Please note that this event has already occured.
Key information
Date: Sunday 17 September 2017
Time: 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Venue: Potters Fields Park, next to City Hall and Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2AA, GB
Cost: Free
Join the London Curriculum Team as part of the Totally Thames Festival for a fantastic afternoon celebrating the famous river. Collect a free copy of ‘The River’, our new trail for children, parents and carers. We’ve got four other Family Explorer Trails for you to pick up. They’re a great way for families to find out more about this brilliant city and have fun too!
There are loads of exciting free workshops and activities to join in. Meet actors in role as some of the people who lived and worked by the Thames in the past. Jump on board the MOLA Time Truck to explore archaeological finds from the river. Build your own renewable energy model out of LEGO® bricks. Make a fantastic Puppet Pike or listen to the story of Abdul Miah, a Lascar sailor. No need to book – just turn up!
Activities to expect;
River trail: Join Fen the Fox as he slinks up and down the banks of the Thames. Find out how important the river has been to London and Londoners, from Roman times until the present day. Complete lots of fun activities, puzzles and quiz questions.
MOLA Time Truck: Jump on board to explore the archaeology that has been uncovered along the Thames foreshore. The objects and fragments shed light on the personal lives of the people who lived and worked here. They also help tell the wider story of how the river shaped development of London. Have a go at making a Roman Amulet, write on a tablet and dress up as Roman! Drop-in activity.
Storytelling: Hear a sailor’s story. Abdul Miah: the story of a Lascar sailor who came to England in the 19th century. Discover why he left Kolkata and his experiences when he arrived in London in the 1890s. This workshop is reproduced with kind permission of the Museum of London. Times: 30 minute sessions at 1.30, 2.30 and 3.30.
Actors: Meet some of the famous figures from the past who’ve played an important role in building London. From St Paul’s architect Sir Christopher Wren to William Shakespeare, Roman Londoners, to Victorian street sellers, come and have a chinwag. The Roman servant and the Victorian costermonger appear by kind permission of the Museum of London.
LEGO® Build: The LEGO® Group will be running their Build the Change activity. Your challenge is to build something that can catch renewable energy (windmill, solar panels etc.) and something to power with it. Let your imagination run wild! Now, where did I put my wind-powered toothbrush? Drop-in activity.
Art and design activity: Design and decorate your own Puppet Pike then make him swim along the banks of the river!