DAVE FLETT finds that you can fit an awful lot in when visiting the National Science Museum, including a quick trip to the moon.

LOOKING for ideas on how to entertain the kids during the school holidays? Well, how does visiting the moon, embarking on a voyage under the seas and taking part in a Red Arrows display – all in the space on one day – grab you?

It will certainly ensure your children return back from half-term as the coolest cats in the classroom.

All three experiences are open to anybody who buys an Explorer ticket at London’s popular and excellent National Science Museum.

At £25 for adults, £22 for concessions and £19 for children aged four and above, the pass also sees a trip still compare favourably financially with rival attractions, given that general admission for the South Kensington site remains free of charge.

Unlike other venues, due to its size, the museum also copes admirably with the inevitable big crowds outside of term time.

We were amazed by the brisk walking pace of the queue outside the building on our arrival and, despite its considerable length, we were at the entrance within five minutes.

Booking your choice of 3D film in advance also removes the irritation caused by long waiting times that you might experience on a school-holiday journey to any one of this country’s theme parks, for instance.

The 45-minute movies on what is claimed to be the biggest IMAX screen in Europe give you a full cinema experience – you can even buy popcorn beforehand.

We chose Under The Sea, a study of oceanic life narrated by comedy legend Jim Carrey, which provided plenty jump-out-of-your-seat moments without being too alarming for the youngest members of the audience.

It certainly left a big impression on our five-year-old daughter who, with our regular Movies for Juniors multiplex viewings, is well on the way to developing a critical eye to rival Barry Norman, Jonathan Ross and Claudia Winkleman. The balance between fun and educational content was just right and there were nudge-and-a-wink moments during Carrey’s commentary for adults too. The experience left us eager to return to see one of the other shows, Mysteries Of The Unseen World, Hidden Universe or Fly Me To The Moon, on our next visit to the capital.

We had earlier taken part in another 3D show to visit the moon as part of an Apollo mission – a journey that still fills you with wonder all these years on from the first lunar landing and that offers children an insight into an era of space travel that now belongs to a bygone era.

On the subject of bygone eras, if you are in your early 40s like me, be prepared for your childhood toys and parents’ household appliances to be now deemed worthy as museum artefacts with monstrously sized Betamax video recorders on display alongside ZX81 computers elsewhere in the museum.

The Red Arrows, meanwhile, are a great example of a British institution seemingly immune to the passage of time and, sitting in a theatre with your 3D-glasses on, you are strapped in for a ride that your accompanying pilot describes as the closest simulation of one of the famous RAF stunt displays without sitting in the cockpit of an actual aircraft.

It is an experience that, more than anything, gives a real appreciation of the trust each pilot places in their counterparts during the highly-skilled performances that require precision timing to avoid fatal collisions.

The Explorer attractions also offer an opportunity to rest your legs as there is a fair amount of walking involved during a typical day at the museum.

Indeed, it is hard to fit everything you would like to see into one trip and we did not get the chance to attend storytelling sessions and the free family shows that are also popular. The venue genuinely appeals to visitors of all ages.

There are lots of interactive areas and I enjoyed tracing the geographical frequency of my surname during different census periods on the Who Am I? floor.

Our five-year-old daughter was also thrilled to make her own 3D glasses and loved seeing early models of cars and bicycles from the “olden days”.

No two visits, meanwhile, are ever likely to be the same with new exhibitions regularly introduced.

During our break in London, we spent a night at the London City South Novotel hotel and, from our window, we enjoyed excellent views, particularly during the evening, of the Shard and other famous London landmarks including the Gherkin and Canary Wharf.

The brilliant Borough Market was nearby, where we spent a lazy Sunday lunchtime eating street food, including a chorizo stew and seafood paella, outside on tables amid a chilled-out, relaxed atmosphere.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is nearby too and London Bridge tube and train stations are no more than a five-minute walk away.

For little ones, there was also a flat-screen gaming desk in the hotel’s reception, along with an Xbox, but it was a bathroom feature that kept our little girl amused the most.

With one press of a button, the glass could be switched from transparent to frosted, allowing you to watch TV while having a relaxing soak.

The serve-yourself breakfast was also excellent, with dads and daughters queuing up excitedly for the pancake-making machine together.

• For further details on the National Science Museum visit sciencemuseum.org.uk/

• Availability and prices at the London City South Novotel, meanwhile, can be found on the website at novotel.com/gb/hotel-3269-novotel-london-city-south.