Teachers Out and About in the UK in January 2010

Hi everyone. Well, a new blog post as I know many of you will be travelling to the UK soon, providing some ideas of things to do and places to visit. But as always, you may also have other suggestions, so please add your comments. Last time I received a couple of requests and have added these items to the blog. 

Well, the weather is really cold this year, so don’t forget to take a nice, warm coat and it’s much better to wear several layers of clothing. Indoor heating can be stifling.

In the very cold weather, no better place to hide in than in a good museum, so here are some interesting exhibitions happening at the moment.

Museums:

British Museum

Worth going to the Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler special exhibition. It explores Aztec civilisation under the last elected ruler, Moctezuma II (reigned AD 1502–1520) Moctezuma exhibitionWatch the video for a preview of what it’s about. Tickets cost: £12,00

The National Gallery

If you’ve never been, perhaps you might like to follow their suggested tour of the 30 must-see paintings in the gallery.

Opening hours: Daily 10am–6pm, Fridays 10am–9pm.  Free entry.

Victoria & Albert Museum

Apart from being a beautiful museum, there’s a really great special exhibition called Decode: Digital Design Sensations. It’s a showcase on the latest in digital and interactive design. Excellent for those who enjoy the more technological side of design.

Daily 10.00–17.30 Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 Tickets cost: £5,00

Natural History Museum

They have just recently opened the Darwin Centre, which shows the latest research and scientists in action. You can immerse yourself in the Cocoon experience, but please note that even though the event is free, you need to book. For those feeling adventurous enough, there is a huge ice skating rink outside the museum.

Music:

London is a great city for music and you can gear very good music for free.

Saint Martin in the Fields, in Trafalgar Square regularly holds free lunchtime concerts. Check the programme in order to see what appeals to you.

http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/jserv/concerts/viewmonth.jsp?month=0&year=110

National Portrait Gallery

Free Friday evening concerts. Check the programme. But perhaps you might enjoy the event linked to the Beatles to Bowie: the 60s exposed exhibition on Friday 15th.

Royal Opera House – two wonderful ballets to be seen: Romeo & Juliet (Prokofiev) and The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky). You might catch Thiago Soares, Brazilian ballet dancer, dancing the main male lead role. Some tickets priced at £5, in the Gods.

Theatre:

A great production to see in London is a Broadway production by Debbie Allen (famous for the original musical FAME) of Tennessee William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  The Royal National Theatre’s production of War Horse is still a definite must. (See previous blog post). Still showing at the West End.

Remember to go to Leicester Square`s ticket booth to try to buy cheaper tickets.

Other Locations:

Cambridge

Cambridge University celebrating 800 years – Transforming Tomorrow celebration finale on Saturday 16^th – Monday 18^th January. Open air – free. A light show designed by world-renowned light artist Ross Ashton will be projected onto Senate House and Old Schools to show the transformations which have happened as a result of research. Should be quite an experience, although it can get really chilly in Cambridge. So wrap up warm.

Teachers Out and about in the UK in July 2009

The idea behind this is to provide teachers visiting the UK with a monthly suggestion of things to do there. The list is by no means exhaustive. Each month will focus on different options, different cities (although London will always have a number of suggestions for obvious reasons). I've kept in mind that those coming from Brazil are running a tight budget, so I’m always on the lookout for free events.

The suggestions are very much based on things I think teachers will benefit from by seeing or being a part of and hopefully, these will be events which you’ll be able to draw something out of for your own classroom practice, for your own personal growth and for your life.Please give me feedback on the suggestions so I can think of other events you might be interested in.

For all the events listed below, sites are provided with online booking options. All you need is a credit card to buy in advance if you wish.

Theatre
War Horse –the Royal National Theatre production now playing at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane. War Horse is a wonderful production based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo. Actors, working with life-sized puppets take audiences on an unforgettable journey through history.

Cherry Orchard – by Checkov. Directed by Sam Mendes. Playing at the Old Vic. Fantastic cast and the play has received good reviews.

Hamlet – with Jude Law at the Wyndhams Theatre. Directed by Michael Grandage. The reviews for Hamlet have been good, as they have for Jude Law.

As You Like It – Shakespeare – Globe Theatre - New Globe Walk, Bankside.
This is not an outstanding production, but it’s good. Well worth going to for the experience. Pay £5 and stand in the Yard, then you get the full experience of theatre in Shakespeare’s time. If it rains all you do is put a rain mac on – no umbrellas allowed.

Dance/Opera

Royal Opera House - Summmer BP Big Screen - The Barber of Seville – Wednesday, 15

July – Trafalgar Square - at 7.30pm. Composer - Gioachino Rossini. FREE.

For those who enjoy opera or may never have been before, a great opportunity to enjoy the London Summer and go to a free event. Free transmission of the Royal Opera House’s production. Will be held in Trafalgar Square.

