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26 May 2014

Snibston Discovery Museum

Yesterday we visited Snibston Discovery centre, a long standing museum that I remember visiting when I was younger. (Please note that sadly Snibston Discovery is now closed due to the council stopping their funding)


Located on the site of the former Snibston Colliery created by famous railway pioneer George Stephenson, it is an important piece of history.
We took a picnic which we sat and ate in a 1980's Finnish train carriage, now used as an indoor picnic area. The children enjoyed this as they both love trains.
Then we moved to the outside adventure play area, where there were lots of water activities. We got to learn about how we get water and use it to power things. They both enjoyed playing with the archimedes screw and pumps and then making the water wheels work.

The adventure playground is always a hit with my husband and son, this one had large and small activities, so there was something for most ages to enjoy. Next to this, there was a composting area where we got to see different ways of composting food, in various wormeries and compost machines.



There were lots of musical instruments to try and then these brilliant dishes, you speak into one end and you can hear the person very clearly at the other end, these were there when I went some 21 years ago and were still as intriguing now for my son.



Moving inside to the engineering and extractive industries galleries, we got to see many different machines from past to present, from the first bikes and busses to electric cars. Exhibits also showed how they used steam engines to power tools and machinery in the victorian era. Then we moved into the fashion gallery, which houses the largest collection of fashion outside of London. There are hands on exhibits for the children placed quite regularly around the entire museum, including in the fashion gallery, where we tried our hands at weaving.



Moving on to the science and technology areas, we all enjoyed learning about everything from wind power to tornadoes, magnets to vacuums. It was educational but fun and for a 6 year old and 3 year old this is key.


The 'how to make fire' exhibit was also a favourite, you first have to turn a stick, to make energy, then use bellows to add oxygen, then a real flames leap up in the centre of the exhibit! We also learned about reflection, how our body works and got to play with a large plasma ball.


Overall we spent nearly 5 hours at Snibston, including the picnic and two goes on the adventure playground, it offers all weather fun and is reasonably priced at just under £25 for a family of four.
There was something for everyone to engage with and enjoy. We all had a wonderful day out, learning about the world around us both past and present.

Linking up to Country Kids on Coombe Mill and Magic Moments on The Olivers Madhouse.


Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

16 comments :

  1. I do love museums like this, so interactive and informative and learning made fun just as it should be. A wonderful looking day out. Thank you for sharing on Country Kids

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    1. It is a really great place and a little bit of history too.

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  2. wow Ellie this looks like a really amazing place to go, i had never heard of it! i love the fact its got such a large selection of things to do!

    thanks for linking up with #MagicMoments xx

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    1. It is a fabulous place, it was as good as I remember when I was a child and I hope this will be something they remember too.

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  3. That does look like a fun day out, and great that the kids can get involved in the museum like that, too

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    1. Lot's of interactive things to see and do, the post would have been three times as long if i'd of included every pic ;)

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  4. This looks great, I have heard of it but never been. Think my kiddies would love it xxxx

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    1. I think the boys are about the right age to enjoy it, it's really hands on and perfect for teaching through play. xx

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  5. This place looks fabulous! I love places like this and we have an indoor science discovery centre here in Belfast called W5 {Who, What, Where, When & Why} - the kids love it too! Great post & pics hun! x

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    1. Aww, thank you for your kind words. It really is a great place and so sad it may be facing closure with funding cuts.

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  6. Hello there, this looks like a great place to go, it's fantastic to find somewhere that's enjoyable for little ones as well as older children. We'll have to try it out sometime! Really enjoyed reading your blog x #magicmoments

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    1. Hopefully it will still be open, as with a lot of places the funding is being cut which is so sad as I think these kind of places are important. Thanks so much for your kind words :) x

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  7. Looks like you all had a fantastic day, so much to do :) #countrykids

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  8. Wow, looks like a great place to visit. Lots of variety that I'd not think of.

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  9. Lovely photos!Looks like a fun day! So many things that you can do in that place too! Wish I can bring my son there! #MagicMoments

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  10. Wow! I love the kind of places where kids can learn hands on! Looks like a return visit may be required? #MagicMoments

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