Blog,  Days Out,  Parenthood,  Year 1

Fun Day Out at the SEA LIFE London Aquarium

For all things aquatic fun, a day out at SEA LIFE London Aquarium with its five themed zones  is a must. 

Over Easter break, the Class Reps organised an afternoon at SEA LIFE London Aquarium for the Y1 kids. Located next to the London Eye, combining SEA LIFE London Aquarium with another nearby attraction makes for a great family day out. The Y1 kids were excited to look for Nemo and all his aquatic friends. 

SEA LIFE London Aquarium operates a one-way system organised into five aquatic zones. You first walk across a glass walkway, “Shark Walk,” where you see the sharks and fish swim beneath your feet. At a leisurely pace, the London Aquarium takes a minimum of 2-2.5 hours.

London Aquarium
One-Way System through Five Zones

The Open Oceans covers sea creatures living in the vast Pacific Ocean as well as the Atlantic Ocean. At the Atlantic Coasts, you can marvel at different sea animals from sand eels to Wolffish, octopus, and more.  At the Ray Lagoon, the highlight here are the numerous rays swimming majestically across the waters. Open Oceans is filled with colourful tropical fish around the replica bones of a Grey Whale. The Ocean Tunnel makes you feel fully immersed in the ocean with various sharks and rays swimming above you. Submerged with Easter Island Heads, the Shipwreck gives a glimpse of aquatic life in the vast Pacific Ocean. 

Kids will be delighted by the mesmerising colours of Coral Kingdom. Find friends here from Disney’s Finding Nemo — the clownfish Nemo and his friend Dory, the Blue Tang fish. See the many seahorses in the Seahorse Kingdom curl their tails around seagrass, bobbing around the water while eating tiny microorganisms through their small snout. 

London Aquarium

The Rainforest Adventure gives a glimpse into life in the amazing Amazon rainforest including creepy crawlies such as tarantulas. There are other predators such as red-bellied piranhas and alligators. Get hands-on at the Rockpool Explorer where kids can touch and hold various sea animals. There are several “pop out” bubbles where kids can get up close to view small animals throughout the aquarium. 

Ocean Invaders is home to SEA LIFE’s collection of jellyfish. These mysterious sea creatures are 98% water with no brain and are older than ancient reptiles. Here you can see different jellyfish: Moon Jellyfish, Upside Down Jellyfish, and Japanese Sea Nettle. The Polar Adventure zone is all about Gentoo Penguins and their extreme habitat of Antarctica. Watch them swim, dive, and waddle through the icy temperatures. Be warned: they are seriously cute!

Pop Up Bubbles London Aquarium
Ending the Day at BrewDog Waterloo

After a fun-filled and educational outing at the SEA LIFE London Aquarium, we took the kids to BrewDog Waterloo for an early dinner and ice cream. The kids loved the indoor curly slide with a sign: “Unattended Children Will Be Asked To Collect Glasses”. If you have not been to BrewDog, it is spacious and a very family and dog-friendly place next to Waterloo station. A fantastic place for parents to enjoy whilst the kids ran wild at the slides. A lovely day out indeed for both parents and kids!