My daughter loves going to museums as they are a great opportunity to show her new experiences and explore new things in an educational environment. The Think Tank Science Museum was the perfect place to discovery, learn and play over half term with family. We were all looking forward to a day at the Think Tank Museum and both my husband and I geeked out and got as involved as much as the children. Through interactive exhibits and hands on play, we all had the ability to get involved with learning and discovering something new around every corner.
We set off for a fun filled day at the Think Tank in the hopes that it wouldn't be too busy being midweek during half term. Luckily we only waited fifteen minutes before getting into the museum and we were all given wristbands so we could come in and out as we pleased. At Think Tank there are three fun and exciting levels to explore so we knew that we had a challenge on our hands, but we were all ready and raring to go. The museum entrance is on Level Two: Our World so we started there but for this review I shall write about each floor in order just in case you came here looking for a sneak peek.
Level 0: The Past
This whole floor has been dedicated to the industrial heritage of Birmingham with their engines and machines. This floor was definitely a floor for the Dads or those that love a trip down memory lane. The first thing that my daughter was for the City of Birmingham Locomotive, it was pretty impressive and a lot bigger up close than I though it was. Around the locomotive we discovered lots of interesting things that would have been found in these when it was fully working like lamps, sinks and even telephones. We also saw the Smethwick Engine the world’s oldest working steam engine was also in action at the museum and was pretty impressive. You only had to look up in amazement to see the magnificent spitfires and look around to see more trams, trains, steamrollers and other vehicles.
Level One: The Factory
On this level you had more than ample opportunity to delve into the manufacturing industry. It comes to no surprise as you're walking through this level that Birmingham is known as the workshop of the world. My husband really loved seeing the many classic cars and motorcycles that were on display at the museum. Honestly look at some of them!
Level Two: Our World
We started our trip to the museum on level two and there was so much to see and do. It was this floor that we got to discover the science and technology that we come across everyday. All of us had a go at picking up balls with the digger, building brick towers, learned about composting and what can be recycled and what cannot. My daughter loved seeing all the amazing wildlife displays like the giant deer, the polar bear, a triceratops head and the centre piece that was full of wildlife.
There was also a place that was great for children to learn about their bodies, about importance of healthy eating and exercise. The children really loved playing the heart and watching it beat and they loved shouting down the ear and looking up noses.
Level Three: The Future
The top floor focuses on the future and space. All three of us joined the queue to go and play with a life-sized robot where we all had a chance to program to do certain movements and say certain things. RoboThespian is a humanoid robot, one of those super clever ones that scare you a bit with how realistic they are. It was on this floor that we created our own unique alien and played around with robots that have been used in space.
MiniBrum is a mini city for kids and full of interactive and exciting role play areas. It’s basically a children's play area within the museum. But it’s not your usual play area. It’s a mini city for kids and they can play, pretend and have fun. Our daughter absolutely loved it in there. There was so much to do, we could easily have just gone to Thinktank just for the play area.
Thinktank’s new 4K Planetarium and adventure through the solar system is an added extra when you visit where it uses the latest video technology to create a truly immersive experience. However, on the visit we decided not to get those tickets as we knew we would have our work cut out for us discovering all the extraordinary things on the three levels.
The Science Garden
The highlight for us was definitely in the science garden. We have never been fortunate enough to see something as wonderfully creative as the science garden before. The Science Garden was an outdoor discovery park that explores the science behind energy, mechanics and mobility. We spent at least a hour getting our hand on the interactive outdoor play, even if we did get wet in the process.
As soon as you head into the garden you come across the energise section of the gardens and this side was filled with lots of water play and getting involved. Our daughter loved putting her head inside a big dome as water ran on top with a push of button, we also had fun and got really wet balancing balls on top of water.
Our daughter loved putting her head inside a huge dome which also had a big tap on top that would trickle water down the dome. We then headed towards the mechanise part of the science garden and it was filled of things to explore like a bike, or a huge hamster wheel to learn about the science behind wind energy.
Food & Drink
At Think Tank there is a large indoor picnic area which is great as so many places are against you taking your own food, which we would definitely consider this next time. About an hour or so looking at some exciting trains and planes in the museum the little people were hungry so we stopped off at the Think Tank cafe. It was half term so the cafe was jam packed full of very hungry people and considering the museum is huge I would have expected that more seating would have been available. There was a small wait for food and there was a limited options available, so all the adults had the burgers and the little ones opted for chicken goujons.
In a nutshell, we all had an amazing time at the Think Tank museum. There was so much to discover and around every corner was something extraordinary. Our highlights was the City of Birmingham Locomotive, it was pretty impressive and a lot bigger that I thought it would have been. The Smethwick Engine the world’s oldest working steam engine was also in action at the museum we all stared in amazement. My daughter loved all the amazing wildlife displays like the the polar bear, a triceratops head and the centre piece that was full of wildlife. Seeing the giant deer was a highlight for me, I couldn't quite believe it. Lastly the science garden was so cool and have never been fortunate enough to see something as wonderfully creative as this before. The Think Tank is a must do for all families as those memories will stay with you forever.
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