bright and visual, but a lot of this was like a big old baby sensory room with added ambient noise. I do love the Tate Modern; it does a lot to make art accessible for all, both figuratively and literally (the main entrance to the Turbine Hall is like a giant pushchair ramp). Anyway I reckon we’ll be back pretty soon on a less busy weekday, especially as it’s such an easy trip on public transport (short train ride to London Bridge, short walk). Where Is The Tate Modern? The Tate Modern is at Bankside, near Shakespeare’s Globe When Is The Tate Modern Open? The Tate galleries are open every day from 10am – 6pm. Is Tate Modern Free? The main galleries are free to enter (although you do need to book a ticket). The special exhibitions and galleries are not free and you will need to buy a ticket online. More Places In London To Take A Baby: The London Transport Museum Discover Story Play Centre The Florence Nightingale Museum Our favourite south London parks

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Pregnancy week 37: full term

Gillian — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:48:41 +0000

Full term, baby; I think I’ve mentioned before about pregnancy seeming like one tiny milestone after the other, and obviously this is a big one. Although with three more weeks left to go it’s not quite time just yet… Baby-wise, there’s really not much more room in my womb, and the Mini C has resorted to making Mexican waves across the top of my rib cage to get my attention. I keep reminding myself and the Maxi C that technically there could be an appearance at any time; this doesn’t seem very feasible at the moment though, as I have to say that, very boringly, I don’t feel much different from the last couple of weeks. Non baby-wise, this week consisted of lots of catching up with lots of lovely people, including a walk along the Southbank, lunch and a quick trip to the Tate. We also had an NCT evening gathering where everyone met the first two babies born to members of our group. It’s lucky I’m already pregnant, as they both made me very broody. Plus they were lovely and amazingly well behaved. We were all in awe. I also had a midwife visit, where she booked my induction in for my due date – 31st Jan – and said that they would also do a sweep at my next visit in week 39 (unfortunately, this is nothing to do with the puppet). At this point it really does seem like I’ve been pregnant forever and I can’t imagine being not. I even think I will miss it, if that’s not too weird – although I’m sure I’m going to have my hands full and no time to dwell on it before too long.

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