We’ll be whooping it up in style at Disco Loco this weekend, here’s what else is on for London kids and families.

ALL WEEKEND
Thu-Sun: Art by Animals (pictured) at Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, UCL, University St, WC1 (Euston tube)
Marvel at the handiwork of apes, elephants and other creatures and explore what distinguishes ‘art’ from nonsense. 1-5pm, FREE (until Mar 9)

Thu-Sun: Storytelling with Rachel Rose and Nell Phoenix at Selfridges, Oxford St, W1 (Bond St tube)
Fall under the spell of storytellers who have enchanted audiences at the Secret Garden Party and Burning Man Festival (Rose) and Sydney Opera House (Phoenix). Hear and share tales to inspire kids and adults alike. 11am-1pm (daily), 12-2pm (Sun), FREE (until Feb 5)

SATURDAY
Sat: Family Day: Model Your World at Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, E1 (Aldgate East tube)
Go on an artist trail around the gallery, then join in drawing and sculptural workshops to create a 3D landscape model and animate it to its own soundtrack. 12-4pm, drop-in; FREE

Sat: Comic Strip Bookmarks at Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, WC1 (Russell Square tube)
Be inspired by the exhibition Quentin Blake: As Large as Life (running until Apr 15) and make a cool comic strip bookmark to give as a gift or save for yourself. For ages 3-12. 1-4pm, FREE (book ahead 020 7841 3600) (Feb 4)

SUNDAY
Sun: Chinese New Year at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 (Shoreditch High St overground)
The party’s still on for the Year of the Dragon at this family day of folk dance, string music performances, calligraphy, paper-cutting and Chinese watercolour workshops, food and stalls. 11.30am-4.30pm, FREE (Feb 5)

Sun: Little Bookniks at Jewish Museum, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert St, NW1 (Camden tube)
Enjoy a day of laughter, stories, puppetry, film and music with Where the Wild Things Are screening and workshop, rip-roaring poetry, author/illustrator James Mayhew and his magic suitcase and more family fun. 10am-4.30pm, £3-£5 per event (Feb 5)

LOCAL PICK
Sun: Not So Silent Movies at King’s Place, 90 York Way, N1 (King’s Cross tube)
Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love, Billy Elliot) is this month’s guest composer providing the live soundtrack to a classic black and white flick starring comic heroes like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. 3pm; £12.50/£9.50 online savers (Feb 5)

Visit our February Calendar for more top family activities and events

Anybody who follows us knows the babes love to boogie.

We’ve bopped at Baby Loves Disco, waved our hands at Hip Hop Babies with Charlie Dark and this February half-term, you’ll find us four to the floor at Ministry of Sound for the LolliBop Mini Disco.

Both boys and mama share Birthday Month in February, with Ezra kicking off the celebrations at Disco Loco this weekend.

We’d heard great things about East London’s monthly family groove and couldn’t wait to check it out last November.

Disco Loco is a laid-back affair that welcomes ravers from crawlers upwards and features a busking room, occasional main stage acts, and regular guest DJs spinning funky tunes.

Ezra and Jed were soon in their element, throwing crazy shapes and bending low for the limbo.

Host Chu-E and DJs Emily and Reverend Milo Speedwagon kept the main crowd bubbling over, while a double bassist and his mini accompanist made the bar swing.

We stuffed our faces with popcorn, samosas and yummy cupcakes from Little Tart and partied until they swept us out the door.

Good times.

Wardrobe check: Lightning McQueen (Ezra) and Spiderman (Jed) outfits – both H&M

And a special Trendy Toddler shout out to Baxter below, very Mariachi chic!

On the Spot
Ane Larsen and Baxter, age 3
‘We live in Stoke Newington and had come once before. We heard about Disco Loco through a friend. It’s just a great idea and a place where I can have fun with my son, as well as have a dance and a drink!’

Disco Loco runs monthly, now at Core Arts on Homerton High St, E9, next event on Feb 5, 3-6pm, £3 entry, babies-in-arms FREE. Visit www.discoloco.org

Look out for more photos from our Disco Loco outing on our Facebook Page

Don’t forget to check out Trendy Toddler Tuesday at Mummy’s Busy World every week!

Did that get your attention? It certainly got ours.

We hotfooted it down to Westfield Shepherd’s Bush last weekend where we were met by the most glorious sight: a giant chocolate fountain in the foyer. And when I say giant, I mean to the roof.

It was pure Willy Wonka meets chocoholic fantasy.

The launch of the Joyville Magnificent Musical Chocolate Fountain was organised by Cadbury (Joyville is the mystical place where Cadbury’s chocolate is made, didn’t you know?) as part of their ‘joy’ movement – spreading happiness nationwide.

