Children's Museums

[GreatGooglyMoogly]

Just wondering why there aren't more Children's Museums in the UK? There are loads here in the US and they basically replace soft play as the place to go in Winter for the children to run around. They are not actually museums at all but places with lots of active, fun things to do for the children that are also educational. Any idea why there is only one in the UK?!

It's funny you say that because I'm a New Yorker who lives in London and I find that there are LOADS more museums to take kids to here than there ever were in NYC. They may not be part of a "Children's Museum" franchise sort of thing, but you have the Science Museum, The V&A, Natural History, The Transport Museum, The Museum of Childhood, and then regular art museums (Nat Gallery, both Tates etc) seem so much more welcoming of children than American art museums. I used to treat all of these places (most of which are free) to take my little ones on rainy days.

And thenin additionyou've got loads of soft play places to go: pirate castle things etc, drop-in centres.

I think things are just different here in the UK, and at some point, sometimes after years of living here, you stop looking for exact parallels of things you used to do/know in the States. The culture is a bit different and the needs are a bit different, and you just get used to it. Maybe more Children's Museums will open in the UK, but maybe not. . .but there will always be similar things here, if not the exact same places.

Funny we've just posted on each other's threads! We must be the only peole awake on mumsnet!

Yeah, I guess London does have loads to do but I was thinking more of the rest of Britain where there are a lot of soft play places and not many other places to take your children to in the Winter.

I'm sure you're right about looking for parallels in the early days - I just can't stop myself!

No soft play areas round here in Colorado either - but great Kid's Museum down the road - pirate ship and all.

I'm not sure I see the need for 'children's museums'. Most of the museums I know these days have loads to do for children anyway, without being targeted just at children.

For instance, our town has a town musuem which has loads of interesting displays, some permanent, some temporary so there's always something new. They have interactive displays and other stuff, an area with lots of things for children (and adults!) to touch and explore, and lots more.

Every holiday and some weekends the museum runs activities and workshops, some just for children, some for families and some for anyone. All are free.

I know this isn't unique, because just about every town we visit seems to have similar facilities. And these are just really small towns, obviously larger towns and cities have more of that sort of thing on offer anyway.

I always hated soft play centres anyway, so rarely took the children there, but we always found lots to do even in winter!

Interesting that you don't see the need for children's museums portonovo - have you ever been to one? They are fantastic! An entire building where the activities are all hands-on, fun for children and they get to lead, touch, play, etc. plus they will probably actually learn something! We have been to a few and our favourite areas include waterplay, pirate ship, play kitchen, rainforest and making "runs" for balls to roll down.

I agree that soft play can be unpleasant which is why I am so pro-children's museums!

Perhaps it's just semantics, but I dislike the implication from 'children's museums' that other museums aren't suitable for children.

I do enjoy many hands-on science places, such as Techiquest in Cardiff or @bristol, they are just like you describe - whole buildings full of great, fun, educational activities with loads to touch, poke around at and generally explore!

I think the difference is with some of the places like that I've been to is that they don't market themselves as being 'for children', although obviously children or families probably make up a large proportion of their visitors. However, they also attract many adults without children - they are also popular as company outings!

I just feel in this day and age, most museums are so welcoming to children, and geared up for all ages and types of visitors, that the idea of 'children's museums' seems a little odd. We've taken our 3 to museums since they were toddlers, and always found lots for them to do. Perhaps what you're describing would be more palatable to me under another name - I tend to go off things marketed as 'family-friendly' or 'children's'!

I think another poster probably was right when she said you might have to think more laterally - you might not find the exact sort of activity you were used to in the US, but there are still loads of great places to take children in the winter. It's a bit of a sweeping statement to say that outside of London the UK is full of soft play centres and nothing else! I'd have gone mad had that been the case, believe me!

@Bristol is fabulous.

I've heard good things about Eureka at Halifax too.

Enginuity at Telford is good - as are all of the museums at Telford.

Think Tank in Birmingham is OK as well - but not as good as some of the others.

Then there's Snibston in Leicestershire, the Space Centre in Leicester, Conkers in the National Forest.

