Often the first choice for a museum visit, the major attractions at the Science Museum include the Launch Pad, with hands-on activities for all ages. The newest attraction is the Wellcome Wing, which opened in the summer of 2000 and includes an IMAX cinema. Nearby, the Natural History Museum has a fantastic wealth of environmental information, from the cretaceous period until the present. A huge reconstructed dinosaur skeleton hogs the main entrance hall, and there are plenty of interactive galleries including Investigate, which allows all ages to try out microscopes and other scientific equipment.
Egyptian sleepovers take place from time to time.
A selection of educational toys are good for play and, on Saturdays, free one-hour art workshop sessions take place for children aged three and above. Off the beaten track, the Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham deals with the history of the local community, but also has a new Inventor Centre with interactive exhibits and 20 acres of surrounding parkland. It's an excellent space for families in the summer, and free kids' activities on Saturdays and Sundays, 2-4pm. And don't forget the Courtauld Gallery, which reopened at Somerset House in 1998. Wood Green tube, then 243 bus.