What we did on our holidays…
School holidays are here, but what is there for bored teenagers to do around Islington in London? Children's Express reporters discovered movies, exhibitions, computer games and even a city farm.
| For computer crazed teen-agers, Game On is the ideal place to go, and it probably works out cheaper than an arcade. |
Warner Village Cinema, N1 Centre
Islington has finally caught up with the 21st Century with the opening of this brand new nine-screen multiplex cinema earlier this month.
It's a futuristic place - almost like stepping into another world - with loads of TV screens at high volume pumping out film trailers as you enter. The whole place smells brand new. It's so clean and tidy.
So what's it like watching a film there? The actual screen was a good size and the whole complex was air conditioned, great for a hot summer's day. The seats were extremely comfortable, with loads of legroom. It was so well designed on a fairly steep slope that even the smallest person would have no problems seeing everything.
The only downside was the price - £4.90 for those 14 and under, and a whopping £5.80 for fifteen year olds during the day, rising steeply to a staggering £8.10 in the evening.
The popcorn was also expensive at £3.50 for a regular tub - and it wassn't very nice either.
This is the price we pay for getting West End standards on our doorstep. For us it was a great afternoon of luxury cinema viewing, but not something we'd be able to afford too often.
P.S. We strongly recommend Spiderman (Cert 12).
The Arsenal Museum
Arsenal may have won the double but is their museum, open every Friday in the stadium's North Stand, top of the league?
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| Children's Express reporters Jenny and Nestor on the terraces at Highbury. |
As you walk in, the first thing you see is a huge wall-size photo of the 1998 double winning side, with the chance for visitors to pose with the champions. Then you can climb on top of the team bus and pose with a cardboard cut-out of Tony Adams with the cup.
We enjoyed the 20-minute film telling the history of the club, including lots of action from the double winning sides of recent years.
The museum itself was far from huge, but it did contain some interesting objects, including a replica of the Premiership trophy and a waxwork of George Graham - which didn't look a bit like him! We did, though think many of the displays could have been more visual. There was a bit too much reading for our tastes.
We enjoyed playing on a computer football game, and the Arsenal quiz was good fun too (although it's a shame the machine wasn't working properly).
At the end, we got to have a look at the pitch, which we found interesting. To us, the stadium looked surprisingly small.
Our main regret was that we didn't get to see anything behind the scenes, such as the dressing rooms, and we weren't allowed to go onto the turf.
At £1 for under 16s, we thought the Arsenal Museum was good value for anyone with an interest in football. But for a Gunners fan it would be heaven!
Freightliners Farm, Holloway
Not everyone knows that there are cows, goats and sheep living in the middle of Islington. Freightliners Farm is a great place for people of all ages.
It may be small, but there's plenty to see. We got to feed Olivia the cow and stroked the goats and rabbits. We were even allowed to help collect eggs from the hens.
The farm is running workshops throughout the holidays - giving young people the opportunity to try out activities such as pottery, weaving and making a beeswax candle.
Entry is free, but the workshops cost either £1 or £1.50. We attended one on felt-making. It was amazing to learn that by taking a lump of wool, adding water and pressing hard you can end up with a piece of felt to take home.
We think the city farm is really good fun for anyone under 11. We enjoyed learning new things in an interesting way.
Liz, the education officer, was really friendly and helpful, and explained everything to us. It was interesting seeing all the different sorts of vegetables, especially pumpkins, courgettes and corn on the cob.
Freightliners Farm is open every day except Mondays. It's a great afternoon out.
Game On, Barbican Centre
Game On is wicked! The Barbican has a reputation for being a stuffy place for classical concerts and art exhibits. But little did we expect to find a hands-on exhibition dedicated to computer games.
There were around 200 different games spread over 2 floors, ranging from the 1970s basic Pong tennis game to Space Invaders, Pac Man, Sonic the Hedgehog and current games such as Tomb Raider.
Our favourite was the Japanese style dance machine, although we'd have been happier if we'd been allowed drinks in the exhibition after a tough workout!
We got a glimpse of things to come, with a futuristic game where your body movements control what's happening on the screen.
As well as having fun, the exhibition was educational, too. We liked the way it was laid out from past to present and with different sections devoted to subjects like early computers, Japanese game culture and character design. For those not too keen on non-stop gaming, there's cinema clips explaining the history of games and photographs looking at their impact on young people.
The only downside is the cost. For those 15 and under it's excellent value at just £5 to play as many games as you like. But we thought £11 for those 16 and over was too steep and would leave a hole in any student's pocket.
For any computer crazed teenager, however, Game On is the ideal place to go, and it probably works out cheaper than an arcade.
About the team
This story was produced by Gabriella Gay, 16, Danyel Edwards, 16, Jenny Roe-Stanton, 16, Annabel McLeod, 15, Nestor Sayo, 11, and James Jordan, 10. It was published by the Highbury and Islington Express.
