Taking Kids to the Science Museum 2


A Personal Development Day the schools call it.  Personally I think it’s just a scam so the teachers can add an extra day off onto a long weekend or the school holidays.

However whatever I think, it really becomes a day where I suddenly have to think up an activity (usually at the last minute as I have completely forgotten about it) to amuse my child for the day.

Talking to Lewis’s best buddy’s Mum, we decided a trip to Scitech would be a great way for them to burn off their energy and we could have a coffee and a chat.  We had also all become members during the summer school holidays resulting in a “free” or already paid for day trip.

I really like becoming a member of such things as the science museum or the zoo, I feel quite happy about going for just a few hours and not having to justify the cost by staying all day.

pre-school activities at Scitech

Building a wall

At 10am we met at the entrance and the boys ran through the maze of mirrors and into the museum heading straight to the 3-7 section Discoverland where they can become builders with foam bricks, wheelbarrows, hard hats, and pulley systems.  The boys can usually spend a good hour on this activity and it really amazes me that they just work in with the kids who are already there and find a “job” to help with the construction of the wall.

Finally they are ready to explore more of the centre and move onto discovering: how air pressure can make a ball float, how ramps at different inclines affect where a ball lands, the faster they peddle the more bubbles that will appear, the list just goes on with what they push, pull, press and touch to learn about the world of physics.

Then we stumbled upon the new display Top Secret where they are supposed to unravel the clues to find the thief.  A bit advanced for a 5 year old but they did enjoy trying to manoeuvre their way through the laser sensors like a cat burglar whilst trying to prevent setting off alarms.

Catching a thief in top secret scitech

Solving the crime

Eventually little tummies begin to rumble, we make our way over to the tables and get snacks out from our day bags.  At this hour we too were becoming hungry but had failed to pack food for ourselves and as we sat with the kids we noticed that many other parents had packed a picnic for the day.

The centre was built a number of years ago with the coffee shop being situated outside the main entrance.  In 2018 a new discovery centre will open and hopefully they will cater to the number of parents that would like to buy a coffee or a meal during their time in the centre not prior to entering.

After the boys ate they ran about exploring for another hour.  It really does amaze me how kids will just join in with a game that others are already playing, they just find a void that needs to be filled.

Eventually the grumps began and this is the signal that it is time to go home.  We have learnt if we don’t act immediately a full blown argument will erupt.  So swiftly we said our good buys and headed home.



About Sally-Ann Brown

I am Sally-Ann the author of Toddlers on Tour. I am a wife and mother who has always had a passion for travel. I love sharing my experiences and lessons learned to help you have a better family holiday or day trip. Read "All About Me" under the "Home" tab to discover my story and what lead me to here.

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2 thoughts on “Taking Kids to the Science Museum

  • Amanda Kendle

    My son loves that wheelbarrow and “bricks” session at Scitech – it normally takes us at least an hour to get past that part. I once even considered recreating it in our backyard so that he’d be amused long enough for me to get some work done!

    • Sally@Toddlers on Tour Post author

      You want to be careful with that in the backyard. We currently have left over bricks sitting in a corner and my son is for ever wanting to build a fence on the lawn. It takes me a few weeks to get them put away again and then the lawn is dead.