Our day at the Discover Children's Story Centre, Stratford – Mummascribbles

On Monday, the very first day of the Easter holidays, the other half had booked the day off work and we had arranged to meet up with a couple of our friends and their kiddies. Originally we were set to go bowling, but with a couple of smaller kids, we figured it might not be the best idea, and instead, the other half had the fabulous idea of going to the Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford, East London.

I have wanted to take the boys there for ages but kept not getting round to it. At one point they had a Julia Donaldson event on, but it was fully booked when I looked and having now been, I’m gutted that I didn’t get to take them to that. Hopefully one day they will bring it back again.

At the moment though, their special event is The Tiger That Came To Tea and Mog, so it was sure to be just as good, as they are such wonderful books. So on Friday last week we booked tickets for us all to go on Monday.

We hopped on the train that goes direct to Stratford and were there in twenty minutes. First up we went to Westfield to grab the boys some new trainers – which is where we also met our friend who was getting her kids feed measured too! It was chaos in Clarks I tell you! We then went to the small play area in the food court where the kids had a play, we all ate some food, and our other friend and her daughter joined us before we made our way over to the Story Centre.

As soon as we walked in, we were all amazed! It is the most incredible place for kids. With boats where they can be captains, rocket ships where they can be astronauts, mirrors, a huge wooden xylophone type thing to walk on and play music, tunnels to explore, lights that you kick your foot over which then play different musical sounds, slides to have fun on, cloud seats to chill out on, flags to raise, crafty stuff to do, and many things hanging from the ceiling. It is really fabulous.

There is then the outdoor area. More slides, fireman poles, a climbing wall, more mirrors, and more musical instruments to play. Luckily the weather was on our side on Monday afternoon and we spent a fair while enjoying the outside area.

And then it was time for the storytelling session and interactive exhibition.

We went downstairs and waited in a room before we were asked to queue up and taken into the next room where the storytelling was about to happen. It was a small room with a curtain and the actor who was acting out The Tiger That Came To Tea begun. She was fantastic and the kids were completely captivated throughout, especially when the tiger was revealed behind the curtain.

Once the storytelling was over, we were asked to go through another door where we were taken into the interactive exhibition area which was epic. It was all to do with the Mog stories and featured the town to explore. The kids got to shop in the grocery store, they got to be the bus driver, pretend play with birthday cake, play with the ducks in the pond, lay in the giant cat bed, and go through the cat flap!  And of course, cuddle Mog himself!

They could then also pop back into the storytelling area where The Tiger was ready for photo opps, and the kids decided to re-tell the story themselves which was just adorable!

The whole thing lasted about 40 minutes, I’d say 15 minutes or so for the storytelling activity and then the remainder running around like loons!

Once we were done, we went back out into the main area and the kids continued to play for a bit while we got ourselves together, changed nappies, and went to the loo, and then we left, heading back to the station to catch our train home.

And at the end of all that, we went to the pub at the end of our road, ate too much food, too much ice cream, and we took two exhausted boys home and got them straight to bed!

I would highly recommend visiting the Discover Children’s Story Centre, if you are looking for something to do in London with small children. We spent a good few hours there and the kids had the best time. They basically ran around like crazy things exploring every nook and cranny that they could find.

They have many events on throughout the year, most of which are storytelling events, so it’s worth seeing what’s on and when to see if you can tie any extra fun into your visit.

Tickets are £6.50 per person, 1 year olds cost £2, and children under one are free. There is also a family ticket available for £22 and concessions for people living in the Borough of Newham. The Tiger Who Came To Tea / Mog exhibition is an extra £1.50 and is on until September 2019. It’s well worth booking in advance to ensure that you grab your space as spaces are limited.

I will definitely be taking the boys back there again in the future. It’s so easy to get to and relatively inexpensive – it’s a no brainer when it comes to entertaining the kids for a few hours!

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