The London Children's Museum is ready to open its doors to kids of all ages

Doors are ready to open to welcome Londoners of all ages at the new London Children's Museum next week.  

After four decades at a historic school building at 21 Wharncliffe Road, the museum has moved to the fourth floor of the historic cereal factory at 100 Kellogg Lane.

The reimagined museum features captivating exhibits that include a treehouse village, a child-sized town, dinosaur digging, tunnels, water fun, and much more. 

"This is such a special moment for our team, for the community," said Kate Ledgley, the museum's executive director. "It has been a long journey and we are so incredibly excited to finally be welcoming families into the new space."

The museum will also have interactive areas where children can create and learn more about London and its growing community.

The move to 100 Kellogg Lane came after space at the former location became quickly outgrown with over three million visitors. The team wanted a space where new exhibits and programs could be easily accessible to children without any restrictions. Plus, the community expressed the need to be at a location that is centrally convenient to bus routes and parking. 

"When we found this space, and we met with the owners of 100 Kellogg Lane, their vision for this entire space was absolutely incredible," said Ledgley. "To be part of an overall cultural destination, it was just a very special place to be." 

The museum creates opportunities for children to spend time away from their digital screens. Ledgley highlights the benefits for kids to develop and build new skills, as well as discover new elements through hands-on learning. 

"What's happening when children are here is they're absolutely having fun. They're immersed in the joy of play, but they are also learning," she said. 

"We design this so that we can engage children, tweens, and teens."

A community-involved project 

Londoners got to give input into the development of the children's museum, including the kids themselves. 

From its floor plans to the exhibit themes, over 500 children, families and community members participated in consultations, workshops, surveys and interviews about the planning and design process, all while also keeping certain elements from its old home.

"We didn't want to completely reinvent, we know it's a place that families have loved for many, many years, so you're going to see a lot of the same themes [and] a lot of similarities," said Ledgley. 

"But it's just been expanded. It's been out of the minds of children and their imagination." 

The museum also kept its dig pit, the caves and the astronomical exhibit where children can still pretend to blast off in space and view the stars in the planetarium. 

"Those are some of the iconic things, and then we have some really fun new things for families to discover," said Ledgley. 

On Monday, the children's museum will be opened to exclusive members for a preview. Public previews start on Jan. 7, and a grand opening is set for the weekend of Jan. 25.

For more information, visit the London Children's Museum website.