Our Wonderful Idea Stores or libraries are great places for kids and parents too.
Tower Hamlets Idea Stores or “public libraries” are a great source of entertainment and education for children of all ages. You can find Idea Stores at Bow, Canary Wharf, Chrisp Street, Watney Market and Whitechapel as well as traditional libraries in Cubitt Town, Bethnal Green and the Local History Library in E1.
Children can have their own library cards and take out up to 12 books at a time and they won’t be fined for overdue books.
Make sure to get adults their own library card too as you can use them to get into the Tower of London for just £1 if you are a Tower Hamlets Resident.
Story Time and More
Every library offers the brilliant Story Time daily (Monday – Saturday) from 10:30am-11:15am. The free drop-in class is for children 0-5 and includes group songs a chance to listen to stories read aloud. This is a great activity to ‘make a dash to’ if you find you need to get out of the house in a hurry with a new born and older children can really engage with the stories.
Story Time is also a great place to meet parents and you often see the same familiar faces.
Visit the Idea Store website to find out what’s happening at your local library. There’s a range of regular activities including homework clubs and sessions for dads.
Life Long Learning
Idea stores also have a great range of affordable creative classes in everything from photography and photoshop to upholstery or fashion or finally learning to play the piano. There are classes in holistic healing like massage and Reiki and confidence boosting public speaking classes. You can study life coaching or pick up a new language. If you have been out of work for a while, and that includes maternity leave, you’ll be eligible for even further discounts and courses like book keeping or project management could help fire up your brain to rejoin the professional world after a long break.
Pick up a course guide on your next visit or visit their website.
Further Information
To find current events at your nearest Idea Store visit: https://www.ideastore.co.uk/whats-on
