Perfect weather and London are not particularly synonymous. But the season of Spring has been glorious thus far so I decided to take advantage of the weather and jazz up our Easter Holidays. Using my knowledge of real estate, love of luxury and desire to continually seek fun educational opportunities for J & B, I adapted the  the traditional Easter Egg Hunt to an exhilarating Easter Skyscraper Hunt.

Skyscraper Worksheets

The kids were given pictures of buildings and their task was to name the buildings, determine the location, the building height, work out how to get there by public transport, determine the materials the buildings are made from and find out who designed the building. Given J’s profound knowledge of the underground, knack for knowing 90% of bus routes, devising routes was quick and easy and he saved my bacon more than once when I almost insisted on boarding the wrong bus and then the wrong tube!  Anything they didn’t know, e.g. building designer,  they Googled or should I say Safaried on my 6-plus. We started by locating the Heron Tower, followed by a celebratory lunch at the Duck & Waffle restaurant, situated on the 40th floor of the building offering spectacular views across London and the most delicious Rosemary infused cheese bread one could ask for. Next find – the Gherkin at 30 St Marys Axe.  The kids were in their element, they had often seen the building from afar, usually whilst on the top deck of the 242 heading down the Kingsland Road (shout out to Hackney), so to get close to the building, touch it and proudly say, “it’s made from metal and glass” was a proud moment for them. Next the Cheesegrater building (aka Leadenhall Buidling) was another spectacular sight. Followed by the Walkie Talkie building located at 20 Fenchurch Street. Finally (because mother was tired) we took a leisurely stroll to the Shard followed by drinks in the bar area, not withstanding a comment from the staff that children are not permitted after 6.30pm. St Paul’s Cathedral and One Canada Water were observed from a distance at various angles around London because as I stated before – I was tired.

At the Heron Tower

At The Gherkin

At the Cheese grater Building

At the Walkie Talkie Building

We enjoyed our day, the kids had a fun day filled with tales of buildings, views of London, appreciation of how great London is followed by a comment that they now want to do a Skyscraper Hunt in New York City. The things I set myself up for! And of course I’d do it again. It’s a little reminder that to have the ability, perseverance and patience to use my work and experiences to create educational opportunities whilst simultaneously developing lifelong skills and a love of learning reminds me that I’m doing a great job as a mother. #blowingmytrumpet