Greater London
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All museums or galleries listed here love having young visitors - so get out and about and have fun!
Click on the museum names to find out where they are and when they open.
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The Ragged School Museum
Take a journey back through the history of the East End of London. Find out what it was like to be taught over a hundred years ago by stepping back in time in the museum's Victorian classroom. Will you be top of the class?
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Find out about Lord Nelson and how life at sea has changed over hundreds of years. There's a massive collection of navigation and timekeeping instruments, charts and maps, coins and medals, ship and weapon models, as well as uniforms and art.
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The Old Operating Theatre, Museum & Herb Garret
Here you find out two very different ways that sick people were treated in 18th and 19th centuries.
The herb garret (attic) was used by a local apothecary (chemist) to store the herbs which he used to make his potions, pills, and ointments.
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In the operating theatre you can find out what it was like to have an arm or leg amputated (cut off!) before painkilling anaesthetic was invented. Take a look at all the scary surgical instruments - just make sure you leave with the same number of arms and legs you went in with!
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Kew Bridge Steam Museum, Brentford
Steam power comes alive at this museum. In the 1800s, the building supplied Londoners with water.
Most weekends you can see steam pumping engines working, and from March to November you can ride on London's only steam railway every Sunday.
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Have a go controlling the Sewer Robot, and hunt for the hidden creatures in the sewers. There is also 7-foot high interactive model of the Boulton and Watt beam engine, which sets you the challenge of driving the engine to fill up the reservoir and save Freddie The Fish from dying!
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Geffrye Museum
What does your living room look like? And what would it have looked like if you'd been born in the 1600s?
Walk through time at this museum - the amazing collections of furniture, textiles, paintings and decorative arts are displayed in a series of living rooms from 1600 to the present day.
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On the first Saturday of every month there's a range of fun activities, including quizzes (all ages) and creative crafts (suitable for ages 6 - 15).
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Natural History Museum
One of the oldest and most famous museums in the world. It's full of fantastic stuff to see and do. Don't miss the 'Investigate' room in the basement where you can have a go at being a scientist yourself, or the new Darwin Centre - packed with animal pickles!
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Discover
A new museum all about telling stories, where you get to play with everything you see! You'll really love it at Discover if you're aged between two and nine.
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Hackney Museum
Find out all about Hackney and its people here. On the first Saturday of every month they run free workshops for families.
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Science Museum
Ever wondered how your brain works? Or how a rocket zooms into space? This museum is full of answers to tricky questions, and it's loads of fun too.
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Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green
This museum is loads of fun - go and enjoy their toys, fun bags, art, craft, dance, soft play and puppets!
There's a brilliant collection of dolls' houses, and even a display of children's clothes from the past.
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Horniman Museum & Gardens
The Music, Natural History and World Culture Galleries make the Horniman a great day out.
There are always loads of activities to join in with. If you're into art and crafts there's a workshop for you to try every Saturday - they're free but places are limited so make sure you get there early!
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Tate Britain
This gallery is full of beautiful paintings - you'll get lots of ideas for your own pictures here!
Every Saturday and Sunday as well as in the holidays The Art Trolley is packed with great stuff to do, all designed to get you looking at and thinking about the art around you.
Photo © Drawing Power
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Museum of London
See the treasures left behind by the Londoners of years gone by.
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It's getting hot at the museum... the London’s Burning: the Great Fire of London 1666 exhibition is on until winter 2009.
Explore the Great Fire, the most famous disaster in London's history, and find out how it shaped the city we know today. Be transported back to September 1666, check out archaeological finds and 17th century firefighting equipment and see the Great Fire through the eyes of the survivors.
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London Transport Museum
Going here is like taking a trip back in time - you'll meet all sorts of characters from London's past AND you get to climb about on buses.
Even better since it had a big redesign and reopened in 2007.
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Dulwich Picture Gallery
This is the perfect place for budding artists to visit.
You can be inspired by the art on the walls and have a go at all of the hands-on activities. If you live nearby there's even an after-school art club.
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National Portrait Gallery
You'll find pictures of all sorts of people here... David Beckham, the Queen, Kitty Fisher, Kate Winslet. You never know who you might meet. If you can't get there, have a play with the Face It! game, created by a team from the gallery and Show Me.
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The British Museum
One of the first and most famous museums in the world, this has something for everyone including: Egyptian mummies and Greek and Roman collections. Don't miss it.
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Handel House Museum
This museum celebrates life and works of the composer Handel. You can see portraits of Handel in the beautiful Georgian rooms where he lived, and hear his music!
Every Saturday afternoon there are great free drop-in activities for kids. Take your pick from special 'Handel This!' quiz trails, get crafty with 18th century activity bags, or try on a Georgian costume.
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There are also baroque musicians rehearsing live - an ideal opportunity to peek inside the harpsichord to see how it works!
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The Cartoon Museum
This museum has a huge collection of cartoons from books, newspapers and comics.
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