Easter fun at KidZania London

Easter for me is a school holiday I dread. Very rarely finding the time to get an overseas holiday, my week tends to be made up of giddy kids who have eaten too much chocolate and very expensive half days out at bowling/cinema/play area style establishments. After moving in with my better half last summer my family grew from three of us, myself, Daisy (11) and Darcy (8) to six including Paul, James (12) and Alfie (9). With six months between the older and younger ones, it’s very much like having two sets of twins. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier to please them all.

I had heard of Kidzania before and knew they had opened in London a couple of years ago. The kids also knew about Kidzania thanks to the magic of YouTube. One Sunday in late February, Mum (that would be me) had cooked a marvellous Sunday lunch and during said afternoon drank a few glasses of her favourite vino, coupled with consistent badgering through said lunch and vino escapade – voila! We were booked in for a lovely Easter day out at Kidzania.

We left Manchester Airport at 8.30am travelling by train into Euston where we then hopped on the Victoria Line changing at Oxford Circus onto the Central Line into Shepherds Bush underground. A short walk into Westfield Shopping Centre and we were at the entrance to Kidzania. You can’t miss it, there is a rather large replica BA Boeing 757 sticking out of the entrance where we collected our tickets which are in the style of a boarding pass (the kids LOVED this!) We then headed off to level 3 where we checked in. We were all supplied with an electronic wrist tag, this makes sure if you give your children the freedom to do their own thing inside the attraction you can be sure they can’t get out without you knowing about it. The kids are also given their 50 KidZos each to use inside.

When we entered the main area, it was set out like a little village, the first stop you come to is the Job Information Centre. It’s an adult free world here where kids rule, so it’s the children who are told the do’s & don’t for Kidzania. Once they have had the info they are free to get stuck in. We found a bench and had a sort out taking their coats and making sure they knew where meeting points and toilets were. They couldn’t wait to get started. Walking round each store/building there is a clear information sign on the walls that tells you how long the activity lasts, how many kids can take part in the activity and most importantly there is either a charge or salary amount. If there is a salary, this is how much they are going to earn by completing the job tasks involved and if there is a charge, this is what they must pay to complete the task. For example, to go to University – you pay them. If you become an Air Conditioning Engineer, they pay you.

There's lots to choose from and the areas are set up well. After having read reviews of the attraction I have to hold my hands up and say we were nervous that the four-hour slot we had would be taken up by mostly queues for each activity. This wasn’t the case at all and it was within an amiable wait for each job the kids picked. They even had a few where they walked right in, even considering this was the bank holiday weekend for Easter.

After realising the kids were all in their element we headed over the ‘The Garden Shed’, an adult only hideaway which has a few tables, a selection of magazines and a couple of PC’s. There are also plug sockets where you can, if needed, charge your phones/tablets. After sitting, having a chat we were curious as to what they were all up to next so went back for a wander to find them all cleaning the shop store front windows with window cleaner trucks and applicable overalls, rather excited since the salary for this exercise was lucrative in the world of KidZos. Since the focus for our four was making sure they got in for the highest paying jobs to maximise their KidZo collection this went down well.

We had packed a picnic and had an early lunch at about 11 before we got into London on the train but if you don’t want to pack and carry your own food there are plenty of places you can eat in there and the option for tea/coffee/light snacks. If your children want to be in the catering industry, then you can buy (with actual money) a ticket for the food outlets where the kids then make and prepare their own snack and even get to eat it after too! Talk about working for your supper!

We were all done for 4.30, back on the tube and the train with four very content but tired children. The entire day considering our train tickets, tube tickets and entrance to the attraction came in at £233.00 (£58.25 each for the six of us). OMG I hear you exclaim, but consider that if we had gone to the cinema this weekend to watch a film, purchased snacks and then went for a meal afterwards we would have easily spent £100 on the meal and drinks, £30 on snacks and then £65.20 on movie plus, let’s say two Easter eggs each at £4 a pop and we’re pretty much at £227. I think we absolutely made the right decision to invest in a day out at KidZania. We made so many memories and the kids can’t wait to get back to school to tell all their mates about it too!

For more information on day trips or weekend breaks in London to see KidZania for yourself, give me a call on 0161 437 1301.

Claire