Family Outing To The Science Museum, London

How we’ve never been to the Science Museum before is a mystery. In our 12 years of living in London it seems to have passed us by. No longer. With it firmly on my travel wishlist for this year, the Science Museum has now been ticked off.

The building on Exhibition road, South Kensington, is a vast place. Hanging from the ceilings are aeroplanes, rockets and a huge metallic Energy Ring reaching up across several floors. It’s hard to know where to look. Indeed, there’s far too much to look at in just one day, especially if you are with two children aged four and nine months.

We had a short wait outside the building on a Saturday morning in March. On one side of it is the Natural History Museum and on the other, the V&A. Surveying the ‘What’s On for Families’ leaflet, my daughter liked the look of the the interactive Pattern pod.

“Good idea”, I proclaimed, impressed at her choice. To get to the Pattern Pod you pass through some exhibits which give a glimpse into the fascinating objects which lie inside the Science Museum.

First on our walk was the Energy Hall which examines the development of steam power and its impact. Then it was onto ‘Exploring Space’. Looking up we marvelled at the size of the rockets and a large seemingly floating globe.

In the ‘Exploring Modern Life’ section, key inventions and iconic objects are showcased. George Stephenson’s Rocket is there as well as some of the first motor vehicles. My daughter was very intrigued by them. She’s obsessed with numbers at the moment so was impressed when we told her that this car was over 100 years old (made in 1916).

We happened to see a lot of vehicles, an ongoing theme, it seems, following our trip to London Transport Museum earlier this year.

The capsule from the Apollo 10 mission was a popular sight. It circled the moon in 1969 just before the Apollo 11 mission which saw Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins make the first moon landing.

The Science Museum recently bought the spacecraft which British astronaunt, Tim Peake, returned from space. It’s not far from the Pattern Pod. A hands on exhibit which helps children understand the patterns present in the world and our everyday lives. Aimed at 3-8 year olds, there’s plenty to keep them amused: a sensory wall, discs to put into slots which create plant patterns on a screen. They can even put on ‘shoes’ in the shape of animal feet and imitate the prints they make on a light-up floor.

Emerging from the Pattern Pod, we spotted a data collection computer which tells you how old and happy you are using information its collected from thousands of people. Unfortunately it managed to get both mine and Mrs T’s spectacularly wrong. I think we may have moved when it was profiling our face. That’s what I’m blaming for it coming out with an older age for us both!

Of course, we couldn’t leave the Science Museum without seeing some more aeroplanes! Off we went to the top floor to view the collection of British and international achievements in aviation. You can see inside a cockpit and there are a number of flight simulators to go on at an extra cost.

At the moment there’s a ticketed robot exhibition (on until 3 September 2017) and the interactive Wonderlab exhibit which is another ticketed event.

There is so much to discover at the Science Museum. A visit is an eye-opening experience. We merely scratched the surface completely bypassing two floors. There’s further exhibitions on how maths plays a part in our everyday lives, the history of clocks, engineering and an IMAX theatre too.

My husband excitedly proclaimed he was going to come back another time on his own to explore. Considering he’s not big on museums this is saying a lot! I’d certainly like the chance to read some of the information on the exhibits without two young children to keep an eye on. They had a great time though. Cheeky gazed up and looked amazed at everything while Mrs T was engaged and interested. We took away a sticker book to aid Mrs T (and our) education until our next visit.

Extra Info

– Entry to the Science Museum is free. A donation is encouraged. We obliged and and also got the sticker book (£5).
– Opening times 10am – 6pm
– The nearest tube is South Kensington easily accessed through a tunnel from the station.
– There are picnic areas around the museum and plenty of eateries too.
– Day pass to the Wonderlab is £6
– For more information visit the website
– All areas are accessible with a buggy

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