Arriving in Halifax, West Yorkshire for our summer Family Day, anticipation was rife for our exciting day ahead exploring Eureka! Thirteen families came together, ready to have lots of fun discovering all The National Children’s Museum had to offer – it was clear it was going to be a busy day ahead.
We began by exploring the sound section of the museum, finding ourselves being welcomed into the gallery by the ‘Golden Record’, a record of Earth which had been sent out into deep space in 1977 by NASA.

After this, we headed for the ‘town square’, where the children became little grown-ups, popping into the bank, shopping in Waitrose and sending letters at the Post Office. They loved exploring the square (making sure to avoid the roadworks!) and taking in the noisy water feature in its centre, which as it filled with water, chimed a long bell – a fantastic symphony to accompany the hustle and bustle of the town!
Around the corner from the town square, we discovered a garage where the kids played in cars, changed tyres, and transformed into mini-mechanics. The children could even take their play cars through the mini car wash.

After exploring the downstairs of Eureka, it was time to venture upstairs and we found ourselves in a magical bedroom! The children could feed their bad dreams to a dream-eating animal called Baku, a mixture of an elephant, a tiger, an ox and a bear. There were many more rooms to search in the house, including one showing how water is used in your bathroom and kitchen. The living room displaying a small tactile map of the UK and featured lots of magnetic weather symbols allowing us to have a go at creating our own weather reports.

Perhaps the most exciting part of Eureka! is the ‘My Body’ gallery, which showcases everything about the human body, whilst reminding children that everyone is different and individual. From sampling the shoes of the world’s tallest man (a whopping size 18!) to seeing a strange human body with big hands and a big head, the exhibit was designed to educate and inform children that it is okay to be different.

For the final part of the day, our families were able to head outside and explore the Eureka! Gardens. A favourite among the games in the garden was the large dragon appearing to come down the stairs. A train carriage provided the perfect spot for us to enjoy our lunch which was definitely needed after a busy morning exploring.
We finished the day in the Spark Gallery, a room brimming with interactive games and screens on which the children and families to make shapes, create paintings and have fun playing together.

After all this excitement, unfortunately, it was time for us to all to head home. We extend our thanks to all the staff and volunteers for our wonderful day at Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, and to our amazing families who helped make the day great.

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