Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think the Science Museum is pants

30 replies

Pennies · 28/07/2010 20:12

Went there today.

No obvious staff members so no-one to tell the children to go to if they get lost.

No-one to get information about the exhibits or the maze-like geography of the place.

Poor chronology of items. Very superficial explanations of exhibits and experiments - hence increased annoyance of not being able to find anyone who could tell us more about stuff.

Whole thing hugely overrated IMO.

OP posts:
Aitch · 28/07/2010 20:12

which one?

Original poster
Pennies · 28/07/2010 20:14

South Kensington one in london.

OP posts:
Jasonthunderpants · 28/07/2010 20:15

I enjoyed it when I was there

AlaskaNebraska · 28/07/2010 20:15

you need to go to the place in winchester.

son3 went to the british museum today, with audio guide
LOVED it

Original poster
Pennies · 28/07/2010 20:17

grew up in winchester. what science museum there? Is it new?

OP posts:
bluejeans · 28/07/2010 20:26

I agree!

Took DD there last time in London. Queued in the rain to get in before it opened (and nowhere nearby to get a coffee!) and agree with previous post about it being unclear where to go/what to see. Afterwards friends couldn't beleieve we'd missed the basement where apparently all the fun is but it really wasn't obvious to us we should go! Shop was okay, probably the best bit. Think we have been spoiled by Glasgow Science centre

Thandeka · 28/07/2010 20:29

you need to go to the one in paris- PHENOMENAL. A gazillion times better than the london one.

I'm a science teacher. I know.

TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 28/07/2010 20:29

They normally give you a map as you go in? Guess you could've missed out if it was v busy...

AlaskaNebraska · 28/07/2010 20:30

intech

POFAKKEDDthechair · 28/07/2010 20:31

we went today too. Too busy. Horrible and hot. But have been in term time and it was great - plenty of staff. Losing one's dc is a nightmare though -they sprint off in search of things and so hard to keep track of them, especially on 3rd floor. Where is the Winchester one?

bibbitybobbityhat · 28/07/2010 20:32

Ooooooh did you Pennies (re. Winchester). What is your approximate era?

POFAKKEDDthechair · 28/07/2010 20:32

Popped into Natural History Museum and was even worse. Packed with people and v few staff.

AlaskaNebraska · 28/07/2010 20:32

www.intech-uk.com/folders/frontpage_welcome/

Firawla · 28/07/2010 20:34

i think its alright, don't forget it is free! so can't really complain too much when it is free...
the basement is quite fun for young kids, also the other random stuff like big model planes was good for my ds (2 yr)
they do have signs up saying what is on which floor

eatyourveg · 28/07/2010 20:35

Pennies - I grew up in Winchester too. Mum took me and the dc to it. Its up the Alresford road just past St Swithuns school and Mourn Hill cemetery. Its called In -tech? or something tech can't quite remember. Not very big but it was very new when we went some years ago and could well have expanded.

bibbitybobbityhat · 28/07/2010 20:39

Oh is that the place that looks like a planetarium when you come off the motorway?

tokyonambu · 28/07/2010 20:41

The last time I was in the Natural History Museum it fired my "pandering to creationist nutcases" detector, with rather more "many scientists think" and "it is is widely thought" captions that is justified. You might be able to get away with that for the KT boundary (when the dinosaurs went extinct) as there are genuine debates about what happened and whether the dinosaurs were going extinct anyway and/or lived on for a few million years, but you can't start saying that about the basic mechanisms of evolution without entering pandering land.

But a biologist of my acquaintance with an even more hair-trigger director than mine (being a geneticist with research interests in evolution whose local school is Emmanuel College Gateshead makes for some fun) was there a few months ago and left relaxed, so either I was mis-interpreting or things have been sorted out a bit.

But the Science Museum? Low expectations that children are only interested in novelty.

CMOTdibbler · 28/07/2010 20:44

I love the Science Museum. Interactive places are OK in their own right, but you can't beat the hugeness of the space, steam, flight things.

And if you want information, the guide book is great.

But if you like interactive, hands on, Techniquest in Cardiff is ace

POFAKKEDDthechair · 28/07/2010 20:52

Yes I did feel rather grateful and amazed that both Natural History and Science museum are free. Pretty wonderful really.

Original poster
Pennies · 28/07/2010 22:13

I was in Winchester until the early 90's when I left for uni. Dad still lives there but we're not close so I don't go back much. Never heard of the Intech place. Clearly after my time.

Back to the London one though. I had a map, looked at the signs and found most of what I was looking for, but couldn't get to the Who Am I bit for love nor money, couldn't find anyone to help us find the way and ended up going all the way back to the main info desk just to be patronised and told it was right the other side of the museum. Gave them fairly short shrift and left.

Whoever said that it is pandering to love of novelty rather than education or information is spot on.

Doubt we'll go back.

OP posts:
bibbitybobbityhat · 28/07/2010 22:31

You are about 10 years younger than me then!

Hope you are going to send your complaint in writing to the Science Museum. Otherwise they will never know where they are going wrong!

mitochondria · 28/07/2010 22:40

I love the Science Museum.
I have a bit of a love of Science Museums in general though.
I used to work in one, the Exploratory in Bristol (now sadly defunct).

Not sure I'd risk it in the school holidays though.

dolphin13 · 28/07/2010 22:41

Mine love it.

Intech in Cardiff is better than Winchester.

Fimbo · 28/07/2010 22:45

LOL Thandeka, my dd went to Paris with her school last week, specifically to the Science Museum. She said it was crap (her words) in comparison to London!

otchayaniye · 28/07/2010 22:50

Either I or my husband take my 21 month old daughter once a week. It was useful in the winter as it has an indoor picnic area.

I enjoy parts of it and she loves the glass bridge and the 'red flaps' (ahem)

It could be better though.

Is the Darwin Centre part of it? Or is that part of the Natural History Museum? Anyway, she likes that. Specifically careering down the slopes. Couldn't give a toss about the butterflies.

I like to look at the scientists at work.

Swipe left for the next trending thread