There are plenty of them around - they just don't call themselves Children's Museums.

i think there's one in halifax too

sorry wwb

Sudbury in Derbyshire has a museum of childhood which is FAB but all of the NT places and museums and galleries we go to have something good on for children as well. The Walker in Liverpool is great (if packed) at half term. Manchester Museum of SCience and Industry is also great and aimed largely at children and young people.

Is Discovery in Stratford (London) a sort of Children's Museum?
DS went to one in NY and it sounded wonderful - portonove, I don't think they are 'museums' as we know musems to be, but more activity centres.

eureka in halifax is fab we were there on sunday
a mini bank m and s house
global discovery garden
desert discovery
fantastic it has a web sitewill post it later
xx

Why call them museums when they are not museums?

We can obviously cope with more than one all-emcompassing concept over here.

We have Science Centres, Museum of Childhood, Sea Life Centres, Farm Parks, Heritage Centres of various types (mining ones round here)and loads of marvellous proper museums and art galleries.

We are bursting with fun educational places for children.

And I would compare none of these places to soft play. Which is fairly crap.

Softplay is not really crap if you are a small child, though, is it? Most children I know love it even though they might enjoy museums too.

o yes, brand, don't get me wrong. Children love soft play.

But the op seems to be looking for hands-on, fun, educational centres and saying all she can find is soft play. And soft play is obviously going to fall short of what she's after.

GGM, I would really strongly recommend you find a copy of The Good Britain Guide - though sort of shockingly, it hasn't been reprinted since 2004 & I think there should be a public outcry - maybe MN can take over the title and publish it??

It is stuffed with one-off, eccentric, million-miles-from-franchised, wonderful things to do with children - throughout the country. Eg when we were in Suffolk some years ago I found a many-generations family-run garden centre that featured a miniature steam train running through forests of bamboo, & beautiful gardens that the family had developed over years to show off their nursery expertise. And a bargain cafe full of canny retirees. Beautiful, unexpected, extraordinary little place.

I'm sure I'd use "Children's Museums" in the US, as the concept sounds market-niche clever, predictable, convenient & packaged (though I have a bit of problem with those places being sold as "museums", cos they ain't, in my book) ... but maybe things that can't be formula-duplicated have more charm, even if they're harder to seek out?

You know, I was just thinking the same myself having returned from a fantastic holiday in Chicago, where there was a brilliant aquarium, amazing science museum, apparently also fab natural history museum and planetarium (which we didn't have time for), but also the most excellent children's museum.

We particularly enjoyed the inventing room, where you could make planes out of different foam shapes and then crank them up to the ceiling and time how long they took to plummet or glide to earth, and the construction room where you had person-size Meccano-esque stuff to make child-size buildings. And you got a whole day pass so you could come in and out at leisure.

The children's museum isn't a replacement for any of the other museums (all of which had dedicated children's galleries/rooms in addition to all the other exhibits), but a different concept. I was convinced.

Actually the Museum of Science and Industry was stunning, and the U-boat exhibit excellent. And the coal mine, and the toy production line, and the Boeing 737, and the chick hatchery, and.... DS2 (5) keeps asking when we can go back.

check out \link{www.show.me.uk \www.show.me.uk }it's a great site for kids about UK museums and what in them together with loads of online stuff made by UK museums and galleries. Its made by www.24hourmuseum.org.uk

grrrr! www.show.me.uk

I really second bink's post. I suspect that many of the attractions listed in the guide she refers to might also be listed in

the unfortunately titled Bollocks to Alton Towers

or

this more conventional guide

Portonovo is right, we don't routinely segregate provision for adults and children here.
Many of our outstanding provincial museums and galleries have been mentioned but in London we have really excellent provision for families at the Science Museum, the Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the Museum in Docklands. Tate Britain does amusing themed picture trails and Tate Modern is a mecca for families with one of the best ranges of art and activity books for children in the shop I've ever seen.

Elsewhere the Livesey Museum, the Horniman Museum, the Geffrye and the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood all place the child centre stage.

We also have plenty of dedicated activity centres too. As pointydog says, they aren't museums so we don't call them something they're not .