The scene at Westfield was like some strange chocolate secret society, with visitors donning purple hooded robes for the ‘induction’ (or possibly so we didn’t get our finest splattered in cocoa).

We were led around the bubbling fountain by the jolly Joyville team and given the inside scoop on how the joyous stuff is piped around the country.

There were cups of chocolate for tasting and a quirky dance performance by Camp Joyville. Camp indeed.

We left with massive grins and a goodie bag weighed down with a 1kg Cadbury’s Dairy Milk bar.

That’s us sorted until the Easter Bunny arrives!

The Joyville Chocolate Fountain will be touring the nation in 2012, heading to Manchester next. Keep an eye on the web site to see if it’s popping up near you soon!

It’s a weekend to celebrate, as we Enter (the Year of the) Dragon and Londoners get down in Chinatown. Happy New Year!

Hot Pick

Sun: Chinese New Year Celebrations, Chinatown, Shaftesbury Ave and Trafalgar Square (Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square tubes)
Spectacular Dragon dancing, Lion parade, acrobatics and more kick off the Year of Colin Farrell, Salvador Dali and other famous Dragons. There will be speeches, music and performances on the Trafalgar Square main stage and Chinese cuisine to enjoy. 10am (parade), 12-6pm (activities); FREE (Jan 29)

Sat: Hackney Children’s Variety Show- St John at Hackney Church, Lower Clapton Rd, E5 (Hackney Central overground)
Danny and his amazing balloons, jugglers, acrobats and a Tiny Travelling Tightwire Show are all part of the exciting action at this one off family special. 10am & 11.30am, £3 (Jan 28)

Sat-Sun: What a Wonderful World at Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Sq, King St, W6 (Hammersmith tube)
Another highly interactive show from Lyngo lets kids imagine what it’s like to create a new day from scratch. For ages 2-5. 10.30am, 12pm, 1.30pm & 2pm; £8/family £30; optional Messy Play activities 15 mins after each show (£11 with ticket). (Jan 28-29)

Sat-Sun: Walk London: Winter Wanders Weekend, various locations
Put your best foot forward on one of more than 50 free led walks, including the London of Oscar Wilde and Hidden Secrets for London, funded by Transport for London. Most trails are family-friendly but check ahead. From around 10am, FREE (Jan 28-29)

Sun: Laura Veirs sings from Tumble Bee at V&A Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Rd, E2 (Bethnal Green tube)
Come along for an afternoon of folk & roll as singer-songwriter Veirs sings from her children’s album Tumble Bee, featuring works by Harry Belafonte and Woody Guthrie. All ages. 4-4.30pm, drop-in; FREE (Jan 29)

Local Pick

Sat: Puppetry at Parasol, 14 Wharf Rd, N1 (Angel tube)
Join a member of the London School of Puppetry at this family workshop where you can see a professional string-puller in action and make your own puppet. For ages 4-8. 2.30-4pm, drop-in (booking advised): £3 (Jan 28)

Image source: www.imagerelax.com

She said she wanted to take a picture of me for Trendy Toddler Tuesday so I gave her my best Zoolander pose.

She was telling me to raise my head but I was too busy thinking about lunch.

Then I finally looked up and wow, look at all those lanterns. They’re beautiful! Like big paper footballs I want to reach up and kick (Arsenal)!

Chinatown is very colourful and smells delicious. We walked past stalls selling dragon masks to celebrate the Year of the Dragon and one man gave me a red balloon that said Happy Chinese New Year.

Everybody gets to be an animal in the Chinese horoscope.

Mum says I’m an Ox and that my stripy wellies are hot to trot!

Trousers – H&M
Jacket (as before) – Zara Kids
Boots – Next

Kung Hei Fat Choy – Happy Chinese New Year!

Don’t forget to check out Little M’s Trendy Toddler Tuesday every week on Mummy’s Busy World!

I know a lady who likes to eat dessert before her main course and, while I prefer my sweets after savouries, I always thought the idea was deliciously naughty.

Turning pudding into the star of the show has a ‘Let them eat cake’ type of decadence.

So I couldn’t wait to check out the Pudding Parlour at the Athenaeum Hotel, the ideal spot to get your just desserts.

I was invited to a blogger’s night out organised by Janis of Really Kid Friendly and Laura of London Baby, a chance to schmooze and booze with foodie and city bloggers and dip our spoons into what the Pudding Parlour had to offer.

The Athenaeum is a classy boutique hotel in Mayfair with eclectic decor and a stirred, not shaken kind of vibe. Janis said she deliberately chose somewhere with stairs and a grown-up atmosphere – ‘We’re out, free from buggies, let’s make the most of it’!

