Discovering ‘Discover’
Most kids think museums are boring. Adults like to take us to them when they think we need to learn things.
| Although the museum is aimed at 2-7 year olds, it is also a good place for people who have forgotten how to use their imaginations. |
But Curiosity and Imagination, a new exhibition at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, and Discover, a new £6m museum in Stratford, are designed for children to play and learn, something we thought might not be possible before we went to check them out.
We were told there would be no ‘out of bounds’ areas at Discover, and of course we didn’t believe it. But we were quickly proved wrong. Discover is a place we wouldn’t even call a museum. It’s a place where telling stories, dressing up, making puppets, playing with sounds and language and having fun are the most important things.
We reckon children are better at this than grown ups. But we saw lots of grown ups having a good time too. Although the museum is aimed at 2-7 year olds we think it is also a good place for people who have forgotten how to use their imaginations to go.
When you first go in there is a big board with ‘Hello’ written in lots of different languages. If your language isn’t there you can tell a staff member to add it. We thought this was good because then no one feels left out. The children from all the different communities in Stratford have recorded their stories in their own languages for visitors to listen to. You can also translate English stories into other languages and back again.
While we were there, we made films featuring the characters we created; we made wish lists and looked for buried treasure. Every corner has something to explore or to make – there is even a quiet place to read a story book if you want. Apart from the slide and climbing frames, the best bit about the garden outside is the special water-fight area.
Another really good thing was the action pack we got when we were leaving to help us carry on our stories at home.
When we left we felt our imaginations could go anywhere. We will definitely be going back.
About the team
This story was produced by Alastair Robertson, 11, and Cere Mae Ebanks, 12. It was published in Time Out magazine in London.
For more on this exhibition, visit the Discover website.
