After posting my list of 12 things I planned to do with the kids in London this Autumn, we started ticking things off with a visit to the wonderful Museum of London for their Great Fire of London exhibition.

I love the exhibition graphics so made the kids pose in front of the entrance signage!  Alex and Sophie were joined by Emilia who was up visiting for the weekend with Katharine.

They got into the spirit of the topic pretty quickly!

We headed straight down to the exhibition, pausing for more posing at the cool entrance!

The lighting was really dark and atmospheric with many of the exhibits that told the story of the fire being projected onto the walls in a really eye-catching and dramatic way.  Of course, it made photographs almost impossible – but made the experience totally immersive.  The children were fascinated.  Here’s Sophie watching the first sparks of the fire on Pudding Lane!

And the trio watching the fire quickly spread.  It was spectacular to watch it creep along the walls.

After the early, expositional section, the exhibition became more hands-on. with thematic sections focusing on different aspects of the Great Fire and its legacy.  The children, of course, enjoyed dressing up and having a go at putting out the fire 1666 style!

Alex spent ages playing on a simple simulation game where he used different fire-fighting techniques from 1666 to try and save as many houses as possible. Here he is trying some dynamite to destroy houses to create a firebreak.

He also enjoyed looking at artefacts from the Fire in a magnifying glass to see the heat damage up close.

And Sophie loved rebuilding the capital.

It was a fascinating exhibition – with beautiful storytelling graphics, really interesting displays and loads of activities for children.  I learned so much and I know the kids did too.

Although I think the most memorable thing for them was the cafe afterwards!  They actually had Fire of London themed cupcakes!  Sophie was delighted with the fire icing!

After our tea break, we had a quick run around the rest of the museum.  Alex spent a spot of time in jail:

And recreated Singin in the Rain, before introducing Emilia to the hands-on London transport zone!

A real bonus for us was an unexpected opportunity to get up close to the London 2012 Olympic Flame.  I had no idea it was at the Museum of London.  It was enormous and absolutely beautiful.  I loved spending a few minutes to hear about the creation of the design.  Such a stunning reminder of a wonderful Summer.

After some frustrating train delays, we were homeward bound (sorry about the photo Katharine, but the kids looked so cute together I had to post it!)

The Museum of London is always worth a visit, but I’d highly recommend visiting while the Great Fire exhibition is on.  You’ve got till 17 April 2017!