Music

Royal Albert Hall – Prom Concerts. On July 17th the first Prom starts. Prom concerts are traditional and the concerts are so popular that people queue overnight for tickets. If you enjoy classical music, well worth going, not only to see the magnificent Royal Aalbert Hall, but also to be part of a tradition and an event which will be unforgettable.Up to 1,400 standing places are

available for each concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Weekend Promming Passes and Season Tickets can be booked in advance. Additionally, over 500 Arena and Gallery tickets are always on sale at the door from an hour beforehand, so you can just turn up on the day.


May I suggest the following Prom concerts. Tickets may be hard to find, but I do suggest you try and get them on the day.

Prom 5 – July 20th – Mahler- Symphony No. 9 85’ - London Symphony Orchestra & Bernard Haitink conductor.Prom 12 – Saturday 25th – Elgar / Delius / Holst - The Planets
Prom 13 – Sunday 26th – 11:00 am - Free Family Prom – Khachaturian / Chopin / Stravinsky / Sir Richard Rodney Bennett/ Holst / Elgar/ Saint-Saëns/ Britten.
Prom 14 – Sunday 26th – Holst/ Delius / Elgar- Enigma Variations

Museums

British Museum - Great Russell Street. Admission free. Open every day 10.00–17.30. Open late Thursday and Fridays until 20:30. If you’ve never been, you need to see the Babylonian, Egyptian and Greek galleries. See the Rosetta Stone and the Anglo Saxon treasures.

Special exhibition: Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur. Until 23 August 2009 / Room 35 / £8. A chance to see paintings in the royal collection of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur.
Free evening event - Indian Late- Enjoy an evening at the British

Museum. Friday 17 July, 18.30–21.00. Great Court and galleries.

Admission free, just drop in. A summer evening of live Indian music and dance by performers from Rajasthan. Concert and informal music in the galleries combine with Indian food tasting from across the regions.

Galleries

National Gallery - Trafalgar Square, London. Opening hours: Daily 10am–6pm, Fridays 10am–9pm. Quite an interesting special exhibition. Better still, it’s free. Corot to Monet: A Fresh Look at Landscape from the Collection. 8 July – 20 September - Sainsbury Wing Exhibition. But if you’ve never been before, may I suggest you start off with the 30 most famous paintings in the gallery?


Tate Britain – Millbank. London. Open everyday: 10.00–17.50. Entry is free except for major exhibitions.
See the Turner collection, Henry Moore sculptures, Gilbert & George, William Blake, Constable and the Pre-Raphaelites. A good place to round off the day.

Eating Out

Jamie Oliver – We’ve all seen his TV programmes, you’ve probably read about him in the Learning Factory Connexion Series, so why not experiment cooking your own lunch under the guidance of his chefs? In his new project, you go to his food and kitchen shop and you can learn to cook great food. Check the site as you need to book in advance. Could be quite an experience.
48 - 50 St. Johns Road, Clapham Junction, Battersea, London, SW11 1PR
Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9.00am - 9.00pm/ Saturday 9.00am - 7.00pm / Sunday 10.00am - 6.00pm.

Other events

Southbank Centre (Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room) - London Literature Festival 2009 - Belvedere Road, nearest tube Waterloo or Embankment.

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH - Queen Elizabeth Hall - Friday 10 July 2009 - £10
One of the UK's poetry greats, Benjamin Zephaniah, reads from new work.
GURINDER CHADHA, CLAIRE HARMAN AND DEBORAH MOGGACH: THE AUSTEN INDUSTRY - Purcell Room - Saturday 11 July 2009- £9. Jane Austen is more than just a classic author. What does our love affair with Austen's characters and stories signify about us? And will her critical reputation outlive the cultural phenomenon she has become?
PETER ACKROYD- Queen Elizabeth Hall - Monday 13 July 2009- £10. Peter Ackroyd's re-telling of The Canterbury Tales.
HANIF KUREISHI, DBC PIERRE, KAMILA SHAMSIE & JEANETTE WINTERSON - Queen Elizabeth Hall - Tuesday 14 July 2009 - £10. One of the highlights of the London Literature Festival, Ox-Tales presents original stories in four collections, Earth, Water, Fire and Air, which highlight the various projects of Oxfam, and raise money for the charity's ongoing work.

Different Locations

North Devon – Clovelly - Discover the timeless village of Clovelly.Where the steep, cobbled street tumbles down past gleaming white cottages to the tiny, deep-blue harbour....
It’s very picturesque, should be wonderful to visit on a lovely summer day. As you are in Devonshire, don’t forget to have a wonderful cream tea.
You need to go by train - London Padington- Barnstaple ( 4 hr journey) and may need to sleep over.

There are many other things taking place in the UK in Summer - after all, everyone is on holiday. Places will be full, but I'm sure you won't run out of things to do.