My son turned eight just after the New Year and we were looking for a suitable experience to make this moment memorable. My wife purchased two tickets for the “sleep over” at the Natural History Museum. This event was heralded as a father/son bonding event. I smiled and yet deep down I felt skeptical and concerned, a state of mind for many Headmasters!

We arrived fashionably late at 6:45, checked in at the desk, handed over endless permission slips and headed for our bunks. Over a hundred other “parties” of all ages had also had a similar idea and my heart sank when I saw the rows of green camp beds. This was going to be demanding night for me – but for Tom the adventure had just begun.

The Outer Space display was exciting, the Dinosaurs were friendly, Dumb Dumb was not chewing and the animals did seem to come alive. A large amount of the museum was open and everyone we meet was friendly and informative.

The true experience was a feeling of space and freedom. We could view “Lucy”, a significant skeleton, without being trampled by others and there was a true sense of fun! We explored the endless labyrinth of rooms and the feeling of excitment grew as we approached the midnight hour. Some groups slept near elephants, others (in more reflective areas) under starfish or beside a polar bear. Thomas and I chose underneath the belly of a blue whale!

The evening events were well considered and not too strict, we were free to explore, flash lights in hand. The Imax film “Tornado Alley” and the live wolf display were really great, but in truth the real highlight was being together.

Yes, there was a lot of snoring – one hundred people in unison – (Tom says it was just me). We woke early to avoid the bathroom rush, at times I felt a lack of home comforts, but all of this disappeared when Tom openly said “Dad that was really great! Thanks! You were quite fun!”