It was great to catch up with (or finally meet) bloggers and editors from Jenography, Not a Notting Hill Mum, Urban Mums, West London Mums, North London Mums, Maison Cupcake, Red Ted Art, King’s Rd, Kids Fun London and more.

Minutes into our arrival, we were sipping sweet pudding wines and eyeing up the cakes and pastries piled high on the glass centre table. Delicate macaroons, chocolate sundaes, cake pops, brownies and the December special – home made almond mince pies –all looked almost too good to touch, and tasted just this side of sinful.

The ‘Pudding of the Month’ is concocted by Edd Kimber, The Boy who Bakes (he won the Great British Bake Off 2010), while the rest of the constantly changing menu is expertly handled by the hotel’s French pastry chef and her team.

The lemon meringue slices were light and succulent, the perfect combo of tart and sweet (did I really eat 3?) I probably could have handled more of the fresh fruit tarts too.

And I loved seeing smiles light up the room as people discovered the chocolate mousse cups were contained in edible casing.

This is a wonderful venue for a girly night out, to bring a date for Valentine’s Day or for a quick treat before an evening in the West End.

It’s very reasonably priced at £10 per visit, £15 including a glass of pudding wine. If you’re after something stronger, there’s an extensive drinks list and I got pretty friendly with a Bourbon cocktail called Uncle Jack.

A couple more of those, and I’d have been on Jack’s lap sobbing out my life story.

Thankfully the bar was closing and the handful of us remaining had a sobering blast of winter air on our way to the tube.

But I’ll be back, for more exquisite puddings and another heart to heart with Uncle Jack.

The Pudding Parlour is open 8-11pm (Mon-Fri) and 9-11pm (Sat) at the Athenaeum Hotel, 116 Piccadilly, London W1J 7BJ (Green Park tube). Tel: 0207 499 3464

*This was a complimentary visit, thanks very much to the Athenaeum Hotel and the organisers!

This weekend we highlight a puppet show at Tricycle Theatre, Chinese New Year celebrations in the Docklands and in Camden, a Hootenanny (but no Jools Holland). Enjoy!

Fri-Sat: The Pied Piper of Hamelin at Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (Brondesbury overground)
The classic tale of a tricky piper and a town full of rats is told on stage using puppets, music and animated projections, for ages 4+. Remaining shows 1pm (Fri), 11am & 1pm (Sat); £6/£5 adv. (Jan 20-21)

Sat-Sun: Vaudeville Hootenanny at Zabludowicz Collection, 174 Prince of Wales Rd, NW5 (Chalk Farm tube)
The School for Creative Start Ups presents a weekend of crafty goodness with perfume mixology, jewellery design, stitching and other workshops, market stalls, handmade trade, vintage fairground, live performances, screenings and more. 12-6pm, FREE (Jan 21-22)

Sat-Sun: Chinese New Year at Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, E14 (Canary Wharf tube)
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at this fun weekend of mask-making, interactive storytelling, watercolour painting and dragon dance parade. 11am-4pm, FREE (Jan 21-22)

Sun: Willesden Green Wassail, NW2 (Willesden Green tube)
The countryside tradition of ‘wassailing’ (singing to apple trees for a fruitful harvest) becomes an urban adventure, as street performers and artists, families, greenies and foodies gather to celebrate local food sellers and producers. Meet at 2.15pm at Willesden Green Station and wind up at 4pm at Willesden Green Library for cake and apple drinks. Free, for all ages (Jan 22)

Local Pick

Fri-Sun: London Art Fair at Business Design Centre, 52 Upper St, N1 (Angel tube)
Explore offerings from more than 100 galleries showcasing the best in contemporary British art. 11am-7pm (Fri), 10am-7pm (Sat), 10am-5pm (Sun); adult £11 adv/£16 door, child under 12 FREE (until Jan 22)

Swagger.

I can’t even spell it, but mama says I’ve got it in spades.

Anyone can see I love to pose. I was dancing here, at the London A Cappella Festival last weekend and Mummy snapped me mid-flow.

It was a fun afternoon at King’s Place, there were people breaking out in song all over. This is one of our top spots to kick about – it’s not soft play exactly, but there’s usually something happening that kids can enjoy too.

And the floors are good for running and sliding.

Like my look? Dad said the jacket pattern’s a bit ‘Van Halen’ but Mum thinks it’s rocking.

Jacket by Nike (from my big friend Marcus).

Cord trousers by Gap.

Trainers by Puma.

Oh yeah, and swagger by Jed.

