The Energy Show, with added cable cars

The Science Museum has a new show for the summer and one of the HE parents we know managed to get free tickets for a group to go and see it, so we thought it too good an opportunity to miss. After such a busy weekend we were a little slow getting going, so it was fortunate that the show didn’t start until early afternoon. We ate lunch and read Story of the World on the train and arrived in good time for the show but with little time to do anything beforehand. It was in the IMAX but was a live show, apart from the virtual lab assistant projected onto the back wall. The show was very well done, light-hearted and funny but also very informative. All the children loved it and felt they had learned something new from watching it, even J 🙂

This summer the Science Museum presents the world premiere of The Energy Show: explosive family theatre for curious minds. Live at the Science Museum’s new theatre space, this electrifying show runs for 6 weeks only.

Produced by the Science Museum, this fast and furious summer show is suitable for everyone aged 7+.

After the show we went back to look more closely at some of the things we’d gone past to get there, starting with the Pattern Pod, which the girls enjoyed for a long while, investigating natural and man-made patterns and making some of their own. The boys went a-wandering and came back when they were ready to move on, taking us to a section which had computer-based decision-making games. We stayed there quite a while, discussing the ramifications of each decision as well as playing the games, then went to The Garden (A’s choice) while J took the others off to see The Secret Life of the Home. We finally tore A away from the water play and all went to Launchpad for lots of hands-on activities, which kept us busy until the museum closed.

When we were in London last year for the Paralympics K, L A and I went on the Emirates Air Line, a personal challenge for me given that I don’t much like heights and for A, who is often reluctant to try new things and had to be coaxed on. K and L loved it and wanted to take 6 there too, so we made our way over there (totally the wrong bit of London from the Science Museum, but never mind 😉 ) while J and A tried to make up their minds about whether or not to come on. Once there we stopped to admire a water jet pack user on the Thames and talked about how long it would take to do a round trip on the cable car. A decided she was brave enough to come on again, which made J think twice about being left on his own. He is really very height phobic, so I was quite surprised when he announced of his own accord that he was going to come on with us. Fortunately there was no queue so he had no time to think about it before we were in our car and I held onto him as the doors closed so he couldn’t try to jump out at the last minute and risk injury. He was petrified but trying very hard to be reasonable about it – I was actually rather impressed at his fortitude. A held my hand very tightly, while L and K were happily pointing out to 6 the sights we could see, thanks to the little map we’d been handed along with our tickets – last time we just had to guess so it was nice to have a bit more of an idea. 🙂

As we reached the highest part of the ride J burst into tears and sat on the floor, then slowly lifted himself back up and admitted that it wasn’t quite as bad as he’d thought it might be. We’d got 360 degree wristbands so that there would be no need to get off and on again (I hadn’t been certain we’d get J or A on again if they got off, and didn’t want to be stranded in the middle of Greenwich!) so as we arrived at the other end we just waved our arms a bit and stayed on for the return leg. This time J nibbled on a chocolate bar (he’d just held it on the way over, then dropped it a few times) and felt so much better that he stayed on the seat and by halfway over was even managing to take an interest in working out what we could see in each direction – definitely a successful trip 😀

After such an ordeal we felt that ice cream was in order. There were several flavours on offer, but bright blue bubblegum seemed to be a winner. 6 and I, more restrained, had lemon ices. Mixing and matching flavours (by tasting one another’s) led to some very interestingly coloured tongues: mine was yellow, most of the children’s blue or turquoise but 6’s bright green! We were trying to get a photo of all of us pulling faces to show them when a kind passer-by offered to take one for us. It’s surprisingly hard to stick your tongue out at a stranger, even when he’s told you you may!

By now A needed the toilet, so we asked at the Underground station and were pointed in the direction of the nearest public convenience, but it was closed for maintenance. A quick scout round and we spotted a cafe; they had no toilet but suggested a noodle bar a little further along, where the owner took pity on us and said we could use the toilet. Unfortunately, there was someone already in there, with a friend waiting outside. Nearly ten minutes later we were still waiting and so was the friend, and by then so was another customer. Eventually a woman stuck her head out of the bathroom to ask her friend for some tissues. She’d obviously been changing her clothes and doing her make-up (she had a big bag in there with her). Her friend told her to hurry up, a sentiment which we heartily echoed, poor A with her legs crossed by now! Finally she came out and her friend said we could go in first (I think she planned to change too, as she’d been going through her own big bag looking for things) but the first woman muttered about the toilet being blocked and no toilet paper and the whole place disgusting… We went in anyway – A couldn’t possibly have waited any longer – and there was nothing a good toilet flush couldn’t fix – the bowl was full of tissues she had obviously just dropped in the toilet 🙄 Much relief 😆 We bought some noodles to celebrate 😀

Sadly, we arrived at King’s Cross just in time to not catch a train, so had a long wait for the next, which we spent camped out on the platform drinking fresh juice poured over the remaining ice in the frozen water bottles we’d taken with us. It was a good day for ice 😉

It was a very late night, by the time we were safely home, but a good day all round.