Is the British Museum good for children

[Tarchie]

Someone recommended the British Museum for me to take my DCs to but I’m not sure if it will be a place suitable for them. My DCs are 15 and 13, both have very different interests, so I’m trying to find ideas for days out that may interest them both. Has anyone visited the museum and, if so, what do you think about it as a day out?

definitely worth a visit. As well as particular cultures (ancient Egyptian, Greek, angle saxon ....loads more) there's the building itself and the wandering around through anything that just looks interesting.
How long a visit so dependent on specific children 😁 my youngest is 7, eldest is 13. I'd expect to spend a morning/afternoon there, but be ready to leave/refuel with cake when they get bored

Thanks, that’s really hopeful. One of my dc has autism so we’re always driven by their level of coping with new experiences. But I think they’d love the ancient cultures you mention.

Yes, it's not so good for under-fives but for teens who have never been it should work well. There's so much there.

There's a Manga exhibition on there at the moment if either of your kids are into that.

My ten year old has been a couple of times and loved it. We've just stayed for a couple of hours and focused on stuff they've done at school (mummies, Anglo Saxons, etc) and he's had a great time. Then we walk down to Covent Garden to see the street theatre and have ice creams.

ds2 always loved the British Museum, we'd spend hours in the Egyptian bit, rarely going anywhere else!! He was a little obsessed with mummies and pyramids for ages!

Yes it is good but I prefer more interactive museums eg museum of London, science musuem etc

I think these big museums work best if you pick a few selected rooms / items to visit in advance. Otherwise they can be a bit overwhelming.

Ds is 15 and has possible ASD. We did do some of it but he didn't want to stay to do the whole museum, he was finding it a bit much. It also gets very busy. Ds has a restricted diet but I think he had a pizza in the ground floor restaurant. We went in early for lunch so there was hardly anyone eating in there at that point. Nice and quiet, which was good for him.

Neil MacGregor's "100 Objects" are a good entry point:

www.britishmuseum.org/explore/a_history_of_the_world.aspx

You can select some of the objects and play the podcasts: Head of Ramesis, Rosetta Stone, Mold Cape, Throne of Weapons etc.

The British Museum is very busy though, I think it’s one of the most visited attractions in the UK. If your DS struggles with crowds maybe try and visit the quieter parts. The Museum of London is well worth a trip.

Yeas, but be selective about the galleries you want to attempt.

We like the clocks.

On Fridays after 5.30pm the museum is much quieter.