Suggested Activities for Kids in China?
 

[NB: I hope this post is okay and not a cross post]

I am taking my two kids to China at the end of March. We'll be there for two weeks, flying in and out of Shanghai. I could lose my mind googling ideas but would like to hear from real people on what they did with kids that their kids loved?

My girls are ages 10 and 8.5.
They want to be around kids. And do kid things. Such as go ice skating, hang out in parks, see pandas, eat junk food (any food not to be missed?)

I'd love to do cooking classes and am not opposed, for example, to night market tours. I'd love to see Wuzhen.

Please tell me some of your favorite things to do in China. I've been reading this forum avidly. My preference is to see China on a more local level and maybe off the beaten path.

Thanks.

The Shanghai aquarium would be near the top of my list.

We did the night market food tour with Untour Shanghai - LOVED it. Wanted to do the dumpling cooking class but it was fully booked for the only date that would have worked during my trip.

Our tour was a guide and 2 couples - us (American) and a couple from Thailand.

http://untourshanghai.com/

Boat ride along the Bund, either daytime or evening for the lights?

There's a museum of Chinese history on the Pudong side that had a lot of scenes with manikins talking (I'm not sure how to describe it) in fake reconstructed rooms that could appeal to kids (and be educational) in small doses.

Exploring the Shanghai Expo grounds could be fun.

Don't forget the Maglev.

There are groups performing in main street between People's Square and the river in the early morning and then along the river, including group dance and kites.

Limited exposure to some of the historical communist party sites, including "XXX lived here many years ago" could be interesting and educational, depending on whether their schools have started to teach them about the history of China and communism.