Search options for activities
The app is well designed, colourful and easy to use. There are five options to choose from which appear along the bottom of the screen, these are Activities, Top 5, Map, Jokes and Info.When you load the app, the Activities screen is displayed and you are presented with six search options which are A-Z where you can search by alphabet; Area where you can search by region e.g North, West, Southeast; Cost from Free activities to those categorised as £, ££ or £££; Where...? ideas where you can do things like "Be Active" and "March with Soldiers", Tagged where the activities you have tagged appear for easy look up and Ratings displays the ratings you have given activities.
Where...? Search options
Map view of activities
If you select Top 5 you can select things such as Top 5 Places to run around, Adventure Playgrounds, Places to eat, Things to spot and so on. If you click on Map you will see all the activities marked with icons on the map. Kids are sure to love the jokes which appear when you click on Jokes, they may be a little corny are sure to give some laughs even for the adults. Finally Info includes Instructions on how to use the app, a note for Parents and credits.
Top 5 Activities
We live in London and while we have done some of the big touristy things with Ben like ZSL London Zoo, The Aquarium and the Princess Diana Memorial Playground this book has given us a whole host of fantastic new ideas for things to do. Ben is dinosaur obsessed at the moment so we have decided our next family outing will be a trip to the National History Museum where he can "stare a T-Rex in the eye".
Stare a T-Rex in the eye - we will definitely be doing this soon!
I like the fact that on each activity it states the cost to get in, whether there are eating places available, if there are height restrictions and whether they are suitable for a rainy day along with full address details, phone number, website, opening hours and the nearest tube station. Searching by area such as West, East etc is very useful as is the ability to search by cost and you will be surprised to discover that there are actually tonnes of free stuff to do around London for kids.
Top Tips
Activity information
The Guide book itself is a fantastic resource on London for kids to have. It is not only is packed with all the information kids will need for a visit to London but has lots of gold stars which can be used to update the various activities as they are completed. It is written in a child appropriate language and style and is perfect for young readers aged 6+. It would make a great gift for kids before a planned trip or even to keep them occupied on the journey to London.
London Unlocked Guide book
The London Unlocked app is available to download from the App Store for £1.99 and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The Guide Book can be purchased from the Unlocked Guides site through Amazon and costs £5.19.* Disclaimer: I received a promocode for the London Unlocked app and a free copy of the Guide in exchange for a review but this has in no way biased my opinion - I highly recommend both these items if you are looking for things to do around London with kids.