Editor’s note: Background painting is of filmmaker Isaac Julien, part of a really cool portrait series of famous graduates of Central Saint Martins arts school. If you’re in the area, do check it out!

Don’t miss Trendy Toddler Tuesday on Mummy’s Busy World every week!

It’s Friday the 13th coming up, are you feeling lucky? Put your game face on for the Ice Sculpting fest in Canary Wharf, play African board games and funky sounds at Rich Mix or sing your heart out at King’s Place.

Fri-Sat: London Ice Sculpting Festival at Montgomery Square + Canada Square Park, E14 (Canary Wharf tube)
The chill season returns to three spaces in Canary Wharf with 8 teams competing for ice sculpture glory, with wintry food and drinks at the Frost Fayre, masterclasses to learn to make your own snow husky, and a Snow Pit filled with real snow for sculpting. Opens from 9am-7pm (varying times and venues); FREE (Jan 13-14)

Sat-Sun: The Flight of Babuscha Baboon at Puppet Theatre Barge, Little Venice, opposite 35 Blomfield Rd, W9 (Warwick Ave tube)
Spoken word, marionettes, shadows and music tell the story of a baboon who wants to fly to the moon in a hot air balloon, but gets diverted by an elephant on the run from ivory hunters. For ages 3+. 11am & 3pm (Sat), 3pm (Sun); adult £10/child £8.50 (until Mar 18)

Sat-Mon: Baccala Clowns at Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, SE1 (Waterloo tube)
Enjoy 60 minutes of acrobatics, theatre and clowning around from some of today’s leading young circus stars, part of London International Mime Festival. 7.45pm (Sat & Mon), 4pm (Sun); £15/concs half-price (limited availability). (Jan 14-16)

Sun: A Bag Full of Art at Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York Sq, King’s Rd, SW3 (Sloane Sq tube)
Take kids ages 4 to 12 on a family-friendly exploration of the gallery, with an opportunity to draw and do activities based on the current exhibition. 10.30am, 12pm, 3pm & 4.30pm; £3 per child (first 3 Sundays monthly, until Apr 29)

Sun: Mwalimu Express at Rich Mix, Bethnal Green Rd, E1 (Shoreditch High St overground)
All aboard for London’s only Pan-African adventure for all the family. This weekend it’s Destination Lagos, with live Afrobeat and Nigerian DJ sessions, parent & toddler dance, crafts stalls, African board games (Oware). Plus a Q&A with filmmaker Jeremy Marre and screening of his film Konkombie featuring Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, IK Dairo and more music legends. 2-6pm, FREE (Jan 15)

Local Pick

Thu-Sat: London A Cappella Festival at King’s Place, York Way, N1 (King’s Cross tube)
Bringing together the best in choral, jazz, Scandinavian rock choirs, beatbox and British Barbershop, this vocal festival sweeps over King’s Place for one weekend. Includes Schools on Stage (Fri, 4pm) plus free foyer performances daily – audience participation mandatory! Varying times from 11am; tickets from £9.50, foyer shows FREE (Jan 12-14)

Find more great family events in our January Calendar

Pic via London Ice Sculpting Festival web site

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If you are looking for something new and fun to do with your kids, then have you considered exploring Greenwich in South East London?

You may have been to Greenwich before with your partner or your friends to visit the famous market, which sells everything from stylish clothes and traditional international cuisine, to beautiful accessories – similar to ones you might have seen on 77 Diamonds – as well as stunning paintings by local artists. But what does Greenwich have to offer for families?

The Biscuit Café

If you and your kids love arts and crafts, then you are sure to like The Biscuit Café. Situated just opposite the University of Greenwich, this modern art café allows you to design and paint your very own piece of crockery, while enjoying a cup of tea and a home made cake or the speciality ice cream. Mugs, bowls, plates and vases are just a few of the items you can choose from. Then you simply sit down, help yourself to coloured paints and brushes and get creative!

Greenwich Park

On a beautiful summer’s afternoon, why not take your children to see the roaming deer in Greenwich Park? The park is also home to dozens of birds who are normally found splashing around in the small boating lake. Alternatively, if you are feeling adventurous, you could hire a small pedalo and take your children for a little boat ride.

Sweet Treats

We all know how much kids love sweets, so why not take them to Mr Simms Olde Sweet shop, situated on Church Street? The vintage styled sweet shop sells a mixture of modern and old fashioned treats, from Rhubarb and Custards to Jazzies and White Mice. In addition, music from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is normally playing which adds a wonderfully magical atmosphere to the shop.

This is a guest post, with a little bling from our sponsor.

Pic: Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich